FIRST impressions in football are vitally important but Brian Flynn wasn’t totally convinced Karl Connolly was ever going to make it when he first stepped out on The Racecourse pitch.

The former Reds manager was only going to give the left-footed Liverpudlian with the jet-propelled heels just half an hour as he trudged onto the field for a midweek reserves game.

Connolly ended up staying 10 years, turning out to be one of Wrexham’s greatest ever finds as he ditched his day job in a chippy to play 476 times for the Reds in the Nineties.

He’s third on the all-time list of Wrexham’s scorers in the FA Cup with only Reds’ legend Dixie McNeil (22) and Bert Goode (20) beating his 16-goal haul.

Flynn - the longest serving manager in Wrexham’s history - was only too happy to go on rewind on how Connolly’s name first cropped up back in 1990.

“We had a part-time scout in Liverpool called Keith, who used to watch games and recommend under 16s players to our youth coaches, Cliff Sear and Mike Buxton,” recalled Flynn.

“He rang in one Monday morning, I answered and he told me he’d found a player. I’ll put you on to Cliff now, I said. But Keith said, no Brian, I’ve found a player for you.

“Keith refereed in the Merseyside Leagues and said that he’d seen this lad who was brilliant on the left, worked hard and was worth having a look at it.

“We scoured all the leagues looking for players so we gave him a go.

“We had a reserves game on the Wednesday and he could play because he wasn’t working in the chip shop that day.

“The game kicked off at 2pm and I told him to get here for 11.30 to 12 so we could introduce him to the lads.

“He turned up with all his family, who were in The Turf and ended up on the old Turf balcony.

“The next thing they’re all doing cartwheels on the side of the pitch the new Mold Road stand is.

“Karl came on and it’s fair to say, he didn’t look like a footballer. He had a funny gait when he ran and I looked to Kev (Flynn’s assistant manager Kevin Reeves) and said we’ll give him half an hour.

“But that all changed after 15 minutes and we both agreed this lad can play.

“He didn’t have blistering pace but he was tricky and got past players. He was naturally left-footed and he was brilliant in the air.

“We offered him a deal - more than he was getting at the chippy and he later signed a longer contract.

“Not only could he play; he had real football intelligence and would listen to our instructions and carry them out.

“He was a great signing but not the only one we plucked from non-league. Andy Morrell was a good example of that too.”

Flynn was surprised that Connolly had actually out-gunned Steve Watkin, another key member of his side in the FA Cup goalscoring stakes.

“It’s a good quiz question that,” said Flynn in response to Connolly’s sweet 16 goals compared to the 12 from Watkin, Wrexham’s blond-haired bomber from Acrefair.

“Stevie was the kingpin of that FA Cup run that got us to the third round against Arsenal.

“He scored a hat-trick against Winsford and then got a late winner at home to Telford, who were favourites to knock us out having beaten Stoke City in a replay in the previous round.

“Then he got the winner against Arsenal although a lot of people still say that Mickey did. But it was Steve, the local lad and what a story it was!”

Watkin also hit winners at home to Stockport County in 1994, in a second round extra-time victory at Scunthorpe in 1996 while his others came against Walsall (1993), Rotherham (1994), Chesterfield (1995), Peterborough (1997) and in the first game against Scunthorpe in 1996.

Connolly also enjoyed success against Scunny, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-3 success in 1999.

No-one will forget his double at The Deva where Wrexham dumped out arch rivals Chester in 1997. He added another double in the 3-2 home replay defeat to Wimbledon later that season and his other brace came in the 5-2 win over Rotherham in 1994.

Connolly’s first FA Cup goal was against Winsford in another 5-2 victory in 1991 while his last was 2000 when Wrexham were surprisingly beaten 2-1 at home by Cambridge United in the fourth round.

His other goals came against Chesterfield (1995), Birmingham City (1997), Rochdale (1997), York City (1998) and Huddersfield (1999).