Five Potential Replacements For Ben Foster At Wrexham – Opinion

Earlier today Wrexham AFC announced the retirement of goalkeeper Ben Foster…

The ex-England international had only came out of retirement in March, but has now supposedly hung up his gloves for good.

Foster would appear in each of the Red Dragons last eight National League games last season and played a huge part in the run in to their title-winning season. The goalkeeper will be best remembered at Wrexham for his penalty saving heroics from Notts County’s Cedwyn Scott which all but handed the Welsh side the title and in doing so, a return to the Football League for the first time since 2008.

However the transition to life in the fourth tier hasn’t exactly been the easiest with the Red Dragons gaining only five points from their first four games. The problem has not been scoring goals, far from it, but rather their ability to defend the opposition. Conceding a league high 13 goals is a telltale sign of where the problem currently is and it is something that manager Phil Parkinson will want to address in future training sessions.

In their most recent game, Wrexham drew 5-5 with Swindon Town in a match which will go down as one of the craziest of the season. At one point, the League Two newboys were 4-1 down and only managed to rescue a point through two goals in extra time.

Although Foster was not at fault for all of Swindon’s goals, something certainly seemed amiss and in an interview on the club’s official website, the 40-year-old cited his own performances not meeting expectations as his reason for retirement.

This now means that Wrexham are without a first choice keeper, and it is expected that veteran Mark Howard will start between the sticks for their visit to Barrow on Saturday. The Welsh side do also have Rob Laiton in their ranks, but he is still currently recovering from injury.

For those reasons, we may see Parkinson sign a new goalkeeper, and with one of the highest budgets in League Two, an ambitious signing is not out of question.

Here are five potential options that Wrexham may explore to replace Ben Foster…

Simon Moore- Coventry City

Now the third choice keeper for Coventry, we may see Moore move on from the Sky Blues this summer in search for regular minutes. With a combined 200 appearances in the Championship and League One as well a further two in the Premier League, Moore would bring plenty of experience to the Racecourse Ground.

Although at 33 and not having played much first team football in the last year, Moore’s best days may indeed be behind him but he’d be an excellent addition for an ambitious League Two side like Wrexham and he definitely has something left to give. His wages also shouldn’t be a problem, which only increases the likelihood of a move.

James Belshaw- Bristol Rovers

Bristol Rovers’ manager Joey Barton has been increasingly vocal in recent weeks , stating that Belshaw is “not going to be part of our group going forward”. The keeper wants a move before the transfer window shuts, and with an opening available at Wrexham, he may have just found his future club.

With plenty of experience in the EFL, Belshaw could be a welcomed addition to Parkinson’s set-up which would help in his quest for first-team football.

Matt Macey- Luton Town

 

Luton gaining promotion to the Premiership has very much shown Macey the exit door at Kenilworth Road. Although a more than capable keeper, Macey is not expected to be anywhere near the first team. That being said, the 28-year-old did enjoy a highly successful loan spell with Portsmouth last season, conceding just 15 times in 21 games as well as keeping 10 clean sheets.

Another player who will probably be wanting first team minutes, we may just see him land at the Racecourse ground prior to the commencement of the summer window.

Joe Whitworth- Crystal Palace

A loan move may also not be out of the question, with the club potentially choosing a short-term solution prior to finding their new number one. It would also give Whitworth some excellent senior experience, something that he has very little of, bar his two appearances in the Premier League during the Eagles’ goalkeeping crisis.

Whitworth didn’t disgrace himself at all in those two appearances and clearly has a great career ahead of him. At just 19 years of age, a loan move could greatly accelerate his growth and Wrexham enquiring isn’t exactly out of question.

Danny Ward- Leicester City

Perhaps the most unrealistic option of the five is Leicester’s Danny Ward. The Welshman has seen himself slip down the Foxes pecking order and is now the number-three keeper. Although Ward is a player who as recently as last season was starting in the Premier League, he is out of the plans at the King Power.

The 30-year-old has history with the club, being born in Wrexham as well as coming through their academy but a return to the Racecourse Ground might be a bit too ambitious. That being said, Wrexham fans would love this move to happen but it does currently seem a bit out of a reach.

READ MORE:

‘It wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction’ – Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson explains Ben Foster retirement decision

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson insists Ben Foster’s retirement was not a “knee-jerk reaction” after the keeper shipped 13 goals in five League Two games.