Nineteen years on from their first and only EFL Trophy triumph, Wrexham begin their bid for 2024-25 glory on Tuesday, hosting Salford City in their opening match of this season's tournament.
Even though Phil Parkinson's men are yet to commence their next EFL Trophy quest, they come into the midweek encounter above their League Two foes, who lost to Port Vale in their first Northern section Group B affair.
Match preview
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By the time the 2024-25 EFL Trophy final rolls around, it would have been two decades since Wrexham conquered the lower leagues in the knockout competition, where Darren Ferguson was among the scorers deep into extra time in a 2-0 win over Southend United at the Millennium Stadium.
The Red Dragons' title defence ended in the first round the following year, though, and they also failed to make it past the opening hurdle in the next two editions before their lengthy exile from the Football League, which came to an end in 2023 thanks to some well-documented Hollywood investment.
Parkinson's men only made it as far as round two last year, though - falling to Burton Albion's supremacy - but based on their early-season form, the League One competitors have every right to be optimistic about their chances of silverware several months from now.
If back-to-back promotions were not enough, Wrexham are already threatening a third successive rise up the divisions, taking 13 points from the first 15 on offer in the 2024-25 League One season to storm to the top of the rankings, easing past Shrewsbury Town 3-0 on Saturday.
Parkinson's men have now prevailed in each of their last three League One matches without conceding a goal - while notching eight at the correct end of the field - but their only setback so far this term came in a knockout setting, losing 4-2 to Sheffield United in their EFL Cup opener.
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Opponents Salford City can empathise in that regard, having fallen to a two-goal defeat of their own against Doncaster Rovers in their opening EFL Cup fixture of the campaign, before going down by the same 2-0 scoreline when Port Vale came to town in the EFL Trophy.
Karl Robinson's crop held out for 50 minutes against their fellow League Two competitors before Diamond Edwards's deflected strike, which preceded a Ruari Paton effort to leave Salford City at the foot of the pile with one game gone.
However, Tuesday's visitors have been showing undeniable signs of progression in the fourth tier, playing out back-to-back draws with Bradford City and Chesterfield before finally marching to their first win of the season at the sixth attempt against MK Dons on September 2.
A Francis Okoronkwo finish was enough for all three points on that occasion, and Salford were due to lock horns with Fleetwood Town on Saturday, but the Cod Army's international call-ups meant that the fixture had to be postponed.
Also one-time winners of the EFL Trophy - besting Portsmouth on penalties in the 2019-20 final - Salford City are reuniting with Wrexham following their pair of League Two battles last term, where the Welsh side won 3-2 at home before being condemned to a 3-1 loss at the Peninsula Stadium.
Team News
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Wrexham have only been minimally impacted by the September international break, losing just one player to a call-up in the shape of Gambia left-back Jacob Mendy, meaning that James McClean should captain the hosts from that flank this week.
Parkinson's midfield ranks are partially depleted, though, as George Evans is recovering from a groin injury, while Andy Cannon missed the weekend's win over Shrewsbury after picking up a problem at Peterborough United late last month.
The hosts are otherwise well-stocked and ought to use Tuesday's match as an ideal opportunity to shuffle the pack, which could mean a first start of the campaign for celebrated striker Paul Mullin.
In contrast, Salford City have no troops away on international duty this month, but MK Dons match-winner Okoronkwo is unavailable for Tuesday's match; the Everton loanee is cup-tied after playing for the Toffees' Under-21s earlier in the competition.
Should the visitors persist with a 3-4-1-2 setup for their trip to the Racecourse Ground, Kylian Kouassi is the most obvious option to step in for Okoronkwo up front, while Matthew Young should replace Jamie Jones in between the sticks.
Wrexham possible starting lineup:
Burton; Barnett, Cleworth, Scarr, O'Connell, McClean; Jones, Dobson, Lee; Mullin, Fletcher
Salford City possible starting lineup:
Young; Austerfield, Negru, Edwards; Mnoga, Watson, Fornah, Garbutt; Woodburn; Kouassi, Stockton
We say: Wrexham 2-0 Salford City
Despite the high of finally ending their winless streak last time out, a weekend off is arguably the last thing that Salford City would have wished for as they sought to keep their momentum going.
Regardless, the League Two side would surely not have stood much of a chance against an in-form Wrexham crop anyway, and even with a few changes, Parkinson's men should get the job done comfortably.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
