Brian Little's new-look side outplayed Wolves in the first half and when both teams put out 11 different players each for the second period, Wrexham bossed that one too.

Managers will insist that friendlies mean nothing and it's performances, not results, that matter. Wolves boss Mick McCarthy admitted he doesn't like pre-season games, claiming 'they are a means to an end.'

Reds' manager Little, must have been quietly purring to himself after this display, but was keen to keep it very low key in his post-match conference.

"How we play is probably more important to other people than me and there are a lot of things today that people might read too much into and that's one of the dangers of putting public games on."

This, however, was just what the paying public wanted to see – a purposeful Wrexham side, playing decent football and looking solid in a 4-4-2 formation where everyone looked as if they knew what they were doing.

After two years of torture at the bottom of the Football League, Wrexham fans needed some reassurance that they should not give up on the team as it enters a new non-league era.

Around 2,000 left The Racecourse at a quarter to five on Saturday afternoon pleased with what they had seen – especially from Little's bank of new recruits.

Nat Brown won everything in the air and didn't really give the Wolves' first half pairing of Andy Keogh and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake a sniff of a chance.

Tom Kearney was busy in the middle of the park while big Jefferson Louis gives Wrexham that big-man option up front. He also won a lot in the air and looks a lot more mobile than his predecessors in that role, Drewe Broughton and Lee McEvilly.

The trio of new signings linked up in a first half that saw right back Simon Spender given the captain's armband.

And he looked a lot more at ease with the more rigid flat back four formation, getting up and down the flank.

On the other side of the pitch, left back Carl Tremarco was exceptional. He doesn't venture forward as much as Spender but was alert to any danger from Wolves' highly-rated right winger, Michael Kightly.

What was good about Wrexham's back four was the balance. Two left footers – Mike Williams and Tremarco – on one side and two right footers – Brown and Spender on the other side.

Sam Aiston, despite being on the transfer list, still has a big part to play. His pace down the left caused Kevin Foley problems and that kind of speed could be vital in the cut and thrust of the Blue Square Premier.

Aiston just has to work on the end product because a player of that class should have scored and set up more goals than he has done in is career.

Another transfer-listed player, Silvio Spann, lined up on the right hand side and worked hard while Kearney teamed up with an unlikely partner in the engine room – Gareth Evans.

The position was new to him but he did a decent job, marking Welsh international Dave Edwards out of the game.

Michael Proctor – the only out and out goalscorer in the Wrexham team – is also transfer-listed but his movement and general link up play is good and he could still be a big asset to Wrexham if he hits it off with the likes of Louis, Simon Brown and Marc Williams.

Louis produced Wrexham's first shot in anger on Saturday, stinging Wales number one keeper, Wayne Hennessey's finger with a fourth minute snapshot.

Spender and Proctor linked up in Wrexham's best move of the match that saw Kevin Foley head Proctor's teasing cross out for a corner.

An unmarked Proctor planted a header from Kearney's cross wide while the best chance of the first half was spurned by Wolves' Keogh, who shot tamely at Gavin Ward after Kightly had worked an opening in the box.

It was all change for the second half but no-one could have predicted the explosive start after David Jones – Wolves' new £1m summer signing and who used to play his junior football down the road at Marford and Gresford – dragged Wes Baynes down, 35 yards from goal.

Baynes, who had smashed in two crackers in Wrexham's last match in the Football League at Lincoln, picked himself up and leathered a block-buster past Carl Ikeme and into the top corner of the net.

McCarthy described the goal as 'awesome' and he may well be keeping an eye on Baynes' progress this season.

Baynes was playing his favoured right midfield role and he had plenty of support behind him in Kyle Critchell.

The ex-Weymouth defender looks a real find. It's just a pity he's banned for the first three games of the season.

Simon Brown was Wrexham's other new boy in the second period and both he and Williams worked their socks off in attack.

Williams saw an effort saved by Ikeme after Brown had done the donkey work and the Wolves reserve keeper then kept out a Brown shot from just inside the box.

Wolves looked slightly more threatening in the last 20 minutes but the closest they came to beating Anthony Williams was a deflected shot from Stephen Elliott that dipped over the bar.

All in all, it was a very pleasing performance from Wrexham but as Little says, it's all about August 9 and Stevenage at home on the first day of the season.

Little says he doesn't know what he starting line up will but this display will have given him – and the Wrexham fans – plenty of encouragement.