Town manager Kieran McKenna says he’ll relish what he anticipates being a lively atmosphere at the Racecourse Ground on Friday for the Blues’ fourth-round FA Cup tie against Wrexham, the first of two visits to face the Red Dragons in eight days (BBC One Wales, KO 7.45pm).

McKenna says his side go into Friday’s match in a positive mood after last week’s 2-1 victory over Derby County at Pride Park, which saw them move back into third in the Championship ahead of Hull City on goal difference with a game in hand.

“It’s been good,” he said. “Obviously, the result last week and the performance helped the atmosphere around the group and it’s always a nice change when you get to FA Cup week, especially when you’re in a season like us where you’re really thinking about your goal in the league. The FA Cup provides a nice change of focus.”

In November, Wrexham frustrated the Blues to a 0-0 draw at Portman Road and McKenna was asked whether he is expecting a different sort of game at the Racecourse given that the Welsh side are at home and it’s one-off tie which must be decided on the night, going to extra-time if level after 90 minutes before being settled by penalties with no replay.

“I think that’s probably fair to say,” McKenna continued. “They’re at home, they’re in good form and it’s an FA Cup tie and both teams want to go through.

“I expect teams to have a really good crack at it and, hopefully, that’s going to make for a really good cup tie.

“The boys are looking forward to that, they’re looking forward to a game in a different competition.

“The first time playing in Wrexham’s stadium, we’re not going to have to wait too long for the second time, but this is the first time for probably almost all of our players. It’s one to look forward to, everyone’s excited for that.”

McKenna, who says he’s never played the same opposition away at their ground twice in successive matches previously in his career, confirmed he will make changes, believing it’s important to give players who haven’t featured recently in the Championship a chance to get minutes under their belts.

“It is,” he said. “Not necessarily in this competition but just across the season. We have a good squad and when the boys show the commitment that they do and train how they do and push to get in the team, then they deserve opportunities across the course of the season.

“And certainly this tournament, this game, there’s a chance that we will do that. We know the schedule that we’ve had over the last couple of months. We know the schedule that we have coming up is unparalleled really in terms of the other teams in the league - we have games to catch up.

“We’ve had two trips to Portsmouth and one to Blackburn this year that had to be repeated so we know we’ve got an awful amount of games and trips to come in the months ahead and really important goals there.

“There’s no doubt that we will utilise the squad, players will come in, have an opportunity to play, to get minutes to impress and I’m really looking forward to seeing that.

“We have quality in the squad, we have players who are training well but who haven’t had as many minutes lately and I’m looking forward to seeing them in a really tough, competitive fixture.

“Of course, you’re never that excited to get another team from your division in the FA Cup but on the other hand it’s an opportunity to see players in that type of contest, that type of context, the type of opposition that we’re facing every week, so that’s a really good opportunity for them and an opportunity for us as a squad.

“For me, that’s something to look forward to about Friday night’s game - seeing how we get on with some players who maybe haven’t had as many minutes lately or some new players and lots of players coming into the team with a real hunger to do well.”

Given the changes, skipper Dara O’Shea is unlikely to start, while Ashley Young, who captained in the last round is injured.

McKenna says he has decided who will wear the armband but wouldn’t reveal who until he has spoken to the squad about it.

“I know who it is and you’ll know who it is tomorrow,” he said. “I need to speak to the group first.”

The game will see the Blues reunited with two former attackers, Nathan Broadhead, who played a key role in the back-to-back promotions, and Kieffer Moore, who returned for a very successful second spell at the club on loan in the second half of the Championship promotion campaign.

“We’ve spoken plenty about Kieffer and Nathan and the massive impacts they had here,” McKenna said. “Two great lads, both stay in touch with quite a few of our players.

“I don’t think Kieffer was down for the last game, so it will be good to catch up with him and the same with Nathan.”

Wrexham are sixth in the Championship, seven points behind the Blues having played a game more.

Having gone on a run of four successive wins over Christmas and into the new year, the Red Dragons’ form has been more inconsistent recently.


Following the 4-3 on-penalties win at home to Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup - ex-Town forward Omari Hutchinson’s kick having been saved - after a 3-3 draw, the Welsh side have won two, drawn one and lost two in the Championship with their two victories both away. Last week, they were defeated 2-0 at the Racecourse Ground by fellow play-off challengers Millwall.

Their form at home is the 13th best in the Championship, having won six, drawn six and lost four. Their most recent home win over 90 minutes was a 2-1 success over Preston on December 29th.

McKenna is expecting a big atmosphere with the game live on TV on BBC One Wales - which is also available to viewers elsewhere - as well as the BBC iPlayer and TNT Sports 5, and with Wrexham targeting a fifth round place for the first time since in the 1996/97 campaign.

“We know for them, they haven’t reached the FA Cup fifth round for 25-plus years,” McKenna said. “Obviously it was a big performance from them in the last round to beat Nottingham Forest.

“We know they’ll be really, really keen to go through and their atmosphere will be lively on the night.

“To be honest, that just makes it something more enjoyable for us, it makes it a really good challenge and we’ve got to step up and take that atmosphere and that opponent on and deliver a really strong performance.”

The Team

McKenna made seven switches of personnel for the 2-1 third-round home victory over Blackpool in the third round and will probably make a similar number of changes on Friday.

As was the case then, Alex Palmer will come into the side in goal with Ben Johnson likely to be at right-back.

O’Shea seems set to drop out, so it may well be that Cedric Kipre moves to the right and is partnered by Jacob Greaves.

