Wrexham midfielder Matty James has called on his teammates to draw on their collective promotion experience as the club faces a nail-biting final day of the Championship season, with a play-off spot hanging in the balance. The Welsh side, currently sitting sixth, will host Middlesbrough on Saturday in a tense three-way battle for the last coveted position, competing against Hull and Derby.
Complex permutations
The permutations for Wrexham, who are chasing an extraordinary fourth successive promotion under the stewardship of Hollywood owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, alongside manager Phil Parkinson, are unusually complex. They could secure a victory and still miss out on the play-offs, or conversely, suffer a defeat and yet find themselves in the top six.
James draws on past experience
Veteran midfielder James, 34, is no stranger to such high-stakes scenarios. He famously scored in Leicester’s 3-2 final-day triumph at Nottingham Forest in 2013, a result that saw the Foxes sneak into the play-offs. However, that campaign ended in heartbreak with Troy Deeney’s memorable stoppage-time winner for Watford.
"We snuck in and got to sixth on the last day of the season," James recalled. "After that we had the play-offs against Watford, which is a retro moment on TV that pops up every now and again that I don’t enjoy watching."
Despite the disappointment, Leicester achieved promotion the following year. "But we got promoted the year after and those experiences I can call upon, as well as numerous other lads who have been through the league," he added. "This football club is also used to winning promotions and hopefully we can bring that experience on Saturday."
Stabilising influence
James, who joined Wrexham in October 2024 and played a key role in their promotion from League One last season, has provided a crucial stabilising influence during the run-in. This comes despite missing two months with a broken toe sustained against Millwall in February, an injury that still requires him to wear boots a couple of sizes too large due to swelling.
"For me it is just get your boots on, forget about it, go out there, play and perform," James stated, downplaying the ongoing discomfort. "The adrenaline is running and I manage it through the week. Everyone’s excited when you’ve got big games. That’s what we train for, that’s what we play for."
Focus on performance
He emphasised the significance of Wrexham's current standing. "The achievement of being in this position is a big one. It’s about taking the opportunity now and the message for quite a long time has been about us." As the final whistle approaches, James insists the focus remains internal: "I’m sure there’ll be things up and around the stadium and you’ll hear different things and stuff like that. But for us it’s about concentrating on our performance and our result."
