Defender Shaun Pearson looking forward to responsibility after being named Wrexham captain

SHAUN PEARSON says he is looking forward to the responsibility of captaining Wrexham after the summer signing was given the armband.

Dragons boss Dean Keates knew he would have to pick a new skipper after former captain Rob Evans left north Wales and signed for big spending Billericay Town.

Pearson has a wealth of Non-League experience having turned out for Spalding, Stamford, Boston and Grimsby, who he left in the summer.

During his six years at Blundell Park, Pearson became an ever present at the heart of the defence and helped the Mariners to promotion from the National League in 2015-16.

He will be hoping to do the same next season as Wrexham look to end their ten-year stay in Non-League and the 28-year-old wants to put his experience to good use.

“I’m proud to captain a football club like this,” Pearson, who will have the long-serving Mark Carrington as his vice-captain, told The Leader. “Hopefully it will be a good season with myself leading the group and the lads react well to that.

“I would like to think the way I play, the way I train and just the way I am in general, as a professional I lead by example and when I do play I think I am quite vocal.

“In that sense you could say that is definitely captain material and regardless of whether I was captain, I’d like to think I would have been one of the leaders.

“This is the first time I will be outright captain and I will look forward to that responsibility, hopefully it can only help me and push my game on a little bit more.

“But we have got a few leaders in there which is important going into a season because you will need big characters at different points.”

Meanwhile, Racecourse boss Keates has made Ntumba Massanka his tenth summer signing, bringing the striker in on a six-month loan from Premier League side Burnley.

The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan with the Dragons, scoring four times in 18 appearances.