Buckley&District Reds

Scott Green had two brief spells with Wrexham; one in which he made a sizeable contribution to a successful promotion campaign. His later stint at the club saw him as a bit-part player during a year of turmoil off the pitch, which ended with bittersweet relegation from League 1 and LDV Vans Trophy success.

 

Walsall-born Green began his career as an apprentice before turning professional with Derby County, but he failed to make a first-team appearance before joining Bolton Wanderers in 1990 for £50,000. Throughout the first half of the 1990’s Green established himself as a regular at Burnden Park.

 

The highlight of his time with Wanderers came with the 1994-95 season at the end of which he tasted promotion for the first time. On this occasion it was through the play-offs with Bruch Rioch’s Bolton side eventually beating Reading in a 4-3 thriller at Wembley. This was actually Green’s and Wanderers second appearance at Wembley that season. Earlier on they had made it to the Coca-Cola Cup final when they were only beaten 2-1 by Liverpool. Green played on both occasions in a season of great achievement for a club from outside of the Premiership.

 

Rioch left for Arsenal in the summer but Green played regularly for Wanderers in the Premiership under new boss Colin Todd. Unfortunately the season ended in relegation and the following season Green was a peripheral figure as Wanderers gained promotion back to the Premiership at the first attempt. In the summer of 1997 he moved on to ambitious Wigan Athletic for £300,000.

 

Now backed by the millions of Dave Whelan  ambitious Wigan had just been promoted to what is now League 1, and were awaiting a move into their massive new all-seater JJB Stadium. They finished mid-table in Green’s first season and sneaked into the play-offs at the end of his second. They were eliminated by Man. City but won the Auto Windscreen Shield at Wembley beating Millwall in the final. Many Wrexham fans will remember that they beat us in the Area Final over two legs that season! Green didn’t play in any of those games but picked up his first winner’s medal in the competition.

 

The following year the Latics made it to the play-offs again with Green making another appearance at Wembley. Unfortunately it ended in heartbreak as Gillingham score the winner in a 3-2 victory just minutes before the end of extra-time. It eventually took Wigan until 2003 to gain promotion to what is now the Championship and the rest is history. By then though Green himself was history at the JJB.

 

After stuttering along during the first half of the 2002-03 campaign following relegation the previous season, Wrexham showed signs of promotion potential at the beginning of the New Year. Playing attractive football and starting to put a good run together under Denis Smith, the likes of Andy Morrell, Lee Trundle, Carlos Edwards, Darren Ferguson were just a handful of good players starting to hit top form. It was still felt though that Smith’s small squad could do with a quality reinforcement to help with the final push.

 

Money was extremely tight at the club as it always was during the ‘ownership’ of Mark Guterman. Smith’s capture of Green on a free from Wigan in February 2003 was funded, as many signings were at the time, by the WINS group set up by Wrexham supporters for the purpose of providing funs to help the club financially.

 

Versatile enough to play in defence or midfield it was the latter role that Smith had in mind for Green with only really Steve Thomas and Paul Barrett for back-up. He made his debut as a sub at home to Southend and started his first game in the St.David’s Day clash at Swansea. Soon enough he was making a telling contribution with his ability to tackle, pick passes and make great runs off the ball. He looked a cut above many others in the division, a real coup, and the catalyst in the opinion of many Wrexham fans for what happened in the latter half of that season.

 

Perhaps the highlight of his initial stay was a home game against Hartlepool. Two clinical finishes from Green gave us a crucial 2-0 victory and each time after scoring he removed his shirt on a very cold March night at the Racecourse. His character as well as his playing ability seemed to help lift the club further towards promotion as the season drew on.

 

He scored via another cute finish in a victory at home to Bristol Rovers in April but was to play in only three more games that season. After the 6-1 home victory over Carlisle United he missed the home game in which we beat Cambridge United 5-0 to seal automatic promotion with games to spare, through suspension.

 

He caused minor controversy at the end of the season when like Andy Morrell and Lee Trundle he spurned Denis Smith’s offer of a new contract. He turned his back on the chance to return to what is now League 1, to take up a player-coach position at seemingly wealthy and ambitious Conference club Telford United.

 

Accused by some harsh Wrexham fans of greed, things didn’t work out at his new club when they were liquidated at the end of that season.

 

Without a club for 2004-05 and feeling he still had something to offer he began training with Wrexham again. Cash-strapped ourselves, having just entered administration and been docked ten points somewhat unfairly by the Football League, he signed on non-contract forms in November. We went to Huddersfield and won in his first game back, before leaving Chester with a victory in our LDV Vans Trophy 3rd Round clash on the way to the final.

 

Older and a little heavier than in his first spell with us, he was a regular through to the end of January (even having a four-minute spell in goal at Sheffield Wednesday) but he was less effective than previously and injury didn’t help him. He featured throughout March and his final Wrexham appearance came at home to Bournemouth a week before the LDV Vans Trophy Final. Despite not playing in that final he picked up another winner’s medal in the competition for featuring in previous rounds which will have helped ease the pain of relegation to League 2.

 

It was little surprise when he was released at the end of that season, and he has since been playing and coaching in the Unibond league with Ashton United.

 

Scott Green will be remembered most fondly by Wrexham fans for his contribution to our promotion season (likened to that of loan signing Mike Lake’s impact in another promotion season a decade earlier) in 2003. However his efforts on and off the field during our time in administration must not be underestimated either. A good character and a good footballer Scott Green served Wrexham FC well during his two short spells at the Racecourse.