Spotlight on Wrexham as former Charlton captain makes Valley return in fine form for high-profile Welsh club

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

George Dobson makes his first return to The Valley tomorrow since leaving in the summer but the midfielder is not the only Wrexham player to have Charlton Athletic connections.

The 26-year-old’s exit from SE7 was unpopular with a sizeable portion of the Addicks fanbase wanting him to extend terms.

Charlton had been unwilling to meet the financial demands of Dobson, who signed a pre-contract with Fehervar. Initially that move was set to happen in February only for Nathan Jones, appointed Michael Appleton’s successor at the end of January, to block the transfer.

Dobson was then poised to complete his switch to Hungary at the end of the season but cited personal reasons for instead signing for Wrexham, newly-promoted to League One and bankrolled by the Hollywood duo of Ryan Reynolds – from the hit film Deadpool – and Rob McElhenney.

Tim Edwards, who is part of the podcast team for Fearless In Devotion, says Dobson has settled into life at the Welsh outfit like “a duck to water”.

He added: “There was no real bedding-in period. He has added a completely new dimension to the midfield with his cut and thrust.

“He has been one of the early contenders for Player of the Season, in terms of how he breaks up play and reads the game. He’s just tremendous. We already feel he has become a firm fans’ favourite despite the early stage of the season.

“He has a Darren Ferguson-type role for us – the ball-winning midfielder that we all enjoy watching, just in terms of his combative nature.

“He keeps things simple and is always looking to go forward and never backwards, which is a key component to how we want to play. He is 100 per cent one of the first names on the teamsheet. We were all getting a bit fidgety on Tuesday night (a 0-0 draw against Huddersfield) because if he had got a booking he wouldn’t have played on Saturday, but he came through unscathed.”

Wrexham also have Elliot Lee and Eoghan O’Connell, both former Charlton players in their squad, and are bossed by Phil Parkinson, who had 114 matches in charge of this weekend’s hosts.

Lee, the son of former Addicks midfielder Rob, scored four goals in 39 appearances during a season-long loan from Luton.
Charlton opted not to pursue a permanent deal the following summer – 2022 – when he was out of contract.

Lee was a high-profile addition for Wrexham in the National League and has won two promotions since.

“It felt again like he was one of the building blocks – you had your Paul Mullin and then you had your Elliot Lee,” said Edwards.

“It felt like a statement of intent, getting someone who had been at Luton and then seen the project Wrexham were trying to build.

“He has been great and was probably unlucky not to get Player of the Year last season, because he dragged us through the end part of that season with his goals, when Mullin was injured from the US tour.

“Dobson has probably eclipsed him in terms of his overall game. Lee feeds off scraps on the edge of the area. He has been a solid player who pitches in with goals. He is dreadful at corners – we try and keep him away from them.

“There are a few things we say are definite in life – death, poverty, taxes and Elliot Lee not being able to beat the first man on a corner!

“He has faded a little of late but he is a go-to player for Parky. He isn’t pulling up trees so far compared to last season.

“He loves it here. He said his drive  to work is a lot different to navigating the M25 – more country back roads. I remember him telling me his mum isn’t happy at that because she wants to get him back down south at some point. He’s happy living the quiet life so far.”

Defender O’Connell had the shortest stint with the South Londoners. Signed by then boss Ben Garner in June 2022, Charlton accepted a bid for the Irishman six months later.

“He is solid in the back three and is probably the least proficient of the three ball-playing centre-backs,” said Edwards.

“What he does offer is physical prowess in the air. He was a little bit sketchy on Tuesday and probably a bit fortunate not to get sent off. Sometimes he can be a little bit panicky in possession.

“We have got so many centre-back options that if he was to be taken out for somebody else you wouldn’t get a massive gasp from Wrexham fans wondering why. We are blessed in that department. While he is very good he is certainly not indispensible, either.”

Charlton have had success against team that are wedded to playing out from the back – notably Birmingham and Bolton this season that has allowed them to implement their pressing game.

So will Wrexham’s approach be the same?

Edwards said: “We are two very different animals in terms of home and away.

“It is boiling the urine of many away fan at the minute when we come to their places – most recently Rotherham – in that you will probably have the lion’s share of possession, it’s just what we do away from home. We are quite happy to sit in, wait and pick our moments.

“You’ll probably have 70 or 80 per cent of the ball – we don’t see much of it. But we didn’t see much at Peterborough or Rotherham and we won both.

“We were a little bit more adventurous at Rotherham, but they still had more possession. There is more than one way to win a game. At home we are very, very different.

“We are fairly comfortable in possession and even more comfortable without it – that is a sign of a good squad I think, no need to panic if a team is passing it this way and that way because defensively we are very, very good. The goals against column would back that up.”

Charlton have sold more than 22,000 tickets for the match.

Wrexham have pulling power due to their high-profile owners and also the hit docuseries on the club.

“Every away game we have been to the home team have had their highest crowd of the season,” said Edwards. “Last season I think 17 of the 23 away matches were their highest attendances.

“We mock the idea by singing ‘You’re only here for the Wrexham’, but there has to be an element of truth to it. There is a hype aspect and people will be aware of what has happened at the club, have seen the documentary or, if not, they’ll think ‘okay, there is every chance Deadpool and his mate will be in town’.

“It is a little bit weird but, by the same token, people come along to see what the fuss is about and can our team put one over on these Hollywood fancy dans? That’s fine. That’s an additional pressure that we’ve got used to now and it probably gives us a bit more impetus to say: ‘Not today – we’re going to back up the hoo-ha that has surrounded the club for the past four years now’.

“We can mock it but it is an extra four, five or six thousands fans putting money into their local community. If Charlton perform really well and it gets another 600 or 700 people coming back it can only benefit everybody.”

PICTURES: PA