Wrexham prepare to host Vanarama National League strugglers York City on Saturday afternoon, in a bid to retain the breathing space from Notts County in second.
Respective managers Phil Parkinson and Michael Morton gave their thoughts to local press ahead of the sell-out fixture.
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Parkinson to give York "the utmost respect"
Sitting three points clear of Notts County at the top of the division with a game in hand, it seems the title is now in Wrexham's hands, and they can't afford to slip up, looking to defend their fortress of the Racecourse Ground this weekend at home to York City.
Having taken advantage of the Magpies' draw at Barnet with a 2-1 away win at Bromley, Red Dragons boss Phil Parkinson admitted to the Wrexham Leader, "The squad and staff were definitely ready for last week where we didn’t have a midweek game.
“Whether there is a game or there isn’t a game, we try and make every day a positive one and I feel the lads have been really good this week.”
Looking at his opponents on Saturday, the 55-year-old revealed he had recently attended the Minstermen's "unlucky" 2-1 defeat at home to Altrincham.
“I saw them play Altrincham last Tuesday at home.
“They were a bit unlucky to lose and then they beat Dorking to stretch that gap between themselves and the bottom four.
“It was a crucial win for them."
Despite the 52-point difference between the sides, with City looking to avoid the drop, Parkinson added, “Like everybody, we will assess them and give them the utmost respect.”
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Mullin "not content with 40 goals"
It's fair to say that last season's National League top scorer Paul Mullin has been a phenomenal signing for Wrexham, but his efforts have still not been rewarded with a target promotion yet.
Although netting 40 goals in all competitions this term so far, and 31 of them coming in the league, incredibly another divisional goalscoring accolade is extremely unlikely, with Notts' Macaulay Langstaff tearing it up in the fifth tier.
However, Parkinson has told the Leader that Mullin, "is not content with 40 goals. He wants to push on.
“Paul was a statement signing if you go back to a couple of summers ago.
“You are always going to get accolades when you reach a milestone like 40 goals but he is not jumping up and down about it.
“He is concentrating on the week’s training and going into the York game.”
The rumour mill has been at it again, suggesting that the 28-year-old has picked up an injury, but Parkinson put all doubts to bed, confirming that, "he has trained so far this week so he is fine.”
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"We don't change our focus"
The Minstermen face a slightly tougher test than usual this Saturday, coming up against a side, in Wrexham, who lead the way in the National League and are yet to suffer a home defeat in all competitions this season.
However, they do attain some momentum from a hugely important 2-1 win over Dorking last Saturday and hope for that to pay off at the Racecourse this weekend.
Speaking to Jorvik Radio ahead of the match, interim manager Michael Morton said, "We have got our targets in terms of what we want to go after. We needed to win the game last week, and we want to go to Wrexham and try to get something.
"We've got different strategies for different teams. We will nullify what we think they are good at, and make sure we have got a threat on the pitch to cause a problem the other way, so that doesn't change what we have been doing for the past few weeks."
It comes as added relief that there is no midweek game to concentrate on, the first time that Morton's side have had a full week's break in over a month.
"It's always better after a win, and give the lads a couple of days to recover as well, so we stayed off the pitch for a couple of days and did some work in the gym. We had a good training session on Tuesday and Thursday, and we have our last on Friday.
"We just want to get points on the board - we don't change our focus. Obviously, it is a big game, there's a big crowd. We have got to focus on what we are doing, but also enjoy it."
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"Unbelivable" support gaining Hollywood praise
Many City fans will be aware of comments made by Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds recently, with the Hollywood star admitting he has "a ton of respect" for the almost 1,000-strong support travelling to North Wales for the game.
In agreement with Reynolds' praise, Morton concurred, "[The support is] unbelievable. It doesn't surprise me, being a York fan and watching York City since I was a young boy.
"They have always been behind it and I think the biggest thing for me is all the stuff that has been going on, it has been difficult. Especially the last five or six weeks when I have been on that touchline, they have been phenomenal, and the other day was one of the best moments I would say because of how I felt."
An impressive average home gate of over 4,000 this season is partnered with an equally impressive average away following of just shy of 400, given the countless long trips down south.
And this week, over 900 are expected to journey across the border.
"You look at the following that is going to Wrexham, it just shows how big the club is and how much the fans love the club."