George Dobson hopes looking back can help Wrexham move forward in the FA Cup

George Dobson feels the Wrexham squad are ready to produce an FA Cup upset against Nottingham Forest after watching footage of the club’s famous giant-killing acts.

Boss Phil Parkinson sat down his squad this week to examine just why Wrexham have such a proud tradition in the competition.

Mickey Thomas’ spectacular free-kick that knocked out Arsenal in 1992 took pride of place, but there was also footage of memorable wins over Newcastle and West Ham and the 4-3 victory at Coventry three years ago when Wrexham were a National League team under Parkinson.

“It was a real good insight to some fantastic moments down the years, to get the feel of the history of the FA Cup and what it means to everyone at the club,” said midfielder Dobson.

“It gave me goosebumps to see that what’s been created before and it makes you feel you’ve got that opportunity to create that history for yourself.

“We have an opportunity against a good Premier League club to stamp our own history here, and that is one the whole group is really looking forward to.

“The club has had a couple of good (FA Cup) runs without facing a Premier League team, so hopefully we can replicate what they did back in the day.”

Wrexham are in fantastic form heading into a third-round tie against Sean Dyche’s side, who are 17th in the Premier League but boosted by Tuesday’s victory over relegation rivals West Ham.

Parkinson’s side have recorded four successive wins to climb to ninth in the Sky Bet Championship, just one point off the play-off places.

Dobson said: “You have to respect the really good players Forest have, but at the same time remember we have really good players and it’s a one-off game.

“We just want to get the place rocking, get everyone bouncing, and hopefully give the fans something to shout about.

“We’re on a fantastic run after a brilliant Christmas period, so confidence is really high. You just have to try and use that to your advantage.”

Parkinson is no stranger to cup shocks himself after masterminding one of the greatest FA Cup upsets.

The 58-year-old was Bradford boss a decade ago when the League One Bantams beat Jose Mourinho’s then-Premier League champions 4-2 at Stamford Bridge in the fourth round, despite being 2-0 down after 38 minutes.

He said: “The situation we’re in at the moment, it’s good to have that nice breather from the league.

“It’s another night of cup football on TV and doing everything we can to create memories for our supporters, our families and everyone connected with the club.”