WREXHAM‘S first end-of-year profit for a decade-and-a-half has only given the club’s board extra motivation to persevere with manager Gary Mills.
The Red Dragons’ financial position has been precarious for years, but the hard work of the club’s Supporters Trust-led ownership saw them post a surplus of £11,587 for the 2014-15 campaign.
Wrexham have been fan-owned since 2011, when they owed over £500,000 and were making operating losses of around £750,000 per year on top.
They are now debt free but the good news has been tempered somewhat by the team’s dramatic slump in form. Before mid-December a Wembley double looked a good bet.
Mills’ side had just beaten Tranmere away in the FA Trophy and their league results saw genuine encouragement that a play-off position could be earned.
But since the 4-2 victory at Prenton Park, hopes have collapsed. Four league defeats in a row followed, and at Torquay two weeks ago they limped out of the Trophy, a competition they have reached the final of in two of the past three years.
Considering Mills’ predecessor Kevin Wilkin was sacked a day after losing to North Ferriby at Wembley due to progress not being made, Mills may be getting twitchy with his team similarly in lower mid-table.
But whilst current expectations aren’t being met, director Spencer Harris says off-field stability can only continue with on-field security.
He said: “The question always comes up, can you run a sustainable club and also compete? I won’t point fingers, but many of our rivals for promotion post losses. It is very difficult to spend what you bring in and have success but I believe we can do both – I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive.
Question
“Streamlining our costs and turning a profit was always our aim. When we took over we wanted to be debt free, not positing loses and playing at the highest level possible. We’re going in the right direction.
“This is the first time since the year 2000 that we are in the black. It was not a great picture when we arrived but this is something we feel should be celebrated.”
On Mills’ future, the Racecourse director says there is no question to answer.
“It’s a shame we couldn’t marry this great news with positivity on the pitch but we all know football doesn’t work like that!” Harris added.
“We paid, I suppose you would call it, a transfer fee for Gary to Gateshead in the summer. Although the results recently haven’t been what we wanted, the style of football has changed and the supporters are buying into his vision of how the game should be played.
“People will question what is going on but the stats are that crowds (around 4,800) are more than the season we got promotion to League One in 2003.
“We’ve not given up hope on reaching the play-offs. With a fair wind, it is still recoverable. There is no immediate pressure on the manager and we have sincere belief things will turn in our favour.”
