Wrexham have been dumped out of the FA Cup after a disappointing 1-0 defeat away at League Two side Harrogate Town on Sunday afternoon.
Wrexham’s attention turned away from League One and over to the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.
Phil Parkinson headed to Yorkshire with Wrexham drawn against Harrogate Town in the first round of the FA Cup.
Wrexham drew twice against Harrogate last season and came unstuck against Simon Weaver’s side on Sunday.
Jack Muldoon put Harrogate ahead in the first half and that ended up being enough for the hosts to claim a 1-0 win.
Wrexham had plenty of shots and put so many crosses into the box but just couldn’t break Harrogate down.
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Phil Parkinson on Wrexham ‘wake up call’
This was a massively disappointing performance for Wrexham and it’s hard to argue that the defeat was undeserved.
Wrexham just lacked cutting edge in the final third with BBC pundit Kevin Ratcliffe criticising Wrexham’s approach to the game.
Parkinson spoke to ITV Sport after the final whistle and simply could not hide his disappointment.
Parkinson congratulated Harrogate but sent a strong message to his Wrexham players too.
The Wrexham boss feels that his players have ‘a lot of improving to do’ and believes the defeat at Harrogate is actually a ‘wake up call’.
“We haven’t had too many days like this since I’ve been at the club, where things haven’t gone our way, and we have to take this one on the chin,” said Parkinson.
“It’s so early in the season to start talking about promotion. We’re a quarter of the way into the season and there’s a lot of football to play. We’ve got a lot of improving to do and this is a reality check for us and we get back in training, ready to work again for next week against Mansfield,” he added.
Disappointment for Parkinson
This defeat will sting for Parkinson, who will have felt confident in his players picking up a result.
Just last weekend, Parkinson praised his Wrexham side for developing well at League One level after a 2-2 draw at Charlton Athletic.
A trip to Harrogate was always going to be tricky but Parkinson will have believed in his squad to get the job done.
Parkinson rotated some players out of the team but still had major quality on show, which he clearly felt was enough to beat Harrogate.
That wasn’t the case though and with Paul Mullin leaving Wrexham fans frustrated with his wasteful finishing, Parkinson will be reeling from a hugely disappointing loss against League Two opposition.