CURTIS OBENG was determined to score a first goal of the season against Bath City – and the right-back did not fail to deliver.
England C international Obeng scored the opening goal in Saturday’s 2-0 victory at The Racecourse as Wrexham returned to winning ways after their 16 game unbeaten league run came to an end in mid-week at Forest Green Rovers.
Since joining Wrexham following his release by Manchester City in the summer of 2009, Obeng has only scored one goal but the 22-year-old was delighted to be back on the scoresheet against Bath.
“It felt good,” said Obeng. “I said to a few of the boys before the game that I was going to do everything I could to try and score.
“When the ball went up to Jake Speight, I saw my opportunity to get around him, he gave me a good ball and I did the rest.
“We were in training on Friday and I was speaking to Mathias Pogba, he said I was getting into the right positions but to start shooting more.
“I thought alright, I will do everything I can and I did the business.
“I knew once I got in, if I just hit the target and kept it low I thought it would go in and it did.
“We needed to bounce back after the Forest Green game. We still weren’t up to our usual high standard but it is difficult because of the pitch.
“But everyone dug in, fought well and we got the result that we needed.”
Second placed Wrexham remain one point behind leaders Fleetwood Town who won 2-1 at Forest Green with a winning goal deep into stoppage time.
But Obeng is just focussed on Wrexham continuing to pick up points over their final 16 games in the push for promotion.
“We kind of expected Fleetwood to do what they are doing because they are a good team,” he said. “We just have to concentrate on winning our own games and hopefully someone will go there and upset them like we had an upset the other night.
“We have just got to take it one game at a time, show up and do the business, carry on winning our games.
“It is a long way to go and plenty of slip-ups are still going to happen. We will have to wait and see.”
Obeng is rumoured to be attracting interest from a number of higher league clubs but is unfazed by the speculation.
“It is always good to hear other clubs are looking at you, it obviously means you are doing something right on the pitch,” he added. “But I am a Wrexham player, I have to come in and do my job, and fight for the team.
“This is where my mind is at, I am fully focussed on getting promotion so I just have to keep working."
And player-manager Andy Morrell, who allowed midfielder Lee Fowler to join Fleetwood earlier this month, is in no mood to let any more of his prized assets move on during the transfer window.
“The stance has been all along that we are not going to sell any more,” said Morrell.
“We are going to look to try and keep them and take a hit at the end of the season if that is what we have to do.
“I am delighted that Joslain Mayebi and Jay Harris have re-signed, hopefully there are a couple more to come in signing rather than leave it until the end of the season.
“We will negotiate with them and I will try to persuade them.”
Morrell has strengthened his squad with the signing of Scottish winger Steven Leslie who has joined until the end of the season after his contract at League Two side Shrewsbury Town was terminated by mutual consent.
Leslie was not included in the squad against Bath as the 24-year-old did not receive clearance in time, and Morrell is still hoping he will be able to bring in one or two more new faces.
“We got the deal done on Friday but unfortunately the Conference don’t come in on a Saturday morning so they didn’t ratify it,” added Morrell. “We could have put Steven on the bench but there was a small risk of something coming back to bite us on the backside so it was the right thing to do.
“I said we didn’t want many, but if I can add another one or two, I think it will just brighten up the lads that are here and show that we mean business.
“I am not sure it is going to be a 35-goal, £100,000 signing but we will certainly bring bodies in to help out and strengthen what we have got and that is a really tight-knit quality squad.”