Josh Windass is not your stereotypical footballer.
Refreshingly honest, the forward, son of cult hero Dean, doesn’t celebrate when he scores – insisting ‘I just don’t get happy’ – and admitted his American in-laws knew more about Wrexham than him when he joined the club last summer.
For most players, a calf injury that meant they were unable to play a part in Wrexham’s pre-season tour of the US would have been enough to get them down.
But not Windass.
‘We’ve been on tour in America,’ he tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘So it’s just been brilliant for me. I’ve been on holiday for two weeks, doing my rehab in the sun!
‘It is frustrating not to be playing but I’m not one for pre-season games. I think they’re all nonsense. Whether you win or lose, the proof will be in the pudding.’
Wrexham No 10 Josh Windass is hoping to lead Phil Parkinson’s side to the Premier League
Windass scored 16 goals and provided five assists in just 28 league starts last season
Windass’ dry humour shines through during our conversation and despite his setback, he hopes to be fit for Wrexham’s Championship opener against Cardiff – if not their second game with Watford.
It would be a shame for him to have to wait much longer after he enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career last term.
Having departed Sheffield Wednesday on the eve of the campaign amid their financial turmoil, Windass scored 16 goals and provided five assists in just 28 league starts.
The No 10 was one of 13 summer arrivals as Wrexham endured an inevitable adaptation period following three successive promotions.
But, over the winter, Phil Parkinson’s side climbed the table and ultimately missed out on the play-offs in heartbreaking fashion on the final day after drawing with Middlesbrough.
‘I was disappointed we didn’t make the play-offs as that was our aim,’ Windass says. ‘But I try and do as best as I can and, as a No 10, you want to score and set up goals.
‘From Christmas onwards we were one of the top three or four teams in the league and, once you’ve got the proof you can do it (it’s massive). If we’d have done that all season, we’d have had a good chance of promotion.’
Windass has played for some big clubs in his career, including Rangers, but insists nothing compares to what he has experienced at Wrexham over the past 12 months.
‘It is the best culture I’ve ever been in by a country mile,’ says Windass of Wrexham’s dressing room
‘I don’t know how he (Phil Parkinson) does it, because every club I’ve been at, you always have a few people you sign who are not great (personalities)’
‘It’s honestly incredible,’ he adds. ‘Before you get there, everyone says, “Oh, it’s the best dressing room ever, the culture’s amazing”. And you’re like, yeah, sure it is.
‘But it is the best dressing room and culture I’ve ever been in by a country mile. What the gaffer, Ryan (Reynolds) and Rob (Mac) have created with everybody, how they get on with each other – in football you generally don’t get that in changing rooms. Here it’s different.’
Parkinson doesn’t get the credit he deserves for what has been a transformative five-year spell in North Wales.
He is now the fourth longest-serving manager in English football and, despite significant turnover in the playing squad, he has remained throughout Wrexham’s evolution from a struggling non-League side into one of the most marketable clubs in the world.
So, what’s the secret?
‘He’s had so much success,’ Windass says. ‘The way he recruits players for the dressing room, not just for the style of play (is amazing).
‘I don’t think he’s made a bad signing in terms of that. He does his due diligence with character references. He signs good players, but ultimately he signs boys who want to fight for each other and get on, both on and off the pitch.
‘I don’t know how he does it, because every club I’ve been at, you always have a few people you sign who are not great for the dressing room.
‘But at Wrexham it’s like he’s got a magic spell because everyone comes in and is top class.’
On Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, Windass adds: ‘They’re the same with every player. They speak to us all the time and we’re just a reflection of them. They’re winners and the club has shown that in the last five years.’
Windass is full of praise for Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds (left) and Rob Mac
Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson is expected to boost Wrexham’s promotion bid
As Wrexham have risen through the leagues, each summer has been accompanied by significant change in the squad.
Yet, with Parkinson’s side set to play a second campaign in the same division for the first time since their promotion from the National League, this has been one of continuity.
Crystal Palace full back Danny Imray, who shone on loan at West Brom last season, and Preston captain Ben Whiteman are the only players through the door, although more arrivals are expected – including Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson. Steve Nickson also joined from Newcastle as director of football.
And Windass believes a more settled squad could prove to be a significant benefit to Wrexham, although he admits they must improve defensively after they shipped more goals than relegated Oxford last season.
‘That’s the nail on the head,’ he adds. ‘I don’t think people realise how many new players we had on the pitch last year, and maybe that’s why it took until Christmas for us to gel and start playing well.
‘We’ve got 98 per cent of the team still here, we’re all used to playing with each other and we get on great. The new signings have settled in seamlessly, so we’re going to have a good chance.’
As our conversation comes to a close, Windass’ wit is on display again when asked what a dream campaign would look like if we were talking again at the end of the season.
‘Hopefully, I’m on a plane to Vegas having just won promotion,’ he says. ‘And I’ve scored 20… no, I’ve scored 507 goals!’
