The League One title race looks like it’ll go down to the wire this season, but Wrexham are at a major disadvantage compared to their rivals, Birmingham City.
After back-to-back promotions in the last two seasons, no one really expected Wrexham to be challenging at the top of the table in League One this term.
However, Phil Parkinson’s men are right up there once more, sitting just two points off the top of the table after 25 games.
While Parkinson has made it clear what he expects from the Wrexham squad, there is one issue that could end up being costly come the end of the season.
Wrexham’s away form pinpointed as major downfall this season
Discussing the League One title race on Sky Sports’ EFL podcast, David Stowell highlighted the gulf between the impressive form Wrexham have shown at the Racecourse Ground and their less-than-favourable results on the road, marking this as something that could be decisive in the long-run.
Stowell said: “The funny thing is, Wrexham are brilliant at home, the best in the division with 38 points from 14 games. But in the away table, they’re midtable, they’ve only got 13 points from 11 games.
“There is an element of the psychology coming in there. They feel unbeatable at home, can do anything against anyone. Maybe on the coach to away games, the doubt seeps in? Which doesn’t happen for Birmingham.”
Birmingham have, remarkably, won eight of their 12 away games this season, taking a total of 26 points from a possible 36 on the road.
Can Wrexham’s home form be enough to get them promotion?
Of course, there is a chance that Wrexham can just about scrape by on their impeccable home form alone, and still get promotion this season.
Whether they can continue to struggle away from home and still get a spot in the top two is another matter, but the play-offs could be a very viable route for the Red Dragons to reach the Championship.
| Games played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | Points per game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 2.71 |
| Away | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 1.18 |
Wrexham have an incredible ‘togetherness’ which has gotten them this far over the years, but the squad will now need to improve quickly when it comes to their away form, and overcome the mental obstacles in their way.
The fact that Wrexham have picked up just 1.18 points per game on their travels, compared to 2.71 points per game at home, is a real issue, but it’s certainly something you’d imagine Phil Parkinson will find a way to fix.