Behind The Scenes With Wrexham Boss Dean Keates

Such is the volatile nature of a top place which has at times felt cursed, clubs have become accustomed to putting the personal blows behind them, sometimes on a twice-weekly basis!

That’s why Dean Keates felt it important not to overreact at Wrexham’s no show at improving Aldershot Town on Saturday.

His Red Dragons lost the leadership after a flimsy display in Hampshire this weekend. The fans knew it, he knew it.

Two first half goals sucked the life out of the table toppers, who now go level on points with Sutton United. They really didn’t seem themselves.

But following the game, there seemed no trail of destruction left in the wake of the Shots first-half whirlwind. Players warmed down within ten minutes of the full-time whistle and Keates, known on occasion to take defeat to heart, was quick out to address the media.

The sign of a good manager is protecting his players when they need it, and keeping them on their toes in the press when they need to be doing better.

The end game for the Racecourse boss was a united front as yet again we found ourselves with a new face atop the tree.

The truth of the matter is that it was difficult to tell which side were the league leaders throughout the match.

Keates would be aware his team were off the pace, clearly second best, but his post match words were more damage limitation on a tough afternoon.

“We’ve got to bury this quickly and move on to the next one,” said the manager.

“Of course any loss is a disappointment, but it’s gone now - there’s no point dwelling as you can’t turn the clock back.

“Yes, we’ll look back on the game. We will learn from where it went wrong but you’ll have ups and downs. It’s how you get over them that matters.”

Get over this one they will, says the club’s former captain. A home match with Maidenhead United is next of the fixture card.

“We will have a reaction next week at home,” stressed the manager. “It’s very tight at the top of the table - everyone can see that.

“There’s absolutely no problem with being knocked off first place. It’s happened to most teams this season, it’s one of those leagues this year and we’re seeing it change hands a lot.

“We’ll regroup over the next few days. We’ll have a good week in training and we’ll be ready to go again this weekend.”