Wrexham currently sit one behind third-place Crewe Alexandra in League Two.
A defeat against play-off chasers Gillingham and a draw against lowly Forest Green Rovers in midweek has seen Wrexham lose a bit of ground in the promotion race.
This afternoon, however, the Reds host Accrington Stanley at the STōK Cae Ras and have a fantastic opportunity to get back to winning ways.
After all, no other team in England’s top four divisions have scored more goals at home than Phil Parkinson’s side this term and he will be calling on his squad to rediscover their firepower.
In their last nine matches, Wrexham have only secured two wins while promotion rivals Mansfield and Crewe have built up a head of steam.
Despite their recent slump in form, EFL pundit Carlton Palmer has still backed Parkinson to lead Wrexham to promotion at the first time of asking.
Carlton Palmer makes Wrexham promotion prediction
Speaking to Football League World, Palmer said: “He has been given the tools to do the job, and I fully expect Wrexham to be automatically promoted.
“Yes, you can have disappointing spells during the season where you drop a few points, but Crewe Alexandra, they are going great, three wins and two draws in their last six games. Stockport have had a little bit of a stutter as well, two defeats and two draws in their last six games.
“But I fully expect Wrexham to be in the automatic promotion places at the end of the season but if they are not, I am sure there will be some questions asked about Parkinson, and he could well be looking for a new job.”
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have armed Parkinson with the tools to get the Welsh side promoted having signed Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott in January.
Their investment into players who some may deem too good for this level has piled extra pressure on them to win promotion.
For that reason, Palmer believes questions have to be asked of the manager if he doesn’t lead them to glory, but he fully expects them to finish in the top three.
Questions will be asked of Parkinson if promotion isn’t achieved
Football management is a pressured environment as it is, but when given the budget to sign high-profile players, the expectation will be promotion, despite only coming up from the National League last season.
In terms of all the clubs in League Two, Wrexham have one of the highest budgets and that has been reflected in the quality they’ve been able to attract. The likes of George Evans and James McClean, in particular, can perhaps play at a higher level than the fourth tier.
Of course, the Reds boss hasn’t been helped by the injuries to Evans, Eoghan O’Connell and Thomas O’Connor, however, there is still more than enough in that squad to perform better than they are.
That ultimately boils down to the manager’s tactics and reluctance to change them. Parkinson has refused to alter his 5-3-2 system throughout this season and in recent weeks, it’s a formation that has been exploited by the opposition.
Many have called for him to change it and he may be forced into doing that if performances don’t improve.
Wrexham will hope to get back to winning ways by beating Accrington Stanley this afternoon.