Horne aims to be on schedule to mark Welsh anniversary

But that is the reality for the former Everton midfielder after a clash of dates that means he will be co-commentating for Sky Sports on tonight’s World Cup qualifier between Wales and Israel in Haifa before flying back to the capital in the morning.

“I am hopeless when it comes to dates,” said the 52-year-old, appointed by Wrexham in 2011, to The Yorkshire Post before flying out yesterday morning. “It was only when the potential clash was pointed out to me that I realised that a few plans would have to be changed.

“Without that being pointed out, I probably wouldn’t have noticed until the middle of this week. Thankfully, the arrangements haven’t been too bad.

“The worst thing is having to pack hand luggage only for a trip that will see me go from 31 degrees on Sunday morning to something like six degrees in London.”

Chris Coleman’s Wales play the Group B leaders at 8pm local time in a qualifier that could have a big say in how the final table looks later this year.

The first flight to London Horne can board after the match is at 8am tomorrow, which is due to land back in the capital at 11.15am.

A car has then been booked to whisk him to Wembley in time to take his place in the Royal Box ahead of the 1.30pm kick-off.

Providing everything goes to plan, Horne is hoping to see the Red Dragons mark the club’s 150th anniversary in style with a second Trophy success to follow the triumph of 2013.

“It would be a great way to mark such an important year,” admitted the former Wales international. “That is a big deal for us.

“We went to Wembley twice a couple of years ago. The first one was a great day (when beating Grimsby in the Trophy final), the other (a 2-0 defeat to Newport County in the play-off final) was not such a good day.

“Obviously, we are hoping it will be a good day this weekend.”

Wrexham are planning a Wembley party to celebrate their landmark birthday, something that North Ferriby are obviously keen to gate-crash by lifting the Trophy.

Victory for Kevin Wilkin’s men would go some way to making up for a disappointing league campaign. Tuesday’s defeat to Nuneaton Town left the Welsh side sitting 14th in the table with 51 points from 38 games, having scored just 41 goals.

“Going to a final is always a big thing,” said Horne. “Many players go through an entire career without playing in a final so this is a big deal for them.

“Winning any Cup is great and, hopefully, we can mark the 150th year by winning on Sunday. Having something tangible to show in an anniversary season like this would be great for everyone at the club.”