With Wrexham on the verge of an historic third consecutive promotion, club captain James McClean says leading the side into the Championship would be a milestone that he would cherish forever.
Phil Parkinson’s Hollywood-backed team currently sit second in League One, three points ahead of Wycombe Wanderers with five fixtures left to play.
While the race remains wide open, with Stockport and Charlton also pushing for a top-two finish alongside already-promoted Birmingham City, Wrexham’s fate is firmly in their own hands.
At the centre of their promotion charge is McClean, who arrived from Wigan Athletic in August 2023 and has quickly become a leader on and off the pitch.
"Obviously when you're given an armband it's means the manager sees something in you, like leadership qualities," said McClean.
"It is a privilege to be given the armband and it's not something I take for granted.
"I try and lead in my own way and hopefully that rubs off.
"If we go on and achieve back-to-back-to-back and create history, then to be the captain of the first team to ever do that will hold a special place in my heart.
"That would obviously be a nice thing to have when it's all said and done, when you look back on your career and think that was a lovely touch."
McClean has been instrumental in Wrexham’s recent five-game unbeaten run, a spell that has kept them firmly in the automatic promotion spots.
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However, the 35-year-old winger isn’t letting the strong form lead to over-confidence.
"Nothing changes for us, it is one game at a time. That's the way it still has to be approached," he said.
"Belief is strong and confidence is high given where we are and the run of form we've been on.
"But we can't rest on our laurels and we can't be complacent.
"We have got to go to Wigan and the full focus is to get a win."
Wrexham will be backed by more than 4,000 fans at the DW Stadium, and Parkinson has underlined the importance of staying grounded and maintaining their high-performance levels in what he expects to be a fiercely competitive finish to the season.
"I think mentally and physically we're prepared to go to the last minute of the last game," said Parkinson.
"I don't expect any teams to do us any favours along the way – we've got to take care of our own business and give ourselves the best chance.
"Mentally, physically I feel we're ready to go right to the wire."
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Parkinson also paid tribute to the club's supporters ahead of the Wigan trip, describing them as a driving force.
"Tickets got sold really quick because there's so much interest and excitement at this part of the season as you'd expect," he said.
"It's important that we enjoy and embrace that.
"We're at a club where there's a great connection between the supporters, the club and the players and I think that's absolutely key.
"As I've always said the way that remains is by the Wrexham fans seeing a performance full of spirit, endeavour and quality.
"That's what we intend to put out tomorrow [against Wigan]."
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