City are preparing to face bottom side Wrexham without Peter Thorne.

Their six-goal striker, who has been frustrated by injuries all season, is still struggling with the stiff neck he picked up before the Bury game.

Stuart McCall is unlikely to risk antagonising the problem with City due back in action again on Tuesday.

McCall said: "Thorney just wants to play and, with him missing a bit of the season, he's desperate to be involved in every game - but if by playing him he's not going to fully recover, then we've got to make a stance.

"If it's a case of missing the weekend and getting cleared up for Tuesday, then we have to think about that.

"Hopefully he might improve over the next 24 hours but at this moment in time, it would be more sensible to be cautious. But it's not going to be anything long term and could clear up completely."

McCall left Willy Topp out of his plans at Gigg Lane because he felt the heavy conditions were not suited to the Chilean's ball-playing style. With a similar pitch expected in Wales, Topp is most likely to be on the bench.

Omar Daley played alongside Barry Conlon for the final half hour in midweek and could be handed an attacking role from the start.

McCall could also opt to go with Conlon as a lone front man and the Jamaican playing off him in a five-man midfield.

Kyle Nix, who came on to net City's second goal at Bury, should be rewarded with a recall.

McCall admitted he would have preferred to be playing City's original fixture at home to Barnet, a game ruled out because the Bees are involved in the FA Cup fourth round.

"If I'm brutally honest, the other night I was listening to the penalties at Barnet hoping they would go out," he said.

"It would have been nice to get back home again and Barnet might have been wilting a bit after their replay.

"Wrexham have brought new faces in and obviously got a huge lift after beating MK Dons, so I'd rather have played them a little bit later on.

"They will be buoyed with that fantastic result and I'd imagine will be looking forward to this one. They are fighting and scrapping for their lives at the bottom and every point counts.

"The pitch, like a lot at this time of year, might not be in the best condition so it won't be the silkiest football you'd get early in the season.

"It might make it a real slog but we've got battle-hardened players in our team and we've got to make sure they are up for the fight, which I'm sure they will be.

"We got a decent point the other night, although it felt like a loss straight after the game having taken the lead twice, but we're in good form and I'm looking for us to go down to Wrexham and build on that."

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