Phil Parkinson made an interesting claim about Wrexham going into the latest round of League One fixtures.
Wrexham face Bristol Rovers in a League One meeting on Saturday afternoon, looking to continue their unbeaten run.
The Welsh powerhouse were held to a 2-2 draw by a struggling Cambridge United side last time out but have not lost since a 1-0 defeat to Stockport County midway through November.
Another victory is expected this weekend, with Bristol Rovers only four points above the relegation zone prior to kick-off.
Should Wrexham indeed secure a victory, they will climb up to second in League One – at least for a couple of days as Birmingham City don’t play until Monday.
However, even with his side firmly in the promotion picture right now, Phil Parkinson has been playing down their chances of securing automatic promotion in 2024/25.
James McClean doesn’t agree with Phil Parkinson’s Wrexham promotion claim
Wrexham have 41 points from 20 games ahead of their clash with Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
There are just two points separating them and league leaders Wycombe Wanderers, while fourth-place Huddersfield Town are five points off the Red Dragons.
However, speaking pre-Rovers, Parkinson played down Wrexham’s promotion chances this campaign.
He said: “We’re in a very good position. Someone said to me that it looks like three teams. I wish it was a three-horse race but I really don’t see it like that.
“The strength in depth in this division, there’s a lot of teams who will still have an eye on those top two positions.
“So, we’ve got to work really hard in terms of our analysis of the last game and the one coming up, the training and everything, and just keep doing what we’ve got to do, and then we’ll see whether that’s enough come the end of the season.”
While Parkinson doesn’t believe his team are guaranteed a place in the top two this term, James McClean disagrees.
When asked, as per Leader Live, if his team can be closed as contenders for an automatic finish the left-back said: “One hundred percent.
“Looking at the dressing room we have and the quality and the character, that’s obviously led by the manager as well.
“We’ll give our very best to make sure of come the end of the season we’re there or thereabouts.
“There’s a lot of good teams in this division and there are going to be a lot of ups and downs between now and the end of the season.
“People are going to drop points, we have just got to make sure that we drop the least points.
“It’s an exciting challenge and it’s one we definitely look forward to.”
Wrehxma promotion chances assessed by supercomputer
Opta have produced a predicted League One table that updates following every round of fixtures.
After their draw with Cambridge, Wrexham are predicted to finish fourth in 2024/25, with Birmingham, Wycombe, and Huddersfield ahead of them.
Parkinson’s side have a 1.24 percent chance of winning the title and a 7.78 percent chance of finishing in the top two.
Wrexham’s most likely avenue of promotion is the play-offs, with Opta giving them a 77.04 chance of finishing in the top six and then winning the play-offs.