Phil Parkinson could surprise us at 6pm with recall for ‘brilliant’ Wrexham ace – now’s the time to get him back to his best

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Wrexham take on Port Vale tonight in the EFL Trophy third round, and Phil Parkinson is expected to make a slew of changes to his lineup for the cup tie.

Last time out against Crawley Town, Phil Parkinson rotated his team heavily and saw Wrexham grab a last-gasp win to rekindle their promotion hopes.

Now, after the game was originally postponed, we finally get to watch Wrexham take on Port Vale in the EFL Trophy.

But, will Parkinson use this as an opportunity to give fringe players a run out? For one player in particular, this could be the perfect chance to regain his place in the starting XI.

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Arthur Okonkwo could regain his place for Port Vale clash

It’s a tough call to make, but we believe Parkinson could put Arthur Okonkwo back into his starting XI for the Port Vale game.

Okonkwo is normally Wrexham’s number one goalkeeper, but has struggled with injury this season. The youngster returned to the lineup recently after recovering from a broken wrist, but had a shocker in the defeat against Stevenage last week.

He was dropped for the win over Crawley, with Mark Howard returning between the sticks.

Parkinson admitted Okonkwo came back too quickly, and was probably not match-ready, hence his exclusion at the weekend. But, if the Wrexham manager wants his number one to build his fitness and sharpness, this cup game could be the perfect opportunity.

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Okonkwo has something to prove, but Port Vale game could be a risk

There’s no doubting that, on his day, Okonkwo is a ‘brilliant’ goalkeeper and is arguably one of the best in League One, if not the entire Football League.

However, it’s easy to forget he is still young, and at 23-years-old it’s important to nurture his development carefully.

Confidence is key for goalkeepers, and while the Port Vale game presents a chance to take on lower league opposition in a competition that Wrexham aren’t exactly all-in on, it could also present a major pitfall if things go wrong.

Defeat to Port Vale, while allowing Wrexham to focus on their promotion push in League One, would still be a disappointment, and Okonkwo would quickly become a scapegoat if he puts a foot wrong.

The benefits probably outweigh the risks in this situation, and putting Okonkwo back in the team could well be the boost the player needs to finish the season in style. But, Parkinson may well play it safe and stick with Howard until he can be sure that Okonkwo is ready.