COMING out of administration has helped to make Wrexham a fitter team.

While outsiders might look to the more obvious factors of the Dragons new-found financial freedom such as more cash to bring in players, manager Denis Smith has explained the more subtle improvements to life at the Racecourse now that the club is again in control of its own finances.

Smith hopes that the benefits will help give his side the legs to launch a serious promotion push and is expecting his side to carryon tonight at home to Grimsby where they left off at Wycombe on Saturday - impressing against another of the main contenders.

He said: "I can start to tryand run things as I'd like.

"There's always going to be restrictions and things are not as I'd like as I've got the injuries to the strikers but there is a lot more flexibility."

Smith added: "People were saying how fit we looked on Saturday.

"We've worked on the fitness the same as we've done in other years, but the difference this time is that all the lads have been wired up because we've been able to get heart-rate monitors in.

"Once the lads are working, nobody can cheat because it shows up.

"They've all got their own individual monitors and they've got them on everyday so we know exactly what work they do."

Wrexham's new status doesn't just mean that Smith necessarily has more cash at his disposal, but rather he can use his budget more independently.

He said: "I've actually got less money to work with this year in a roundabout way than I had last year. "I've got the same budget but I can

use it differently as before Iwas allowed 20 players but now I've got to spread it abit thinner over the 23 players I've got.

"I can also buy stuff for the club. We've got new weights and other little bits and the money is being spent

differently - and we think better."

Smith has just allocated some of that budget by snapping up Trinidadian trialist Josh Johnson, who will be in contention for his League debut tonight subject to international clearance.

He said: "Josh was always within the budget it what just a question of whether he could get his work permit which he's now got.

"We'd not seen him until a couple of weeks ago so we didn't know how good he was.

"But he came over and did well and hopefully he's available for Grimsby.

"He doesn't just offer us pace. He can play off people and has got a good goalscoring record.

"He looks a decent footballer who is brave."

After holding promotion favourites Wycombe Wanderers to a1-1 draw at Adams Park on Saturday, Smith knows that

his players will again have to be at their best for the visit of an impress-ive-looking Grimsby outfit who were play-off finalists last season.

He said: "Grimsby are a big club for this division and one that will be there or thereabouts.

"They had agood win on Saturday and will come here buoyant.

"What we need is a good atmo-sphere.

"I expect a big crowd - what we've got to do is to get them on the edge of their seats."

Defender Mike Williams who went down on Friday night with athroat infection is training again and should be added, along with Johnson to the 16-man squad from the weekend, but Lee Roche and Shaun Pejic are not expected back until Thursday.

Grimsby will be unchanged.

Wrexham v Grimsby,

League Two, tonight, 7.45pm

WREXHAM (from): Ingham, Spender, S Evans, Lawrence, Valentine, Mark Jones, Ferguson, D Williams, Done, Llewellyn, Roberts, Crowell, Michael Jones, Mackin, G Evans, Reed, Mike Willams, Johnson.

GRIMSBY (from): Barnes, McDermott, Whittle, Futcher, Newey, Rankin, Harkins, Bolland, Beagrie, Reddy, Jones, Bore, North, Croft, Toner, Barwick.

REFEREE: Dean Whitestone BETTING (bet365.com) Match odds : Wrexham 11/10, Grimsby 2/1, Draw 23/10. First goalscorer: Michael Reddy 6/1, Mark Jones 7/1, Neil Roberts 7/1. DeenniissSSmmiitthh