A former Chester City midfielder is a leading contender to take over the vacant Wrexham manager's position, according to bookies.

Gary Brabin yesterday was the 2/1 favourite to replace Dean Keates in the Wrexham hotseat with bookmakers BetVictor.

But while Brabin has since drifted to 3/1, only Andy Davies (2/1), who is currently in caretaker control of the Dragons along with Carl Darlington (16/1), is ahead of him in the odds.

Other names BetVictor have in the frame include ex-Liverpool and Wales striker Craig Bellamy (3/1), for whom it would be his first senior managerial role, and former Connah's Quay Nomads player Adam Owen (8/1), who up until recently was managing Lechia Gdansk in Poland.

Then comes another ex-Chester midfielder Anthony Barry (12/1), the Wigan Athletic first-team coach who played for Wrexham, and Craig Harrison (14/1), the Chester-based former boss of The New Saints who last month lost his job at Hartlepool United.

The Dragons started they 'intend to make an appointment as quickly as possible' after Keates left to take charge of his hometown club, League One outfit Walsall, on Friday.

Davies and Darlington oversaw Wrexham's 2-2 draw at Woking the following day that, while extending the club's unbeaten National League run to 14 matches, saw them slip to fifth in the table.

Brabin has vast experience of managing in the National League with Cambridge United, Luton Town, Southport and, most recently Tranmere Rovers.

Currently a first-team coach with League Two side Port Vale, the 47-year-old has been linked with the Chester's manager's job on numerous occasions in the past, most recently in September when he was the bookmakers' favourite to succeed the sacked Jon McCarthy.

Port Vale boss Neil Aspin said: "All I know is that Gary has managed big clubs in that level and will always be someone linked with jobs. He has managed Cambridge, Luton, Tranmere...the bigger teams at that level and Wrexham are a big club.

"But I think he is focused, certainly at this moment in time on what we are doing here and I don't expect that to change."