It would be far too simplistic to put Wrexham’s thumping weekend win over Preston North End down to one player, but it is no coincidence that they improved significantly with one man’s return to the starting lineup.

Having been torn apart in midfield by both Derby County and West Bromwich Albion since returning to action, Wrexham were much improved against Preston, taking control of a match that ultimately delivered three comfortable points.

Phil Parkinson made four changes to his side and switched tactics, opting for two strikers instead of one. The change certainly gave the Red Dragons more firepower up front, but it was the return of Matty James at the base of midfield that really turned the game in their favor.

The Unsung Hero

The stats speak for themselves. Wrexham are unbeaten in the five league matches James has started this season, with all three defeats coming when he was absent from the starting lineup.

Wrexham have a 40% win rate when James starts in defensive midfield, compared with just 16.66% when they are without the experienced midfielder. His impact is not limited to the final results, either.

The Red Dragons have conceded just three goals in the five matches James has started this season, an average of 0.6 per game. In contrast, they have conceded 13 goals in the six matches he hasn’t started, although those numbers are somewhat skewed by the 6–0 thrashing against West Ham. That was another game in which his experience and expertise were sorely missed in midfield.

Even beyond the small sample size of 11 league matches this season, James’s positive impact on Wrexham’s performances is clear. He also started the 1–0 Carabao Cup defeat to Middlesbrough, but Parkinson insisted he was treating that match as an additional preseason friendly.

Wrexham recorded a 45.83% win rate when James started in the Championship last season, compared with 36.36% when he was absent from the starting lineup. Even among the six defeats in which he started, one came against Millwall, when he was forced off with an injury after just 20 minutes, with the score still goalless.

Ben Whiteman has only been at the Racecourse Ground for a matter of months, but he already knows how good his midfield teammate is. The pair started together against Preston at the weekend, and although Whiteman scored once and provided two assists against his former club, it was James who received the postmatch praise.

“I think with Matty, you know what he is going to do and where he is going to be,” Whiteman said. “Matty James is going to stay in the middle of the pitch, he’s going to block the transitions, and I think that is where we have been poor. We’re right down there in terms of number of chances conceded in transition. He is a massive bonus when he plays in terms of his leadership. His quality on the ball, I don’t think it really gets said enough. The timing of the pass, when to go forward, when to recycle. He’s right up there.”

Playing Through Pain

James leads not only through his experience on the pitch but also through the standards he sets off it. He played through the pain barrier and received an injection to make himself available against Preston despite completing only half a training session. Toward the end of last season, he even wore soccer cleats two sizes too big, borrowed from teammate Josh Windass, to ensure a swollen, broken toe wouldn’t keep him on the sidelines.

That old-school approach and dogged determination have made James a key part of Parkinson’s squad, with the Wrexham manager full of praise for his experienced midfield general.

“Matty coming back in secured the center of the pitch for us brilliantly,” Parkinson said after the weekend win. “Special mention for Matty because he’s had an injection; he’s only really trained half the session Thursday, but there was never a doubt in Matty’s mind that he was ready to put himself up to play.

“All the chats we have when we meet players, there’s got to be certain qualities in your character to come and play for Wrexham because everyone wants to beat us,” he added. “We’re a target; there’s an expectation. There’s noise at every club when you lose but it’s intensified here and you need people with mentality and strength of character, and Matty has got that in abundance.

“Not only that, he’s got real nous on the football pitch and he showed that in his performance. For the last 10 days, he’s had half, three-quarters of a training session, but you wouldn’t have really noticed that on the pitch.

“Now we’ve got a week with him; hopefully he’ll wake up tomorrow, and his back will be fine, and we’ve got a good week with him on the training pitch.”

If James is fit enough to start against Blackburn Rovers this weekend, Wrexham will fancy their chances of securing another three points.