McDONALD: ‘WE DO NOT FEAR WREXHAM’
Kevin McDonald is relishing taking on Wrexham for a third time this season on Saturday, and hopes the Bantams can come away from STōK Cae Ras with another victory.
The Scot insists City do not fear the North Wales outfit and that their league position will not affect he and his teammates’ approach.
The midfielder reflected on the reverse fixture at Valley Parade – where McDonald was caretaker player-manager – and is eagerly anticipating battling the Red Dragons on the pitch rather than from the dugout.
“I enjoyed the game at Valley Parade, obviously being in the dugout, it felt a little different,” he said.
“We were close to getting the three points and I was happy with our second-half performance.
“It was a great atmosphere, and it will be another spectacle on Saturday.
“We have to ignore where they are in the league, all the noise surrounding them at the moment has to be shut out.
“We have to take our game to them, and dictate what happens on the pitch and in the stadium.
“We can take confidence from the fact we have played them twice this season and avoided defeat.
“We have no fear when playing Wrexham.”
City’s No.26 credited the fitness levels within the squad and factored Graham Alexander’s ideology as to how the Bantams have looked sharper in key areas across the field, acknowledging a slight improvement is needed in the final third, as he looked back to last weekend’s stalemate with AFC Wimbledon.
The 35-year-old is enjoying regular minutes once again, as his time on the touchline disrupted his playing routine. Now, while he is feeling a lot sharper, McDonald knows he can still take it up a level further.
“I feel like we are there as a team – last weekend I felt as if we should have won,” McDonald added.
“We needed that first goal, and we lacked it against Wimbledon.
“Everyone knows their role in this team, and sometimes we needed that little more. Things are clicking well, but it is just that improvement in the final third that we have to work on.
“Ultimately, we have a manager who demands a lot of us as players, and it has been very beneficial for all of us.
“We have looked fitter and we do not look lethargic very often.
“It feels good to be back. It was always my intention to return to the pitch after my time on the touchline.
“It has been good on a whole to be be back playing and getting some minutes, but it especially feels nice when you feel fitter.
“It was easy for me to adopt the mentality of playing again – there was never going to be an issue doing that.
“I had a job to do, and I feel I did that to the best of my ability, but it is good to be back playing again.
“I am back at that point where I can perform again – I feel sharper and I can get even better too.”
