Wrexham remain in the League One promotion hunt but Tuesday’s defeat to Stevenage has left fans more than a little concerned.
2025 has not exactly been ideal for Wrexham so far.
The year started with a defeat at Barnsley before Wrexham pulled out a late win over Peterborough United.
Wrexham then had a break of nearly two weeks before falling to a torrid defeat at Shrewsbury Town.
The 1-1 draw against Birmingham City was at least an improvement in terms of performance but Tuesday night was one to forget.
Stevenage came to the STōK Cae Ras and did a real number on Wrexham, securing a 3-2 win having gone 2-0 up inside 20 minutes.
Phil Parkinson criticises Wrexham performance
Arthur Okonkwo could and should have done better with Stevenage’s first two goals and that set the tone for a sloppy and uninspired performance.
Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers both won on Tuesday night too, leaving Wrexham adrift of the automatic promotion places.
There is a long way to go yet, but this patchy start to 2025 is something that Parkinson must rectify soon.
Speaking on Wrexham Match Day Live, Parkinson highlighted that his players were not doing two things which can be promotion-winning qualities.
Parkinson suggested that he is always telling his players to block shots and stop crosses coming into the box.
Parkinson claims that he and assistant boss Steve Parkin know that those basic things can ultimately win promotions.
Wrexham simply didn’t show those qualities against Stevenage in Parkinson’s eyes, leaving him incredibly frustrated.
“We always speak in the dressing room about blocking shots and stopping crosses in and around our box because those things, me and Steve know, get you promotions ultimately, and we didn’t do that anywhere near enough tonight,” said Parkinson.
“I’ve got to look closely at myself as well, which obviously I will do, because clearly I’ve prided myself since I’ve been here on getting a performance out of these lads week in and week out, and we’ve done that, but for whatever reason, tonight, we looked a long way off it,” he added.
- READ MORE: Wrexham fans send clear message to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney following Stevenage loss
Parkinson’s promotion record buys him credit
We can understand some frustration from Wrexham fans towards Parkinson.
The style of football isn’t always easy on the eye and fans can buy into that when it brings victories.
Nights like Tuesday are so disappointing though with Wrexham simply not offering enough in or out of possession.
The rapid rise of Wrexham does not make Parkinson infallible and it isn’t ungrateful to ask questions of the boss.
Parkinson has guided Wrexham to back-to-back promotions though and his record buys him some credit in this race.
Parkinson can boast five promotions on his CV and if he believes that Wrexham were missing an ingredient which can secure a promotion, it’s probably worth listening to him.
Wrexham players must heed this message from Parkinson, starting with this weekend’s trip to Crawley.