DAVID Unsworth says Latics’ cup trip to Wrexham should serve as reminder that success at this level can take time.

It is 14 years since the Welsh club last played in the Football League.

They have gone through troubled times and were on the brink of extinction until Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed their takeover in February 2021.

They missed out on the chance of marking the occasion with promotion a few months later.

But after investment into the team, and the club’s infrastructure, Wrexham are now in a position to mount a serious challenge for the title and only automatic promotion spot, sitting just a point and a place behind current leaders Notts County.

Indeed, Notts County have been battling to get back into the Football League since 2019, while Stockport County’s promotion as champions last season ended an 11-year exile.

After losing their FA Cup first-round tie 3-0 at the Racecourse Ground on Sunday, Unsworth said: “We were well beaten by a really good team who probably will get promoted and I wish them well because they’re good people, and they’ve got it bouncing here.

“But how long has it taken them to get it like this? That’s what I would ask the fans. Stick with us.

“The Wrexhams of this world and the Notts Countys of this world and Stockport, it’s taken them a couple of years to get where they are now. We’re not at a point at the moment where we can come here and take them on, which is disappointing, but it’s honest and we have to be honest about where we are.

“We’ll get there. I have no doubt we’ll get there, we just need to look after ourselves in the next couple of months in the league and plan for next season.”

Unsworth, who last week signed Mark Kitching - a title winner with Stocjport last season - and continues to look to strengthen his squad.

But, ahead of Saturday’s visit of Barnet and a return to National League action, he added: “We’re also busy on the training ground, it’s not just about bringing players to the club, it’s about improving the players we have and getting them to a level where I demand and where I think we should be. We’re nowhere near that level at the moment. We’ve just got to keep going.

“We’ve got a massive game on Saturday, massive game. As much as we’d love a cup run we can put this aside and concentrate on the much needed results in the league.

“That’s my priority and always has been.”