Leif Davis, who could be McKenna’s pick to captain, seems likely to be at left-back, although the Blues boss has said youngster Somto Boniface will be in the squad and may be in line for his debut off the bench at some stage.

Azor Matusiwa seems likely to continue in central midfield as he did against Blackpool with McKenna confirming that Dan Neil will make his full debut having come off the bench at Derby.

In the trio ahead of them, the Town manager may want to take another look at the Kasey McAteer-Anis Mehmeti link-up, the pair having forged an immediate understanding against the Rams, with the former Leicester man on the right and ex-Bristol City forward as the number 10. Mehmeti can play despite having featured for the Robins in round three due to new rules on cup-tying players this season.

McKenna may also take a look at Chuba Akpom on the left having used the on-loan Ajax man in that role at Pride Park. George Hirst could start as the number nine, Ivan Azon having been in the XI last weekend.

The Opposition

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson is hoping his side can end their long wait for a fifth-round FA Cup tie.

“It’s great to be involved in the fourth round of the cup,” Parkinson told the Wrexham Leader.

“It’s been a long time since the club progressed to round five, so obviously that has got to be the aim.

“A good target for us to make a bit of history and a good opportunity to get into the fifth round for the first time for many years.

“Both clubs have got a rich history in the tournament, ourselves with special cup moments over the years and Ipswich are past FA Cup winners.

“It’s a great tie and a nice switch off from the league, and let’s see who can get through on the night.”

The Red Dragons face Bristol City in the Championship on Tuesday before the Blues make their second trip to the Racecourse Ground next Saturday.

“We’ve got these three games in eight days and we’ll make sure that we keep freshening the team up for that,” Parkinson added. “But equally, we’ll pick the team which we feel is right for the game.

“[Playing Ipswich again next weekend] is a different situation to be in, but obviously we’ll just concentrate on this game and then we can review how the game goes before we meet them again in eight days’ time.”

Ex-Blues forward Broadhead is a doubt with a groin problem but trained earlier in the week with Parkinson hopeful the Wales international was making progress.

The Wrexham boss has confirmed he will be without midfielder Matty James (toe), wing-back Libby Cacace (hamstring) and defender Zak Vyner (toe), a late January signing from Bristol City.

Defenders Lewis Brunt (thigh) and Aaron James (knee) are long-term absentees.

History

The teams have faced one another only twice in their histories, the Championship game at Portman Road in November, which ended 0-0, the first in the league.

Town dominated throughout but rarely forced visitors keeper Arthur Okonkwo to make anything other than relatively routine saves with Christian Walton wholly untroubled at the other end.

The Blues and Wrexham have met once before in the FA Cup third round at the Racecourse Ground in January 1995 when the then-Second Division (third tier) side beat the Blues, who were in the Premier League, 2-1 in George Burley’s third game as manager.

Kieron Durkan gave the home side a deserved lead on the hour, but Blues skipper David Linighan nodded an equaliser from a corner on 84 as Town thought they’d escaped an embarrassing cup shock.

But, two minutes later, one-time Town defender and future academy director Tony Humes sent in a free-kick from deep and Adam Tanner, making only his second senior appearance having scored in the 4-1 home victory over Leicester the previous week, brought down Karl Connolly in the area. Clive Baker came close to saving Gary Bennett’s penalty but the ball crossed the line off the inside of the post.

The Blues almost grabbed a second equaliser injury time but Wrexham keeper Andy Marriott pushed Adrian Paz’s header onto the bar from virtually point-blank.

Familiar Faces

Wrexham signed Broadhead from the Blues for an initial £7.5 million in August last year, the Wales international returning to the club where he had been a schoolboy before joining Everton aged 10.

The 27-year-old made 56 starts and 28 sub appearances for the Blues, scoring 23 goals, and was a key member of the back-to-back promotion-winning squad having signed from the Toffees for £1.5 million plus add-ons in January 2023.

Also making a move to the Red Dragons last summer was striker Moore. The 33-year-old initially joined Town from Forest Green Rovers for £25,000 in January 2017 but made only 11 sub appearances without scoring before moving on to Barnsley a year later following a hugely successful loan spell with Rotherham in the first half of that campaign in which he scored 13 times.

Moore returned to the Blues on loan in January 2024 from AFC Bournemouth, by which time he had become an established Wales international, and bagged seven goals in 14 starts and four sub appearances as he helped Town to promotion to the Championship.

Officials

Friday’s referee is Benjamin Speedie, his assistants Jacob Lehane and Thomas Cooke, and the fourth official Declan Brown.

Bootle-based Speedie, a former teacher who now works as referee development officer with Liverpool County FA, has shown 78 yellow cards and four red in 27 games so far this season.

Speedie, who has taken charge of eight Championship matches over the last two campaigns but usually takes control of games in Leagues One and Two and the National League, has refereed Town once previously.

That was back in September 2021 in the Blues’ first win of that season, a 1-0 success under Paul Cook against Lincoln City at Sincil Bank, in which Wes Burns and Lee Evans for Town and Teddy Bishop, then with the Imps, were yellow-carded.

Squad From

Walton, Palmer, Button, Furlong, Johnson, Davis, Boniface, O’Shea (c), Greaves, Kipre, Baggott, Matusiwa, Cajuste, Neil, Taylor, Clarke, Walle Egeli, McAteer, Mendel, Mehmeti, Akpom, Hirst, Azon.

Photo: Matchday Images