Wrexham are through to the third round of the Carabao Cup after beating Preston North End 3-2 at Deepdale.
Wrexham may not have grabbed a first Championship win just yet, but the Carabao Cup is treating Phil Parkinson well.
Parkinson’s side beat Hull City on penalties in the first round, booking a second-round clash with Preston North End as a result.
Wrexham fielded a rotated side against PNE and saw Lewis Dobbin open the scoring for the hosts before Ryan Hardie equalised with a stunning strike.
Liam Lindsay headed North End back in front as Paul Heckingbottom’s side dominated the second half, but PNE were forced to take off key attackers – and Wrexham took full advantage.
Harry Ashfield’s deflected strike pulled Wrexham level at 2-2, before substitute Kieffer Moore came off the bench to win it in stoppage time.
Callum Doyle in encouraging Wrexham debut
Wrexham were under serious pressure in the first half, but new signing Callum Doyle didn’t look out of place.
Doyle looked assured in possession and showed some impressive passing ability on the left of Wrexham’s back three.
Wrexham have paid serious money to sign Doyle, and he made a decent first impression before being substituted in the second half.
Parkinson may be tempted to throw Doyle into the starting lineup against Millwall this weekend, with the defender catching the eye both defensively and in possession.
Arthur Okonkwo bounces back
Danny Ward has surprisingly taken Arthur Okonkwo’s place in the starting lineup in League One, meaning Okonkwo must take every chance he receives in cup competitions.
Okonkwo may feel that he could have done better with Liam Lindsay’s goal to put PNE 2-1 up, but he atoned with some fine saves.
Alfie Devine’s deflected free-kick was brilliantly tipped over by Okonkwo, before the Wrexham stopper denied Michael Smith from long range.
All in all, this was a positive showing for Okonkwo, and he showed the mentality to bounce back after Lindsay’s goal to prevent any further goals.
You can’t keep Kieffer Moore quiet
Kieffer Moore bagged his first Wrexham goals on Saturday afternoon, scoring twice in a 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday.
Phil Parkinson hailed Moore as ‘magnificent’, but left him on the bench against PNE as the Wrexham boss rotated his side.
Moore was thrown on in the second half and made his presence felt, scoring the winner after weak goalkeeping from Jack Walton.
Wrexham fans chanted Moore’s name loudly in the dying embers, with the giant striker emerging as a new hero in the famous red shirt.
Ollie Palmer surely on his way out of Wrexham
As one target man emerges as a new fan favourite, another appears to be on his way out.
Ollie Palmer wasn’t even on the Wrexham bench against PNE, despite scoring twice in the previous round against Hull City.
Parkinson has made Palmer available for transfer, but some still wanted to see him in action after such a devastating impact in round one.
Instead, Palmer wasn’t even on the bench, and this may prove to be the end of his Wrexham career.
The transfer window shuts on Monday, and it would now be more of a surprise to see Palmer still at the club come Tuesday, with Parkinson making it clear that he needs to move on.
Potential for a Carabao Cup run
The Carabao Cup hasn’t really been Wrexham’s focus since promotion from the National League in 2023.
Wrexham were dumped out in round two back in 2023 and then in round one at the hands of Sheffield United last season.
Wrexham have now seen off two Championship clubs in this season’s competition, sending both Hull and PNE packing.
A tie against an elite Premier League club is now a real possibility, but Wrexham fans may be eyeing ties against League One or Championship sides to keep the cup run going.