IT’S unheard of for Shaun Pearson to miss so many matches through injury but the frustrated Wrexham captain is supporting his team-mates from the stands and the comfort of his own home.

Pearson has undergone surgery on his foot, the centre-back finally going under the knife to get to the bottom of a long-standing problem.

Having the operation has kept Pearson out of the opening five matches of Wrexham’s 13th season in non-league - and the 31-year-old has never missed that many games in a row because of injury during his career.

“When I was at Grimsby I had a spell out of the team when I was dropped but looking back, I don’t think I have ever missed three games in a row - four at a push - through injury,” said Pearson.

“Obviously it is a strange one for me but it is something that needed doing in the end.

“I did most of pre-season but I had a couple of incidents and it got worse.

“I had to get the injury sorted which was a bit gutting but I am just glad to have got it done.

“I am looking forward to hopefully a quick recovery and getting back out there playing, and helping the team.”

Pearson is hoping to get the all-clear at a hospital check-up today before beginning his rehabilitation, with the aim of returning within a five week timeframe forecast by manager Dean Keates.

“I am just waiting for them to tell me it is healing properly and it is all good,” said Pearson.

“I am quite pleased with how it feels but you are never 100 per cent sure until you get the all clear from the hospital.

“Then it is just a case of working my way back fit and ready to go hopefully in four or five weeks like the gaffer said.”

Wrexham have won two of their opening five matches, losing the other three games including back-to-back defeats against Maidenhead United and Wealdstone who were both bottom of the National League at the start of play.

Present at some games, Pearson has watched others on-line with the Reds’ matches being streamed live.

Although he was hoping for a bigger points return, Pearson is optimistic Wrexham, in FA Cup fourth qualifying round action at Solihull Moors this Saturday, will quickly click.

“I have watched every game,” said Pearson. “I bought the streams at home for the ones I have not been allowed to go to.

“It is difficult to watch because you always want to be out there, you feel like you can improve and help the team.

“It has not been the best of starts that we were looking for but it has been one goal in every game and it is just fine margins.

“Each game has been so tight and such fine margins between a win and a loss. We have got a couple of wins and a couple of the other games we could easily have won but come out on the wrong end of the result.

“It is just fine-tuning things like defending set-plays. If we can eradicate things like that, I am sure we will be on the right track.

“Hopefully I can add a little bit more to what we have already got and along with a couple of other players coming back from injury, we will be able to turn those fine margins into better results.”

Pearson believes the National League will be as competitive as it has ever been this season.

"With squads generally being smaller, there is more quality throughout the whole of the division so in my opinion, it will just make it a tighter division than ever before," he added.