It feels as though enough has happened in the last week or so to fill several columns, with Chairman Rob – a strangely satisfying title to say, I suspect because of the similarity to Fireman Sam – in town with his family for the game against Halifax Town, as well as blimps, boots and Boreham Wood all giving fans plenty to talk about! Ironically, however, I just flew back to the US and I'm knackered, so it's sort of a short one this week.
It is always great having either, or both, Rob and Ryan over to visit Wrexham and each trip generates a huge degree of interest from folk across the area.
I was first tipped off a couple of weeks ago that Rob was plotting some shenanigans for Ryan's birthday and that the club and some of the players would be roped in to help stage this video, with an inflatable tunnel extension and a socking great balloon and that Rob would be over to help launch it.
Thinking it nigh on impossible, I then watched on with a certain degree of astonishment as first Maximum Effort, Ryan's marketing company, and then Wrexham AFC staff and players brought these inflatable monstrosities and the requisite video to life. It was all in great fun and I know the players enjoyed the process of making their contribution to the video. I enjoyed their acting skills as, after receiving a lot of stick for my Star Wars audition in the documentary, I was able to dish a bit out at last!
Rob brought a few members of his family to visit, some for the first time, and we went on a whistlestop tour of a few of the great Wrexham projects and institutions that the Club supports or work with in the community, with visits to Wrexham Lager, the Foodbank and The Miners Rescue Station.
I think it was a great way for them to get a feel for the amazing work that is going on in the City outside of the Club. Every time Rob or Ryan come, we have a finite amount of time to get the guys around to meet people, so it's always a challenge to work out the best way to use it, but I'm very glad that Rob got out to those three. Many more visits to come, and much more to see. For me, I took great pleasure in shepherding the group around, not just because of the collective pride and interest that Rob's family clearly took, but also for the chance to get out and chat again with folk who have always been so welcoming and supportive of everything we've done here.
Four points from the last two games feels like a very acceptable return, certainly if you'd have offered it to me beforehand I'd have bitten your hand off. Although, after our excellent second half performance against Boreham Wood, I left the stadium feeling slightly disappointed as after our equaliser, it felt as though on balance we deserved to win it.
Halifax was great fun, after a sluggish start, and a fantastic experience for the newcomers to enjoy a big booming win under the floodlights on a wet and blustery October evening. Three great goals in response to a pretty soft penalty decision, with great impacts from the bench. Absolutely delicious.
I actually just watched a video of Aaron's goal, where he starts so far off camera he appears to make his run from somewhere around the Nando's at Eagles Meadow.
Saturday, we welcome Altrincham with the hope of keeping the extraordinary home run going. With multiple players coming back from injury, competition for places as intense as it's been since I arrived at the Club, and the ability to rest and rotate as necessary, I have high hopes.