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Match Preview: Wrexham v Shots

Wrexham v Aldershot Town Match Preview – Saturday 1st September 2018
Following last weekend’s much improved performance and much needed 2-1 victory at home to Sutton United, Aldershot Town make the trip to North Wales on Saturday to take on high-flying Wrexham. BBC Surrey’s Rob Worrall previews the game:

Shots Squad:
Town manager Gary Waddock will still be without injured Hull City loanee goalkeeper Will Mannion, who has a quad injury. Skipper Karleigh Osborne’s condition is improving but he remains side-lined with an Achilles problem. Marvin McCoy is yet to make his Shots debut due to a persistent injury. You can watch Gary Waddock’s preview of the game here.

Opposition:
Name: Wrexham
Founded: 1864
Nickname: The Dragons
Manager: Sam Ricketts
Stadium: Racecourse Ground
2017/18 National League position: 10th

Brief History:
Wrexham were formed in 1864 and are the third oldest football club in the world.

The Gaffer:
Prior to the beginning of the 2018/19 campaign, ex-professional Sam Ricketts was announced as Wrexham’s new manager. After a 16-year career which included over 550 domestic matches and 52 Wales caps, Ricketts was forced to retire with a knee injury in November 2016. Consequently, he began to obtain his coaching badges while improving his skills at Coventry City and Wolves before being hired by the Red Dragons in May.

Outgoings:
Nine players departed the Racecourse Ground in the summer, six of whom were released. Perhaps the key loss was midfielder Sam Wedgbury who wanted to move closer to his home in Sheffield.

Incomings:
Eleven of last season’s playing squad stayed, including defensive quartet; Roberts, Pearson, Smith and Jennings that kept clean sheets in almost half of the club’s league matches last season. Nine players arrived, with Luke Young (Torquay United), Jordan Maguire-Drew (Brighton loanee) and current top scorer Mike Fondop-Talom arguably the key signings.

Referee:
Saturday’s referee is unknown at the time this match preview was written.

Commentary:
BBC Surrey Sports Rob Worrall and Shots supporter Alan Baldwin will be covering the game live on Saturday afternoon. Tune in to the BBC Sport website (or the BBC Sport App) from 2:50pm for full match commentary. To interact with them, tweet @RobShot66