Wrexham and Bolton Wanderers went head-to-head in a quarter-final EFL Trophy match on Tuesday.
The Red Dragons are yet to win a trophy, barring a league title, since Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds took over in 2021.
Wrexham did make it to the final of the FA Trophy in 2022 but lost 1-0 in the versus Bromley.
Now with a much stronger squad of players following two successful transfer windows, however, Phil Parkinson’s side looked to be one of the favourites for this competition.
They had already beaten Crewe Alexandra and Port Vale in the knockout stages and knew a meeting with Peterborough United awaited them in the semis if they managed to get past Bolton Wanderers on February 11th.
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Wrexham ace struggled vs Bolton Wanderers and Phil Parkinson must get him firing again
Wrexham fans have become accustomed to seeing their team struggle to test the opposition goalkeeper this season.
It hasn’t been as much of a problem at home this term but up until Andy Cannon’s brilliant strike, the Red Dragons had largely been poor going forward.
Harry Ashfield started up front and scored against Port Vale but Parkinson opted to give Jack Marriott his first outing from the off since his long-term injury when Bolton came to town.
Marriott had scored five in 10 league games before being ruled out for several months in October but upon his return to the eleven, he struggled.
It was not all his fault as the service he received, barring a few crosses from Longman, was subpar.
Jack Marriott stats for Wrexham vs Bolton Wanderers
Wrexham fans were no doubt expecting big things from the striker after being given a chance to prove he can reclaim his starting berth.
Marriott nearly forced an error from the Bolton keeper early on but for the most part, he did little of note.
| Jack Marriott | Stats vs Bolton |
| Minutes played | 63 |
| Touches | 16 |
| Shots | 0 |
| Accurate passes | 7/10 |
| Duels (won) | 3 (1) |
| Dribble attempts (successful) | 1 (0) |
With so much competition for places in the Wrexham frontline now, Marriott did not prove he deserves another start for the Northampton Town clash this weekend.
But if Parkinson can get his strikers better services, likely when they have their strongest eleven on the pitch, he should begin to find form again.