SUNDERLAND teenager Kevin Smith has answered Wrexham’s SOS for fire-power and is set to replace luckless Middlesbrough striker Tom Craddock in Saturday’s line-up against Macclesfield Town.
The 19-year-old Scot is due at the Racecourse this afternoon to sign a month-long loan deal and will be hoping for better fortune than Craddock, who is facing at least four weeks on the sidelines after damaging his knee ligaments during a goalscoring debut against Bristol Rovers at the weekend.
Wrexham manager Denis Smith had also hoped to bring in a second new face for the weekend, only to discover his intended target broke a cheekbone last Saturday.
However the Dragons’ boss shrugged off the setback and joked: “Anyone talking to me is likely to get injured it seems.”
He admitted that he had not seen the Sunderland youngster in action, adding: “That’s unusual for me when I’m considering bringing a player in, but Kevin has been recommended to me.
“I’ve spoken about him to people like Kevin Ball and Bobby Saxton at Sunderland and they believe he should be able to do the job we want and, of more importance for us, he will be available to play in the FA Cup on Saturday week.
“Sunderland have not got a reserve team in the Pontins League this season, which means he has not had a lot of football, but Kevin played in a friendly against Leeds United last week and did okay.
“It’s typical of our luck at the moment that another striker I was after, who has a fair bit of experience, broke his cheekbone at the weekend.
“In addition I’ve been turned down by three other clubs this morning and I’m waiting for another couple of clubs to come back to me.”
The Racecourse boss added: “In the meantime Jon Newby has come in for training and will be involved on Saturday, but that’s it at the moment.
“If either of the two strikers get injured between now and Saturday or during the game itself, the well is dry.”
The cost implications of Wrexham’s loan signings are also a matter of concern to Smith, who must now free up money for the Sunderland youngster in addition to Craddock’s financial package.
“Although some clubs are able to help us more than others, we have not got an unlimited amount of money,” he said.
“The contingency fund I had earmarked for the January transfer window has now gone and I’m having to dip into the money saved by the departure of Dennis Lawrence.
“On the other hand, in a month’s time when Neil Roberts, Lee McEvilly and Juan Ugarte will hopefully be available, I might have players queuing up to play for us.
“The most frustrating thing is that after spending three or four weeks to try and get us out of a slump, Saturday’s win against Bristol Rovers should have been the springboard for us to start going forward again.
“I’m desperately sorry for Tom because he showed a great deal of promise in his performance.
“Although his injury is not as bad as was first feared, it’s going to be a month before he is fit again and we may be in the position that we no longer need him here.”
