Wrexham can use promotion experience to secure playoff spot on final day – Matty James

Matty James is hoping history is on his side as Wrexham look to secure a playoff place on the final day of the regular Championship season.

Sixth-placed Wrexham head into Saturday’s home game against Middlesbrough in a three-way fight for the last playoff spot with Hull and Derby.

The complex equations are such that Wrexham — who are chasing a fourth successive promotion under Hollywood owners Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds and manager Phil Parkinson — can win and miss out on the playoffs but also lose and finish in the top-six.

Veteran midfielder James has been down this playoff road before when scoring in Leicester’s 3-2 final-day win at Nottingham Forest in 2013, before the Foxes lost in the playoffs to Troy Deeney’s memorable stoppage-time winner for Watford.

“We [Leicester] snuck in and got to sixth on the last day of the season,” 34-year-old James, who joined Wrexham as a free agent in October 2024 and helped the club out of League One last season, said.

“After that we had the playoffs against Watford, which is a retro moment on TV that pops up every now and again that I don’t enjoy watching.

“But we got promoted the year after and those experiences I can call upon, as well as numerous other lads who have been through the league.

“This football club is also used to winning promotions and hopefully we can bring that experience on Saturday.”

James has had a stabilising influence on Wrexham during the run-in after missing two months with a broken toe sustained against Millwall in February.

He has worn a pair of boots that are a couple of sizes too large for him because his big toe is still swollen.

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James said: “For me it is just get your boots on, forget about it, go out there, play and perform.

“The adrenaline is running and I manage it through the week. Everyone’s excited when you’ve got big games. That’s what we train for, that’s what we play for.

“The achievement of being in this position is a big one. It’s about taking the opportunity now and the message for quite a long time has been about us.

“I’m sure there’ll be things up and around the stadium and you’ll hear different things and stuff like that. But for us it’s about concentrating on our performance and our result.”