STRIKER Neil Roberts will be Wrexham's team captain this season, with manager Denis Smith claiming a new beginning for the Racecourse club is the ideal opportunity to ring in the changes.

Described by the Dragons' boss as a natural leader, 27-year -old Roberts is embarking on his second stint with his hometown club following spells at Wigan Athletic and Doncaster Rovers.

Smith said: "We are making a new start off the field and I want to reflect that among the players as well.

"Robbo is a natural leader around the place and he is a local lad as well, which is a bonus as far as I'm concerned. "The choice might surprise a few people but the changes give us an opportunity to look outside the box."

He added: "I believe I've got the right person for the job and I would think he'll be a popular choice among the rest of the players."

Roberts is also among a group of four senior players, joining club captain Dennis Lawrence, vice-captain Darren Ferguson and PFA representative Danny Williams, who will sit down with Smith at least once a week to talk through any issues.

"Not so long ago I had people like Andy Dibble and Brian Carey in the dressing room who were my link with the players," he added.

"But that was an informal and irregular system and I think we need to put it on a more formal basis.

"As I said before, this club is changing and we are changing with it."

With the League Two opener at Wycombe Wanderers little more than 24 hours away, the Racecourse boss said he had decided on his starting line-up. However, he was giving nothing away yesterday for fear of giving the opposition ideas.

"Matt Crowell was back in training today, but Shaun Pejic is still a bit doubtful, and that's all you are going to get," he said.

He added: "I know what I want to do, but nowadays you can't say too much because of the internet.

"It's a nightmare for managers because if you say too much to the Press they end up working for the opposition."