"I think anyone has only got to go to The Racecourse Ground to see what a big set-up Wrexham have," said Pearce at yesterday's press conference at Carden Park.

"Wrexham are a big club. They have a smashing ground and the pitch is fantastic.

"I'm sure Wrexham will bounce back into the Football League. They are a big side and it's a great shame they won't be involved in the League next season.

"I think that with promotion and relegation, it is now very exciting, but a big body-blow for any football club going out of the league.

"But if you can rebuild and come up from the Conference, I think it stands you in good stead.

"Quite often, teams that do come out and bounce straight back again, normally will be in the top reaches of the league.

"I think that is what Wrexham have got to look to now. They've got to realise they have a Football League set-up, they need to take stock of what they've got, and bounce back as soon as they possibly can.

"The bigger the clubs the more people actually prefer them in the top leagues, but you're only as good as your results, nobody owes Wrexham any favours.

"They've gone down on merit and they'll be the first to admit that, so it's important that they bounce back on merit.

"I'd much rather be playing at Wrexham for tonight's match than jetting to Europe for a match.

"We've collated a very strong squad to take on this game, and it's nice to see Wales have treated the game in the same way by including players with senior experience.

"We've got five players in our squad who are going on to meet up with the seniors next week, so that adds a little bit of an edge to the game.

"It's a local derby, but a local derby played in the right manner with a lot of respect between the two teams, because there is certainly a lot of respect between the two managers."