Who will replace Ben Foster at Wrexham?

Four games into the League Two season, Wrexham must elect a new No.1 goalkeeper after Ben Foster’s sudden retirement.

Ben Foster, the goalkeeper for Wrexham, has retired for a second time. He made the announcement on Monday, four games into the League Two season.

At 40, Foster has hung up his gloves after a tough start to the campaign. The keeper conceded 13 goals in Wrexham’s opening four games, including five in Saturday’s 5-5 home draw against Swindon.

In a statement, Foster explained his lackluster performances convinced him to retire. He decided to quit early so the club has time to find a replacement.

The question is, with the English transfer window closing on September 1, will Wrexham splash the cash on a goalie or stick to what they have?

Let’s check out what the Red Dragons’ current options are….

What are Wrexham’s current options to replace Foster?

Mark Howard is the most likely goalkeeper to replace Foster at Wrexham. The 36-year-old is likely to start this Saturday’s trip to Barrow. He has played 38 times for the club since his arrival in July 2022, conceding 40 goals and keeping 13 clean sheets.

This season, Howard has made one appearance for Phil Parkinson’s side. It came in the first round of the Carabao Cup against Wigan. He kept a clean sheet in that game to help keep the score at 0-0, before Wrexham won 4-2 on penalties.

Howard was Parkinson’s No.1 goalkeeper for most of last season until Foster joined the club in May.

Another option is Luke McNicholas, a recent signing. The 23-year-old arrived on August 11 on loan from the Irish team Sligo Rovers. He could become a permanent signing in January if Wrexham do active the buy option in their deal with Sligo Rovers.

Lastly, there is 33-year-old Rob Lainton, who hasn’t played for the club since March after suffering a knee injury, and 18-year-old Liam Hill.

“AFC Wrexham vs Altrincham FC – November 2020-106” by MichaelRipleyPhotography is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.