Wrexham are through to the next round of the EFL Trophy after beating Crewe Alexandra 1-0 at the STōK Cae Ras on Tuesday night.
League One took a back seat on Tuesday night as Wrexham focused on an EFL Trophy clash against League Two side Crewe Alexandra.
Phil Parkinson made a host of changes to the Wrexham side and we saw a rather understandably disjointed performance.
Crewe created a handful of chances but it was Wrexham who grabbed the win thanks to defender Aaron James.
James headed home Paul Mullin’s cross to secure a 1-0 victory and send Wrexham into the last eight of the Northern section.
- READ MORE: Five things we learned as Wrexham midfielder suffers cruel setback in 1-0 win over Crewe Alexandra
Phil Parkinson on Brad Foster’s Wrexham debut
One of the changes Parkinson made was to bring Brad Foster into the starting XI.
Arthur Okonkwo and Callum Burton are both injured and Wrexham just couldn’t afford to take a risk on Mark Howard.
Wrexham signed free agent Foster over the weekend and after being on the bench at Burton Albion, he was given his chance to shine against Crewe.
Foster impressed with a strong performance and certainly justified Wrexham’s decision to bring him in.
Foster was a free agent just a week ago but was training with Wrexham in recent weeks, paving the way for a short-term contract.
Boss Parkinson has now praised Foster whilst speaking to Wrexham Match Day Live on Wrexham’s official YouTube channel.
Parkinson noted that Wrexham hadn’t even really seen much of Foster in 11 v 11 situations before throwing him in against Crewe.
Parkinson added that it was goalkeeping coach Aidan Davison who brought Foster to the club in the first place before praising the 23-year-old for a ‘really assured’ performance.
“He’s been in with us but we haven’t seen a lot of him in terms of 11 v 11 practice, because he hasn’t been involved in that,” said Parkinson.
“Credit to Aidan Davison for bringing him in a couple of weeks ago and it’s amazing how things can turn around for a young player who has just come in and been helping out on the training pitch, he gets his opportunity tonight and looked really assured, I’m really pleased for him,” he added.
Brad Foster catches the eye
Former West Bromwich Albion talent Foster was a complete unknown to Wrexham fans just a few days ago.
Foster has now not only helped Wrexham move a step closer to a Wembley final in the EFL Trophy, but kept a clean sheet and won the Man of the Match award in the process.
Wrexham fans have praised Foster’s performance and would like to see him stay for a little longer after such a strong display.
Parkinson was clearly impressed too and whilst Okonkwo will be back in early 2025, Foster is doing himself no harm in his attempts to land an extended deal.