DEFENDER Carl Tremarco may have been on England duty in the week but he will have wait to discover whether he plays for Wrexham at Weymouth this afternoon.

The full-back, who missed the Dragons’ last two outings because of an ankle injury, recovered in time to make his debut for the England C side against Italy in Naples on Tuesday evening.

But he might find it difficult to displace recently-appointed captain Neil Taylor, who filled in at the back against Lewes and Altrincham, while competition for places has grown following the recruitment this week of midfield players Nathan Woolfe and Nathan Fairhurst.

“It’s always unfortunate to be injured at the time a new manager comes in,” said Tremarco.

“I missed a couple of games, so I was pleased to get my chance in Naples where we drew 2-2 and qualified for the final stages of the tournament later in the season.

“It means I’m fit and raring to go, if selected, but I appreciate there are others who will be hoping to play as well.

“Since he came in, the gaffer has talked about raising standards and he has also tried to keep everyone on their toes, which is a good thing in many ways.

“Looking at the lads who have come in on loan, the squad is obviously stronger and that’s great for the club.

“In the last few weeks we have climbed the table and we are thereabouts now pushing for the play-off spots.

“But we want to improve on that and we are confident that we can push on further.

“We have won four on the bounce, while a lot of other clubs at the top seem to be beating each other, so we feel we have a bit of momentum at present, even though there is still a long way to go.”

Manager Dean Saunders, meanwhile, made it clear yesterday that new recruits Woolfe and Fairhurst, on loan from Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End respectively, would have to earn their places in his side.

The Dragons boss had also hoped to have striker Patrick Suffo available for a possible debut at the Wessex Stadium, but the Cameroon international has yet to receive the necessary clearance to play.

But defender Ritchie De Laet could return after missing one match due to a groin strain.

Saunders said: “The two Nathans are not guaranteed a place, even though they come here highly recommended and we are pleased to have them.

“They will have to fight like everyone else and they will have to produce on the field if they want to stay in the team.

“They are here to play and learn, but it’s not about talent alone.

“Going to places like Weymouth demands something more and they might learn something about the ugly side of the game, a side they might not like but will have to get used to as their careers progress.”

Turning his thought to this afternoon’s clash in Dorset, Saunders insisted that anything other than three points would be a disappointing haul.

“We are heading in the right direction and we have got to keep it going,” he said.

“If the players take their foot off the gas they know very well what they will get from me as a response.

“But if they produce the goods as they know they should, then I will be delighted to keep them in my plans for the future.”

Saunders added: “We are going to Weymouth to win because we have to catch the league leaders, who are Burton Albion this week.

“The gap is closing and the message to the other teams in the league is that Wrexham are coming.

“I want our opponents to play thinking that they will have done very well to get a point off us and the longer our winning run continues the more likely that is to happen.”

Weymouth’s preparations for the game have not been helped by the suspension of manager John Hollins on Thursday evening, with team affairs being looked after by his assistant Alan Lewer.

Club chairman Malcolm Curtis said the decision to place Hollins on gardening leave was in relation to a contractual issue, but supporters are worried that the club’s future is under threat.

There was speculation this week that Curtis was ready to sell his interests to another Dorset businessman and merge Weymouth with nearby Dorchester FC.