Three weeks off? What do we do now?

This is an unprecedented break in a Wrexham season: indeed, apart from the wrangling of the 2022-23 season to accommodate a winter world cup in Qatar, I’m struggling to think of any other example of such a mid-term hiatus.

Off-pitch preparations have never been more detailed or advanced, of course, so clubs across Europe will have already formulated exactly what to do. Twiddling thumbs is not an option.

However, it’s a strange situation for Wrexham. We will have most of our squad available for intensive training sessions, but not all of them. I know that’s the norm, with injuries meaning coaches are rarely able to have all their players together on the practise pitch, but when you throw in our international call-ups, that’s a reasonable chunk of talent missing.

We’re missing our Welsh internationals, Danny Ward and Kieffer Moore, with Nathan Broadhead only not travelling with them because he’s injured.

The same is true of Liberato Cacace, who continues to experience frustrating fitness issues and therefore can’t represent New Zealand.

Bailey Cadamarteri is away with Jamaica, who have Concacaf Nations League fixtures, while we have two players taking part in qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations: Jacques Ekomié for Gabon and Issa Kaboré with Burkina Faso.

Balancing the need to keep players ticking over with the opportunity to give them a break, especially after the punishing run of fixtures we ploughed through to get to this point, will be key.

It’s inevitable that, for some, the timing of the break will be perfect, while for others it couldn’t be more frustrating.

I’ll bet Zak Vyner would love to keep playing. He’s had a variable start to the season as a left-sided centre back, but he was excellent against Southampton last weekend.

Up against a high quality, mobile attacking unit, he consistently anticipated danger, making big interceptions, winning his duels and using the ball intelligently.

Leo Scienca, The Saints’ mercurial left-sided creator, was becalmed by Vyner and Kaboré and withdrawn at the break. That had more to do with a clattering challenge on him than his performance, admittedly, but he passed the baton of anonymity to Samuel Edozie, who was equally unable to make an impression on the defensive duo.

While Vyner would love to build on that performance, the man whose place he has taken, Max Cleworth, will be delighted to see a good chunk of his expected 8-week injury absence eaten up as his team mates join him in a long period of enforced inactivity.

Likewise, Broadhead will be glad to minimise his absences after picking up an injury last week, and Cacace will be able to continue his rehabilitation. Having him available again would be a great boost.

Knowing what Ben Sheaf and Josh Windass make of having to stop playing for the best part of a month would be informative.

Injuries have massively disrupted their seasons so far, and perhaps having three weeks to build on the recoveries they’ve already made would be welcomed.

However, they showed against Southampton that they are already ticking over nicely: perhaps continuing to play would be what they want.

Certainly Sheaf, who made his first appearance of the campaign against The Saints, picked up where he left off. What a fine player he is, carrying the ball forward with authority, his head up, scanning the options and spraying passes to attacking players with acuity.

Last weekend that box midfield gave us a glimpse of what Phil Parkinson has sought to do in upgrading his squad for a tilt at another promotion.

The quartet of Sheaf, Windass, Ben Whiteman and Callum O’Hare are all on the same hymn sheet; technical, experienced players who spot and reward intelligent movement, they came up with passages of passing that troubled Southampton.

It was the first time they’ve been on the pitch together, of course, and they will have had limited time to work on those relationships in training, of course, with Sheaf and Windass experiencing those absences through injury and O’Hare only arriving on deadline day.

They will now get three weeks to develop those combinations further. When they are well-grooved, and not just the intelligent improvisations of smart players, the rewards will be obvious.

With Matty James also fitting that profile, and the experience of Broadhead, Lewis O’Brien and Ollie Rathbone, our options in that area of the pitch are exciting.

Parkinson and his team will be absent from our sight over the next three weeks, but the work they put in away from the public eye could set us up beautifully for the next portion of the season.