Wrexham are set to host Birmingham City in the Championship at the Racecourse Ground this Friday night.
Phil Parkinson will be looking to deliver a first home victory of the Championship season at the weekend, with their recent form of three unbeaten league games in a row, particularly their draw away to Leicester City, surely providing confidence ahead of the tie with the Blues.
A first league win in 46 years for Wrexham over Birmingham could be achieved should the home side be able to deliver three points for their fans.
The Welsh club’s manager will look to ensure he has prepared everything to get a result in the second tier fixture; however, with one figure involved, it is set to be a Wrexham first.
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Referee Bobby Madley will take charge of Wrexham for the first time in the EFL
The EFL announced that Bobby Madley will take charge of the ‘Hollywood Derby’ clash on Friday evening.
It will be the first time that he is set to referee Wrexham in the EFL, having only previously taken charge of them in a Conference match in 2009 when they drew 0-0 with Barrow, according to Transfermarkt.
Madley is a major name in the world of refereeing, having taken charge of numerous Champions League and Premier League matches, meaning he will not be fazed by the attention on the fixture between the Blues and the Red Dragons.
Matty James detailed how Wrexham can beat Birmingham on Friday to deliver this feat, believing the key to success is shutting out the outside noise and focusing on the game, something Madley will also have to do to achieve his best performance.
Bobby Madley’s record when refereeing Birmingham City
Birmingham City have had Madley referee nine of their fixtures across his career, and they will be looking to improve their record when he is in charge.
The Blues have only won three games he has refereed for them, losing four and drawing two.
| Date | Opposition | Score | Result |
| 22/11/2011 | Burnley | 2-1 | W |
| 28/4/2012 | Reading | 2-0 | W |
| 1/1/2013 | Cardiff | 0-1 | L |
| 29/3/2013 | Crystal Palace | 4-0 | W |
| 21/12/2013 | Nottingham Forest | 0-0 | D |
| 23/8/2014 | Brentford | 1-1 | D |
| 21/10/2014 | Blackburn Rovers | 0-1 | L |
| 22/9/2015 | Aston Villa | 0-1 | L |
| 26/12/2023 | Stoke City | 1-3 | L |
Across the nine matches, their discipline has not been great as they have seen 17 yellow cards and one red card, something Birmingham boss Chris Davies will look to ensure is not an issue for them against Parkinson’s team.
Both sides will have done their homework on Madley for the Friday night fixture to ensure that nothing gets in the way of them securing three points to kickstart their Championship campaigns.