It’s that time of year again: FA Cup rotation time! Remember when teams used ot look forward to the competition? Not any more! So here’s a guide to the Wrexham players who are hoping will be given a chance by Andy Morrell to show what they can do!

DEAD CERTS

Joe Clarke
Clarke is bound to make his first home start in a Wrexham shirt, and as he’s on a short term contract he has more to prove than most. He looks like a tidy midfield distributer of the ball, without having the dynamism of Jay Harris or the penetrative edge of Lee Fowler. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he’s started twice away but never at home as his value seems to be greater when we’re keeping it tight away from home and he’s able to hold his position and maintain the midfield’s shape.

The injury to Dean Keates might just open the door for him to show he can do in the position in which he might be able to serve Wrexham best. As a tidy defensive midfielder in the Chris Blackburn mould, Clarke might just turn out to have been an important player when we weigh up the campaign.

Danny Wright
Managers like to give their own signings every chance, and Wright’s season might just have been hampered by the departure of Dean Saunders more than most. Listening to the reception and encouragement the crowd gave him when he came on last Saturday showed that he certainly hasn’t had a bad start to his Wrexham career, as he has impressed with his workrate and aerial ability. However, he’s a target man who works opposing centre backs and brings other players in, not one who scores goals (at least not over the last two seasons).

The fact is that Andy Morrell, without having to worry about giving Wright a run because he’d signed him, has opted for the more erratic Mathias Pogba because there’s no doubt he packs more of a goal threat. Sure, Pogba’s up and down, but there’s no doubt that when it clicks he has the potential to cause serious damage to defences. Wright needs to show that he can pack a similar punch if he’s to regain his spot in the middle of the front three.

SHORT ODDS

Chris Maxwell
It feels bizarre to be talking about Chris Maxwell has something to prove, but it’s true! With Joslain Mayebi the number one right now, Maxwell has little scope to regain his place until the Cameroonian does something to deserve the chop.

Unless Morrell’s looking for a way to put Maxwell back in without putting Mayebi’s nose too far out of joint or breaking the principle of the player in possession keeping his place as long as he does well. If my conspiracy theory is correct, and Maxwell is picked tomorrow and keeps a solid clean sheet, then Morrell could argue that, having given him the opportunity, he took it and should stay in the side.

I strongly suspect this isn’t running throuhg Morrell’s mind-he’s not as Machiavellian as me, I’m sure-but it’s an entertaining theory nonetheless!

Johnny Hunt

There seems to be a bit fo a buzz around the club about Hunt lately. He’s always looked useful when given a chance, either in his sporadic first team appearances or in friendlies, and it would be good to see him given a proper run out.

Don’t necessarily expect it to be in the left back position where he’s usually shown up though; it might be that he’ll be able to carve out an opportunity in midfield, where his dynamism and progressive attitude might just make him a decent back-up for Jamie Tolley as the midfielder most likely to be able to break forwards and support the strikers..

Chris Westwood
Another Saunders signing who might be concerned that the man who brough him to the club is no longer there. Injuries have ensured that the man Saunders perhaps considered to be hismain Summer signing has suffered a miserable start to his Wrexham career, and it’s crucial for him that he regains his equilibrium as soon as possible.

It must be hugely frustrating for him to find the season turning out like this. Having turned down an ofer to stay in the Football League with WYcombe, and at this stage of his career, the last thing he must want is to find his path into the side blocked by what has been the best central defensive partnership in the division.

As he looked very unhappy when filling in for the suspended Curtis Obeng at right back at Grimsby, one would assume that isn’t an easy path back into the side either. That match was Morrell’s first as manager, and Westwood hasn’t featured since. He needs to show what he can do before his season is already up.

Glen Little
As I argued last week, if he’s fit enough to start a game, he surely has to. He played for the reserves in midweek, so fingers crossed that we might finally get a clear idea of what he can actually contribute this season. It’ll also offer an opportunity to conduct another epic post match interview! Better make sure all the equipment’s well charged up.

LONG SHOTS

Obi Anoruo
Now here’s an interesting one. Anoruo looked so promising when he burst onto the scene, but two seasons have passed since then, during which he has enjoyed two good loan spells at lower levels of football, but managed just a couple of substitute appearances for Wrexham. He desperately needs to kick on and show that he can replicate his goalscoring form at Newtown and Vauxhall Motors in the Blue Square Premier, but first he needs to get onto the pitch.

Steve Tomassen
You might argue that Tomassen has earned an opportunity to show what he can do. He was highly impressive in pre-season, building on a surprise debut on the last day of the season when he was thrown on as a sub and excelled in the heart of the defence.

His pre-season performances showed that there was a lot more to his game than central defensive play (although to be fair, the ability to repel the likes of Jason Walker shouldn’t be underestimated.) He marauded from right back, played well in the centre of midfield and hit a couple of goals to boot.

His efforts earned him a couple of appearances off the bench at the start of the campaign, but he’s faded out of the first team reckoning of late. Should he be given a chance to show what he can do from the start?

Jay Colbeck
He’s been consistetly getting good reviews for the youth team, and scored twice in midweek for the reserves. New managers like taking a punt to put their stamp on a side, so who knows?