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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
Oliver King

Luke Williams explains added Wrexham pressure ahead of Notts County clash

Notts County boss Luke Williams has insisted he is not envious of Wrexham's financial backing ahead of their top of the table clash at Meadow Lane tomorrow evening.

The Magpies boss also highlighted that with their notable support from Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, comes added pressure to succeed.

With Notts coming away comfortable 3-1 winners over Altrincham at the weekend, it was far less straightforward for Phil Parkinson's side who trailed at Oldham Athletic until the 85th minute, with Ben Tozer equalising before Paul Mullin completed the comeback with a late penalty.

READ MORE: Adam Chicksen reveals key factor in Notts County drive for promotion ahead of Wrexham test

And Williams was quick to highlight the quality their opponents possess within their ranks but insisted his side must perform well not just against Wrexham, but against everyone in the National League if they are to be taken seriously this season.

"Yeah, they are very, very good," said Williams.

"I have come up against Phil Parkinson a number of times over the years and he is very competitive and very experienced, and the team reflect that when they are on the pitch.

"They are always in the game, full of quality and are a very good team and there is no getting away from that unfortunately.

"They have excellent management staff who have been in the Championship and League One plenty of times and been successful.

"We know what we are up against, but if we want to be taken seriously, we have to perform against everyone."

Since the takeover of The Dragons back in February 2021, a number of high-profile EFL players have dropped down to the fifth tier, with the likes of Mullin, Ollie Palmer and Elliott Lee switching from the Championship and League One to become part of the new era forming at the Racecourse Ground.

And when asked about whether the Notts boss was envious of the financial backing Wrexham have at their disposal, he explained that funds are invested into all departments of the football club whilst adding that with that backing, comes added pressure to perform.

"No, not when you have the set-up that we have," he said.

"We compete financially but we have a really good approach to everything, it is not just about paying players wages that are competitive for the level, but this club is about investing time and money into all the departments.

"More importantly than that, we spend time recruiting the right people and that is where it has to start from, getting the right people in and investing time and energy into the right people and we have that in all departments.

"There is no envy, and another thing to say is that even though Wrexham are being financially backed, but that does not make it easy.

"It helps you because you can attract the best players for the level and even players that can play at a higher level but find the package more appealing to go and play at Wrexham.

"But that does not make it easy, because there is pressure there. You can't just go and sign any player you want because many of the players no matter how much money you offer them, are at different stages of their careers and want to play in the Championship or the top of League One.

"Everyone at Wrexham is doing a good job and of course we know they have resources, but we know we have to go out every day and work hard in training, have a game plan and stress about everything like the rest of the teams in the league."

READ MORE:

  • Luke Williams delivers scathing Notts County verdict after their 3-1 win over Altrincham
  • Three things we learned from Notts County victory over Altrincham
  • Notts County player ratings vs Altrincham as Langstaff continues brilliant goalscoring run
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