Wrexham are becoming the team to fear in the League Two promotion race after recording comfortable victories over Accrington Stanley and Morecambe.
Eyebrows were raised over Wrexham’s away form before travelling to Morecambe on Saturday afternoon after winning just two of their last nine matches.
It’s an issue that needed resolving and when Gerard Garner opened the scoring inside four minutes, Phil Parkinson’s worst fears would have materialised.
Luckily, the Reds equalised through James McClean and then a half-time team talk inspired a second-half turnaround as Paul Mullin scored a penalty before Steven Fletcher netted from the bench.
The victory at the Mazuma Stadium kept Wrexham in third position on 66 points, three behind leaders Mansfield Town and two clear of fourth place MK Dons who have played a game more.
After winning just two of their seven matches in February, Parkinson’s men have hit a rich vein of form in March and they’ll be looking to continue that at home to Harrogate Town this evening.
It’s entering the period where pundits stick their necks out and predict who will win promotion.
Journalist Adrian Clarke is the latest to weigh in on that debate, and he’s now predicted the Reds to reach League One for one ‘big’ reason.
Adrian Clarke believes Wrexham will win promotion for one ‘big’ reason
Speaking on the What the EFL?! podcast after the weekend matches, Clarke claims that Wrexham boasting players who have played at a significantly higher level is one of the reasons he believes they’ll win promotion.
He also thinks coming through, what he describes as a “pressure cooker” promotion last season has placed them in good stead to achieve a second in as many years.
“I think they will do it Wrexham, I think they’ve got the big game players, as you’ve said, to get them over the line at the business end of the season,” Clarke told the What the EFL?! podcast. “When I talked about Huddersfield earlier about having players who hadn’t played at that level before. Well, Wrexham have got players who have played at a significantly higher level in massive matches before.
“So I think their temperament in these pressure cooker matches will be good and I also think the fact that they came through that pressure cooker promotion, the guys that were apart of that, will hold them in good stead as well when these massive six-pointers come around in the next couple of months. So I do think they’ll get the job done.”
Experience will be key
Clarke is right. Wrexham’s entire squad is laced with players who have experienced playing at a far higher level than the fourth tier.
In their prime years, James McClean and Steven Fletcher were Premier League players while the likes of Mullin and Will Boyle have achieved promotion out of League Two previously.
The majority of Parkinson’s squad have also shown they can handle pressured situations, so there is every reason to believe those experiences will be enough to get them over the line.
Wrexham arguably have the best squad in the division as well. It certainly speaks volumes about their depth when Jack Marriott, a proven Championship striker, is currently warming the bench.
The Reds host Harrogate Town tonight as they aim to continue their surge towards the League Two title.