News

‘Busy’ Wrexham player lacked ‘magic’ vs Harrogate Town, Phil Parkinson needs something different

Add as preferred source on Google

Wrexham kicked off their 2024/25 FA Cup campaign with a clash against League Two side Harrogate Town on Sunday.

The Red Dragons have struggled against the Yorkshire outfit in their previous three meetings.

Wrexham were knocked out of this competition by Harrogate Town when the two sides met for the first time ever back in 2021.

The duo then battled it out in League Two during the 2023/24 campaign, with the points shared on both occasions.

Somewhat surprisingly, Phil Parkinson did not make too many changes to his starting line-up despite it being a cup clash.

Sebastian Revan was given a rare start ahead of James McClean at left-wing-back on Sunday.

Elliot Lee was also dropped, with Ollie Rathbone partnering George Dobson and Andy Cannon in the midfield three.

Aside from that, however, the Wrexham manager picked a very strong side that should have been confident about dispatching Harrogate with ease.

Wrexham v Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 - Bristol Street Motors Trophy
Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images

Wrexham need something different to Ollie Rathbone after Harrogate Town

Despite picking a team that could, on paper, compete at the top end of League One, Wrexham really struggled on Sunday.

Paul Mullin missed a lot of chances vs Harrogate and drew the ire of fans on social media for his wasted opportunities.

Elsewhere, after being given a rare start by the Wrexham boss, Rathbone failed to perform in the 1-0 defeat.

Wrexham paid £500,000 for Rathbone over the summer, which was a club-record fee at the time.

But the midfielder was taken off after 59 minutes on Sunday and while covering the game for BBC Sport, former player Kevin Ratcliffe gave his verdict on Rathbone, telling Wrexham they need something different.

He said: “Ollie Rathbone does a lot of work, he’s a busy player. But Wrexham need something a little bit different and a little bit of magic.”

Wrexham v Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 - Bristol Street Motors Trophy
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

Phil Parkinson yet to get best out of Ollie Rathbone at Wrexham

Rathbone’s signing seemed like a real coup earlier this year after his superb 2023/24 with Rotherham.

But Parkinson is struggling to find the right position for the Englishman in his side this term.

Rathbone excelled in a box-to-box role for Rotherham but has not been afforded too many chances in that position for Wrexham due to the form of George Dobson and Andy Cannon.

This has seen Parkinson deploy Rathbone in a more advanced midfield role several times in 2024/25 but as shown against Harrogate, he is far from his best in that position.