Wrexham head into 2025 on a real high having beaten Wigan Athletic 2-1 on Sunday afternoon, moving up to second place in League One.
2024 will go down as another successful year in the Wrexham story.
Back-to-back promotions were secured in April as Phil Parkinson guided Wrexham from the National League to League One in rapid fashion.
Wrexham have fared well in League One too with Sunday’s 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic ensuring a spot in second place heading into 2025.
Series three of ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ was another great success but it’s on the pitch where fans want progress – and Wrexham have delivered again.
2025 could be another big year for Wrexham and it all starts on New Year’s Day with a trip to face Barnsley at Oakwell.
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Steven Fletcher lives up to Phil Parkinson claim
Wrexham ended 2024 in style, beating Wigan Athletic 2-1 at the STōK Cae Ras.
The hero of the day was Steven Fletcher as he came off the bench to score the winning goal in a 2-1 victory for the second time in the space of a few days.
Parkinson hailed Fletcher after Sunday’s win but it’s his comments made in November which now look rather interesting.
The Wrexham boss suggested that he loves the feel of playing Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer up front together with Fletcher coming off the bench.
Parkinson praised Fletcher as ‘almost unplayable’ when coming off the bench, believing that it’s the perfect role for him.
“I think, if you look at that start of the season, I think we were top scorers after five or six games and we had a nice balance where we had Palmer and Marriott, then Mullin and Fletcher coming off the bench on 60 minutes and I like that, I like the feel of that,” said Parkinson.
“Fletch is outstanding when he comes off the bench – he’s almost unplayable,” he added.
Fletcher has now proven Parkinson right not one, but twice but three times in the last few weeks.
Fletcher came off the bench to score against Cambridge United, Blackpool and Wigan Athletic, truly proving that he is an exceptional super-sub.
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Important role for Fletcher despite January business
Fletcher has been a key man for Wrexham in recent games and we would anticipate his role on the bench continuing.
The 37-year-old is Wrexham’s third-choice striker right now but new competition may be on the way.
Jack Marriott is ramping up his return and Wrexham want to sign another striker in the January transfer window.
Ryan Hardie is the latest striker linked with Wrexham and Fletcher may fear being bumped down the pecking order.
Parkinson clearly values Fletcher highly though, especially off the bench, and we would envisage him playing an important role in the second half of the season even if another signing arrives.