I’ve been putting together a joint Wrexham AFC team of the season from the men’s and women’s side for a couple of years now, and this season feels like the trickiest selection so far. There have been so many superb performers across both sides that I’ve really had to make some tough decisions. I expect a queue of angry players will beat a path to the door of my office in the morning!

Firstly, there’s one ground rule: I’m purely looking at performances for this season, and disregarding the different demands of the men’s and women’s games to figure out a theoretical eleven. Please don’t think I’d expect to put this side on the pitch and take on Birmingham City.

Also, the use of similar formations by both sides, while coincidental, helps me enormously. Previously I’ve had to force square pegs into round holes, but now I’ve no excuses – I have to cull players I really admire because I can’t squeeze them in somewhere else!

So, here we go, starting with an extremely problematic position: goalkeeper!

It’s not a problem through lack of quality: quite the opposite. Immediately I have to consider two player of the season contenders, Arthur Okonkwo and Lizzie Craven. That’s before taking into account Del Morgan, whose valedictory display at TNS was the finest individual performance from a Wrexham player I saw this season. Callum Burton was superb when called upon too, and you’ve just got to love Mark Howard’s unflappable ability to step in when needed.

Ultimately, I have to go with Okonkwo, simply because he is such a preternaturally gifted keeper, but I’ll personally apologise to Craven. I might bring her on at half time actually!

The men’s defence has been so strong that it’s obvious they’ll take spots in the back three. Max Cleworth’s selection is a no-brainer: he has been at his smooth, controlled best all season. Despite a couple of off days, Eoghan O’Connell has earned the central spot in the three. His commanding presence in the heart of the box when we’ve come under pressure has been reassuring this season.

The third slot is interesting though. Tom O’Connor and Lewis Brunt have both done well there, but there are some excellent alternatives in the women’s team. Injuries have restricted Keren Allen and Phoebe Davies, but there is still a trio of worthy contenders in Katie Sharp, Erin Lovett and Nat Clark. All three have been excellent, playing massive roles in our renaissance since Christmas: ultimately I’m plumping for Lovett, whose heart and relish for the scrap have gone hand-in-hand with a real development in terms of consistency and positioning.

At wing-back, I simply can’t ignore Ryan Barnett’s superb first half of the season, even though Ryan Longman has replaced him in the starting eleven for much of the second half of the season.

On the left, I’ll take advantage of Carra Jones’ versatility. Her energy and threat, plus a knack for scoring with crosses which might actually be deliberate, make her a natural choice, and after a frustrating start to the season she’s been on fire in the last few months. She has been a massive factor in our brilliant post-Christmas form, playing tirelessly without fear.

Midfield? Where do I begin? Ollie Rathbone has got to be in there for his consistent quality and energy. I mean, the crowd started singing his name before they announced him as player of the season last Sunday. That’s the definition of an obvious choice!

Liv Fuller, whose season was horribly cut short, is a magnificent player and pro: no player in the Adran Premier is her clear superior at centre back, defensive midfield, centre midfield or attacking midfield. It’s nice to have one player who is also the spine of your team, but frustrating that cloning still isn’t a financially viable option, even for our owners!

Lili Jones simply demands inclusion, for her all-round excellence with and without the ball. In fact, she has every season since I started compiling these XIs. And she’s not twenty yet!

So if they’re the midfield trio, I’ve got a lot of apologies to make to players who have excelled in that part of the pitch this season. Brooke Cairns is the perfect combination of baller and street fighter, George Dobson and Matty James have each shown real class this season, Clark has played with distinction in midfield and Andy Cannon was excellent before his injury. Yet I seem to have decided to leave them all out. I told you I was going to be in trouble on Monday morning when my hybrid team report to my back garden for training!

Up front, I have a major dilemma. What a surprise. If I select this side on contribution made this season, I have to select Steven Fletcher, but if I’m treating this as if it’s a team that is looking to win a game, he must be utilised off the bench.

With the utterly outstanding duo of Abbie Iddenden and Ava Suckley to contend with, not to mention natural centre forwards like Sam Smith and Rosie Hughes, whose excellence as a substitute has probably made the decision to use her for the last half hour easier, there’s a lot of deserving cases here.

I was tempted to cheat and drop Suckley into midfield, where she plays with distinction, but ultimately I’ve decided I can’t split the deadly duo up. Iddenden and Suckley to start, Fletcher on the bench, then.

There are so many fine players I’ve already mentioned who will join him. Craven is the keeper, Sharp and Clark offer strength with Clark’s adaptability a bonus, and Longman squeezes in ahead of Amber Lightfoot and James McClean. Matty James deserves a spot too, as does Cairns, with Smith adding to Fletcher’s firepower.

That was draining! I can’t believe the calibre of players I’ve left out of my squad, but as the cliché goes, that’s a nice problem for a manager to have. I feel very lucky to support two teams whose management teams have exactly the same problem!