Conor Coady confident Wrexham can cope with Championship spotlight

Conor Coady says Wrexham aim to “upset and disrupt” Championship teams on their return to the second tier of English football.

Wrexham marked their return to the level after a 43-year absence at Southampton on Saturday when a late Saints double condemned them to a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat.

Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were not present on the south coast to see Wrexham suffer, perhaps waiting until West Brom’s visit to the SToK Racecourse on Saturday for their first taste of Championship action.

There has been inordinate external noise around Wrexham due to their celebrity owners and three successive promotions taking them from the National League to the Championship in record time, but summer addition Coady insists Phil Parkinson’s squad can handle the fierce spotlight.

Disrupt

“We’re going to cope with it,” said Coady, the 32-year-old England international who was used to Premier League football at Wolves, Everton and Leicester.

“We know what we are. We know how we’re going to play and we’re here to upset and disrupt a few teams in this division.

“We’ll keep on trying to do that. We’ve shown we can play. We’ll keep building, we’ll keep improving.

“We have to improve, we have to get better. That’s the biggest thing.”

Coady, one of seven players who made their Wrexham debuts at Southampton after heavy summer investment from Reynolds and McElhenney, admits to being shocked by huge interest in the Welsh club.

The 32-year-old watched the friendly against Groningen in the Netherlands last week when “the people there for Wrexham was unbelievable” and Ollie Palmer – a star of the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series – “got mobbed”.

Dominant

Coady said: “It’s amazing to see where this club has gone. I have so much respect for what this club has done since the National League to get to this point.

“But we’re at a point now where we don’t just enjoy being here. We want to improve and mix ourselves with teams like this (Southampton).

“Maybe go higher, but to do that we have to make sure we’re dominant at this level and get to that level as quick as we can.

“What we’ve got to do is take it one game at a time, but let’s enjoy the ride.

Fighting

“Let’s not take anything away from it. Southampton were in the Premier League last season, Wrexham were in League One.

“So we’re in a position now where we’re fighting with these teams, showing we can play, and showing we’ve got an idea.”

Wrexham play Championship rivals Hull at home in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Southampton 2-1 Wrexham: Red Dragons endure late heartbreak as Phil Parkinson fumes