With Wrexham’s pre-season preparations now well underway, the countdown to the 2022/23 campaign continues apace.
The Red Dragons’ opening game of the season is at home to Eastleigh on Saturday August 6, 2023, and tickets for that game are on sale to members now via our eTicketing website.
Remember, as well as a raft of other tailored benefits, members will always have priority windows to buy match-day tickets ahead of non-members. To buy your 2022/23 membership, visit our eTicketing website now.
Now, without further ado, let’s continue our look at the 23 teams Wrexham will face in the Vanarama National League this season or catch up on part one and part two here.
Gateshead
The National League North champions return to the National League on the back of a three-year absence.
Although they finished ninth in the 2018/19 National League season, the Tynesiders were relegated due to financial irregularities.
The side, who play at the International Stadium with a capacity of more than ten thousand, will be keen to cement their place in the National League at the very least.
Conceding on average a goal a game, their defensive weaknesses were significantly overcome by the 99 league goals scored.
This included 24 from Cedwyn Scott and 28 from the league’s top scorer Macauley Langstaff, who have both been picked up by Notts County.
The last eight league fixtures between Wrexham and Gateshead, spread across four seasons, have seen both sides fail to achieve back-to-back wins, constituting that the fixtures are always a competitive contest.
One to Watch: Dan Jarvis
After making almost 50 appearances for Wrexham, the Red Dragons will be wary of their former playmaker Dan Jarvis.
The man from Cambridgeshire lit up the National League on his debut for Wrexham, when he joined from Stoke City, as he scored in a 3-0 victory over Woking, whilst providing intense flair for the home fans.
His technical ability on the ball is an ever-increasing danger and will be an asset to Gateshead’s season and certainly one to watch.
Last Meetings
November 3, 2018 – Wrexham 3-1 Gateshead
February 23, 2019 – Gateshead 1-1 Wrexham
Maidenhead United
Maidenhead were famous for spoiling the Hollywood party last season, as Rob & Ryan witnessed first-hand a five-goal thriller for their first ever live Wrexham game, seeing the Red Dragons lose 3-2.
Goals from Kane Ferdinand and Jay Mingi landed Wrexham in all heaps of trouble, before Bryce Hosannah was mistakenly sent off for an incident which would later see Paul Mullin suspended after retrospective action. Wrexham had to progress through some gears in order to impress the new owners and Mullin was on hand to drive home a goal before half time. A Jordan Davies second-half equaliser wouldn’t be enough, however, as Josh Kelly won the game for the Magpies, showcasing the rollercoaster that is football to our new owners.
The 2021/22 season saw Maidenhead finish 17th in the National League, however safety from the drop was easily cleared, as they were 17 points above demoted King’s Lynn Town.
The majority of the Magpies’ goals came from Josh Kelly, with contributions being minimal from other players on the field.
Their highest finish in the league since their promotion from the National League South in 2016/17 is 12th, alongside narrowly escaping relegation in the COVID-affected 2019/20 season, and so United will be hoping to narrow the gap between themselves and the play-off spots.
One to Watch: Adrian Clifton
The 33-year-old forward returned for his third spell at the Magpies on June 27th, 2022. The Montserrat international has scored six goals for his nation in the Nations League and World Cup qualifiers. Aside from this, he scored second and third round goals in the FA Cup, including one against EFL side AFC Wimbledon. Forty goals from 40 starts for Maidenhead in the past has seen the forward become a club favourite and he will undoubtedly attach his name to the scoresheet throughout the upcoming season.
2021/22 meetings
October 26, 2021 – Maidenhead United 3-2 Wrexham
January 29, 2022 – Wrexham 1-1 Maidenhead United
Maidstone United
Maidstone were crowned champions of the National League South last season, after amassing 87 points from 40 games.
A three-year absence from the final tier of non-league football would come to an end, after showcasing themselves as the best defensive unit in the National League South.
Maidstone’s highest ever league finish came in their first season in the National League when they finished 14th. Survival will be the primary objective, but the Stones will be confident of their best-ever league finish in history, building on the success of last year.
United had three different ‘players of the season,’ in Joan Luque, Jerome Binnom-Williams and Joe Ellul. The two latter players being defenders showcases the Stones’ defensive excellence last season, while the Spaniard Luque scored 20 goals in 18 league appearances.
One to Watch: James Alabi
The former Stoke City professional was a part of Bromley’s FA Trophy success last season, including scoring off the bench to overcome York City in the semi-final.
The 27-year-old has a wealth of experience in League 2 and the National League and even has a goal to his name in League One. The acquisition of Alabi to the returning Maidstone will be of vast importance to their objectives for the upcoming National League season.
Last Meetings
November 17, 2018 – Maidstone United 1-1 Wrexham
March 16, 2019 – Wrexham 1-0 Maidstone United
Notts County
A Reece Hall-Johnson thunderbolt and a last-minute James Jones winner would be the highlights of this fixture across two away games last season for Wrexham fans.
Although the ten men of Wrexham recorded a heavy defeat at Meadow Lane in January 2022, Hall-Johnson registered one of the sweetest strikes of the season, as he truly made the net ripple.
Revenge would take place in the FA Trophy Quarter-Final, where James Jones would slide in a last-minute winner, just minutes after Christian Dibble produced arguably the save of the season for the Red Dragons.
County would finish 5th in the table and faced Grimsby Town for a place in the semi-final against Wrexham.
Starman Ruben Rodrigues thought he had won the affair with a 73rd minute penalty, however Gavin Holohan instinctively fired home an equaliser in the 96th minute to send the Mariners into extra time. Ironically for County, a lightning bolt did strike twice, and Emmanuel Dieseruvwe bundled the ball into the net in the 119th minute. These late goals would be a theme to Grimsby’s play-off promotion games.
Strong summer transfers have already landed County as one of the favourites to secure promotion back to the EFL this season, as they will be hoping to avoid the heartbreak experienced in the play-offs last season.
Ones to Watch: Cedwyn Scott & Macauley Langstaff
The Gateshead duo from last season stacked up 52 goals in the National League North, providing over half of the goals for the entire team.
Signing a pair is an unusual feat, but the Magpies have acquired proven goalscorers with proven chemistry.
To assume that they would hit the ground running together would be no exaggeration.
2021/22 meetings
August 30, 2021 – Wrexham 1-1 Notts County
January 2, 2022 – Notts County 3-1 Wrexham
March 11, 2022 (FAT quarter-final) - Notts County 1-2 Wrexham