Wrexham’s unbeaten home record is over, and now, potentially, so is their chances of securing a third successive promotion.
Going into the game against Stevenage on Tuesday night, many Wrexham fans and pundits expected a routine victory for Phil Parkinson’s team.
However, plenty of the Wrexham players had a nightmare, and in the end, a 3-2 scoreline flattered the Red Dragons as they fell to a miserable defeat at the Racecourse Ground.
Fans have already slammed Parkinson’s tactics and team selection, but now, they’re truly fearing the worst as a difficult final stretch of the season looms.
Wrexham fans are worried they won’t even make the play-offs
Taking to Twitter/X to discuss the defeat, Fearless In Devotion slammed the Red Dragons for a “shoddy, shaky” performance and claimed the Wrexham squad were “nowhere near their best.”
Among the replies, various Wrexham fans appeared to lose faith in the promotion push Parkinson’s side has put together this season, with some even believing the play-offs may be out of reach now.
One fan wrote: “We ain’t ready to go up. Tonight showed we still have National League and League Two players playing. They’ve done fantastic, but any team that presses us, we have no answers.”
Another added: “It’s been coming with a few teams not taking their chances against us. We’re an outside play-off team who is nowhere near Championship level.”
Taking it to the extreme, one supporter was nervously thinking about a midtable finish, posting: “Next two months are season defining now. I’d be happy with top ten finish even if it’s tenth but we can’t let a dodgy month ruin the season. Think our target is play-offs but staying in League One at the moment feels like best scenario.”
Thankfully, one Wrexham fan was a little more rational, saying: “I really do hope it’s a reality check. We have overachieved a good points tally and really underachieved in performances. We’ve been good in parts, bad in parts, and mostly ugly. If we are in the play-offs come March let’s hope we find some stability and method in our play.”
Parkinson surely has to take some of the blame for the result. One fan agrees, suggesting the Wrexham manager is relying on his team being “solid defensively and hoping player quality wins out.” However, he adds, that “worked in League Two and worked so far in League One”.
However performances haven’t been good enough, and the supporter believes the Red Dragons’ recent form “doesn’t bode well” for the rest of the campaign.
- READ MORE: Five talking points as Wrexham lose unbeaten home run, star man struggled in Stevenage defeat
Is the automatic promotion race over?
Other results in League One didn’t go Wrexham’s way last night. Birmingham beat Huddersfield, which is not a disaster as it gives Wrexham some breathing space in third place, but Wycombe’s comeback win over Barnsley leaves a six point gap between third and second now.
| Pos. | Team | Played | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham | 26 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 26 | 60 |
| 2 | Wycombe | 28 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 25 | 58 |
| 3 | Wrexham | 28 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 52 |
| 4 | Huddersfield | 27 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 48 |
There is obviously still a long way to go this season, with 18 games still to play, and Wrexham could very feasibly leapfrog Wycombe eventually, especially if Richard Kone moves on as suggested.
However, Wrexham must do something in the transfer market if they want to change their current trajectory. Indeed, if things continue as they are, Wrexham will be lucky to finish sixth never mind third.
Whatever happens this season, though, you have to call it a success for Wrexham to step up to League One and be so competitive at the top of the table for so long. It may be disappointing, but nobody expected instant promotion, so to even be close to that is a real achievement.