Wrexham were able to see off fellow promotion rivals Mansfield Town on Saturday, winning 1-0 through a Ryan Barnett strike.
After Wrexham were defeated by Harrogate Town in the FA Cup last weekend, Phil Parkinson would’ve been delighted by the immediate response from his Red Dragons squad.
Barnett opened the scoring after six minutes, firing a powerful strike into the bottom left corner from the edge of the box.
A clean sheet earned through a resilient performance in the second half was the ideal way to bounce back from the Harrogate disappointment. Here are five things we learned from Wrexham’s 1-0 victory over Mansfield Town.
Ryan Barnett stars once more
Wrexham’s wing-backs play a key role in their attacking play, with Barnett a particularly potent outlet for Parkinson’s side.
Barnett has been linked with a January move to the Championship and showed just why with a beautiful strike against Mansfield.
Cutting in from the right side, Barnett used Paul Mullin’s run into the box to create space and power a strike into the far bottom corner to give the Red Dragons an early lead.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will be doing all they can to keep hold of their star wing-back, but goals like these will only continue to fuel any January transfer rumours surrounding Barnett.
Arthur Okonkwo played a crucial role
The Red Dragons took the lead in the first half but didn’t necessarily dominate the proceedings against Mansfield and relied on Arthur Okonkwo to maintain their advantage
Minutes before Barnett’s opener, Okonkwo was called into action, putting pressure on Mansfield striker Lee Gregory and saving low at close range.
Okonkwo was called into action after the goal as well, sparing Tom O’Conner’s blushes with a strong save after the defender struggled to cope with Tom Evans.
Max Cleworth shows his value
Max Cleworth returned from injury for Wrexham for their trip to Charlton and proved just how important he is to Parkinson’s Wrexham with an imperious display in possession against Mansfield.
Cleworth completed 13 passes into the final third for Wrexham, more than any of his teammates. This was especially important in relieving pressure whilst Mansfield pushed for an equaliser.
He was also impressive defensively, completing seven clearances, including four headers to suppress the dangerous Gregory and Evans.
Paul Mullin continues his difficult form
Looking back at Barnett’s goal, he had the opportunity to play Mullin in on goal but chose to hold onto the ball. This of course turned out to be the correct decision but it was strange nonetheless to see the Wrexham hitman ignored.
After not producing a single shot on target, Mullin was replaced by Jon Dadi Bodvarsson with 15 minutes left to play.
Mullin was criticised by Wrexham fans after their FA Cup defeat to Harrogate Town, with today’s lacklustre display doing no favours in winning the Red Dragon supporters back over.
A proud day for Phil Parkinson
The Wrexham manager celebrated his 150th game in charge of the club with a trademark win against Mansfield.
The visitors piled on the pressure in the second half, especially, but Parkinson’s side were professional throughout to secure a priceless 1-0 victory against a promotion rival.
Bolton manager Ian Evatt paid tribute to Parkinson in the buildup to Saturday’s game and results like these that keep Wrexham in the hunt for League One promotion will surely lead to more praise for the Red Dragons boss.