Worrall urges patience in Wrexham's Premier League pursuit
JOE WORRALL believes Wrexham have the foundations in place to continue their rise but the centre-back says success in the Championship will take time. The experienced defender joined the Reds in the summer transfer window after leaving Burnley and has been impressed by both the culture and ambition he has found at The Racecourse.
Under Phil Parkinson, Wrexham secured a record-breaking three successive promotions and only just missed out on a play-off spot in the second tier last season. Worrall believes the foundations are in place to make the step-up to the Premier League for the first time in the club's history but the 29-year-old insists it may not happen immediately.
Wrexham have been in the Championship for a season and I think they'd have learned a lot from that season, he said. "You've got to remember there's a lot of new faces in the building.
If you look at the success that Wrexham have had, the club's slowly evolving and there are good players that have been at the club and been great servants that have left, and they leave holes in the dressing room and also on the pitch. Time will tell but I think there's definitely that platform.
The foundations are the key to their success and I think the foundations are extremely strong at this football club." Worrall says he quickly settled into life at The Racecourse thanks to the environment created by Phil Parkinson and his staff. "The dressing room, the environment, the manager and his staff have been really welcoming to me, and explained what he demands from the players and also the players demand from each other," he said.
"Wrexham is a really interesting project and the rise the club has had under the manager, and I think Wrexham and me are good fit, Wrexham are a club that are certainly on the up. Yes, people will say about the owners and the documentary and all that kind of stuff, but first and foremost, we're a hard-working group." Worrall has been promoted twice from the Championship with Nottingham Forest and Burnley and the centre-back says his experience will help the Reds.
"I think I bring calmness, I bring experience in this league," he said. "A lot of people have a different opinion on what it takes to win football matches but I do know that it starts from your foundations, from your everyday habits and also from a good group of lads.
That doesn't mean that you're necessarily best mates with them, but you do know what you expect from each other on a day-to-day basis, and especially when you go over the white line."