It’s clear Phil Parkinson must axe one Wrexham player after Barnsley – his replacement is obvious

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Wrexham clashed with Barnsley in Yorkshire on January 1st, aiming to begin 2025 with a bang.

Wrexham beat Barnsley 1-0 in the reverse fixture in Wales earlier in 2024/25 thanks to a late goal from Ollie Rathbone.

The Red Dragons haven’t been as solid when playing away from home this season, however, and Phil Parkinson was without a few key players in midweek.

Elliot Lee and Lewis Brunt were both left out of the matchday squad, while number one goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo kept his place on the bench following his return from injury.

Wrexham kicked off at Oakwell second in League One but well aware Wycombe Wanderers were breathing down their neck with a game in hand.

Barnsley, meanwhile, were seventh and looking to end the day back inside the play-off places having won their previous two matches.

• READ MORE: Wrexham could now be in danger of losing two wonderkids for free – Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney must act

Ollie Palmer must be dropped for Steven Fletcher after Barnsley vs Wrexham

Wrexham fell behind after 11 minutes on January 1st before Adam Phillips made it 2-0 to Barnsley with 26 minutes on the clock.

The first 45 drew to a close with the away team failing to have a single shot on target.

This saw Parkinson make a big call at the break, hooking Ollie Palmer for Steven Fletcher.

It was a bold decision but had an almost instant impact with Fletcher testing the Barnsley goalkeeper after just a few minutes.

As well as threatening himself, the Scotsman seemed to bring the best out of Paul Mullin, who had a number of big chances saved and blocked after being anonymous in the first half.

Wrexham may have failed to secure the three points, but their attacking threat increased 10-fold when Fletcher came on and he must now start against Peterborough United on Saturday.

• READ MORE: Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds must now overrule Phil Parkinson to stop one Wrexham transfer

Ollie Palmer and Steven Fletcher stats vs Barnsley

Palmer spent 45 minutes on the pitch and did very little. He was even quite poor in the air, which is not like him.

Fletcher, on the other hand, outperformed the Englishman in nearly every aspect of his game after coming on.

Wrexham do still need another striker in the January transfer window, but Fletcher should give them a boost in that department for the time being.