DEFENDER Shaun Pejic is hoping that consecutive victories in Wrexham's last two league outings show that the team are coming into form at the right time to mount a promotion push.
With three games in hand on most of their rivals - the current five-point gap between the Dragons and a play-off spot can certainly be bridged and Pejic is pleased with the way Wrexham are starting to impose themselves on opposition sides.
He said: "We've known from the start of the season that we shouldn't be in this league and we're aiming to get back up again.
"Unfortunately, it looks like an automatic promotion spot might now be out of our hands but the play-offs are a definite possibility.
"For whatever reason, we've not performed well enough to be up there. But as the season enters its final third, we're hoping to show that we're getting stronger."
Pejic was singled out by manager Smith on Tuesday for the defensive qualities he brings to the side and his return to form has coincided with Wrexham keeping two clean sheets in their last two games.
He said: "Our display against Wycombe was a really good team performance against a side who were top of the league.
"We knew that they'd give us a stern test but to be fair they didn't really have a sniff at goal that afternoon.
"The Rushden & Diamonds match might not have been the best of games to watch but again, we really restricted their opportunities and everyone was chuffed to get the win while it was nice to keep another clean sheet.
"On the pitch we're all digging in and working for each other. Once we'd gone ahead, we were quite comfortable to sit back and soak up the pressure."
Both goals in Wrexham's 2-0 win over Rushden came from debutant Matt Derbyshire - a 19-year-old striker on loan from Blackburn Rovers.
The Lancastrian marksman has forged a fledgling partnership up front with fellow teenage loanee Sam Williams from Aston Villa and Pejic believes the presence of the two Premiership starlets has added a new dimension to the side's attack.
He said: "I've been impressed with the pair of them. They're only young lads but they've got lots of quality.
"They're a different type of striker from each other as Sam is able to hold the ball up while Matt is someone who tends to run at defenders.
"His first goal on Tuesday was good as it was nice for us to get a sloppy goal from a poacher's finish rather than having to rely on a top drawer effort from Mark Jones."
After a month back in the side following surgery for ligament damage, Pejic is just delighted to be contributing to his team's cause again.
He said: "It's all happened a bit quicker than I imagined as I feared that I might be out for the rest of the season.
"It's not nice being injured, especially when around five of your teammates are out at the same time and it was a frustrating period for me.
"I was on crutches for the first couple of weeks and then after that I had to do a lot of quad work to build the muscles in my legs back up.
"But fortunately, my rehabilitation worked out and I'm delighted to be back in the side at a time when the team is playing well."
