FA Trophy final: Wrexham aim to 'bounce back' at Wembley - Jordan Davies

Jordan Davies made his senior Wrexham debut against Solihull Moors in October 2020

Wrexham midfielder Jordan Davies will never forget his first visit to Wembley.

He was among the Wrexham fans who travelled for the club's first ever visit to the home of English football in 2013, when they faced Grimsby Town in the FA Trophy final.

It proved to be an eventful day for the then 14-year-old.

"I remember me and my dad dug ourselves out of the snow before getting on the bus in Acrefair," Davies, 23, recalls.

"The bus crashed in Oswestry, we waited for a second bus to come and got to Stoke before that one broke down.

"We waited for the third bus to come and we finally made it five minutes before kick-off.

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"It was an unbelievable experience and we won on penalties to top the day off.

"I stood there with my dad thinking I'd love it to be me and nine years later it is me, so I'm delighted."

Wrexham's third appearance in the FA Trophy final on Sunday - they lost to North Ferriby in 2015 - comes a week after they were pipped to automatic promotion in the National League by Stockport County.

But Davies is confident Wrexham will respond positively and secure a return to the EFL as well as victory over Bromley to lift the FA Trophy.

"There's no bigger stage than Wembley to bounce back on," Davies told BBC Sport Wales.

"Looking back to last Sunday we weren't at the races and it wasn't our day.

"We've got no excuses for that but ultimately it didn't matter because Stockport won and it was out of our hands either way.

"But we're looking forward to bouncing back and hopefully we can win a trophy."

Davies has firmly established himself as a Wrexham regular and has chipped in with 19 goals this season, linking up impressively with forwards Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer.

Although Davies came through the ranks at Wrexham, he spent a successful loan spell at Bangor City before a move to Brighton & Hove Albion in early 2017 having not played for the Dragons senior side.

"The spell at Bangor was the making of me," Davies said.

"I got exposure in the Welsh Premier League, where people were watching.

Jordan Davies played for Brighton & Hove Albion in the 2019-20 season

"I came back to Wrexham in the January before going down to Brighton."

Davies, raised in the village of Coedpoeth, played for the Seagulls' Under-23 side and made six appearances in the Football League Trophy.

Although he did not make a senior appearance before being released in the summer of 2020, he enjoyed his time on the south coast of England.

"I went down as a kid and probably came back as a man," said Davies

"It was a great experience and if anyone ever asks me then I'd recommend the club to anyone. It's a lovely part of the country and I have got no bad things to say about Brighton."

Following his release, Davies was signed by then Wrexham manager Dean Keates in August 2020.

Wrexham had struggled the previous season and the campaign came to an early end because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the club only just avoiding relegation.

Little did Davies or anyone else at the time know what lay ahead for the club, now owned by Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

"I'm not going to lie, I was going to use the club as a platform for me to bounce back into the Football League," Davies said.

"But where we are at now there's no better place to be in League Two or League One.

"We have more aspirations than some of them.

"I think five years down the line Wrexham v Stockport will be a League One fixture with both clubs on the up.

"For me it's just a matter of time before Wrexham get promoted."

Wrexham will be backed by a sizeable following at Wembley and Davies acknowledges the "unbelievable" support they have received this season.

He is also grateful for the support he and his partner Kelsey received from the footballing community last year when their new-born baby son Arthur died during childbirth.

They set up a fundraiser for the charity Sands (Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Society) and were touched by donations from fans as well as club owners McElhenney and Reynolds and their families.

"We weren't really sure if we were going to release what happened on social media," Davies said.

"But it was probably the best thing we did, with support from people we don't even know.

"Things happen in the world and you question if it's a good place but that really cemented in my mind that it is a good place."