James McClean thinks Wrexham need a lot of credit for one area of their game so far this season.
After taking over the club in 2021, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds probably did not expect Wrexham to have reached such a high level in the space of just three years.
The Red Dragons spent 15 years floundering in the National League but after the appointment of Phil Parkinson as manager in 2022, they have now jumped up two divisions and are plying their trade in League One for the first time in their history.
The Welsh outfit have had a very solid start to the 2024/25 campaign but McElhenney and Reynolds have been told why Wrexham will not win League One this season.
And though fans at the Racecourse Ground would love to see their Hollywood owners lift the title come May, beating Birmingham City to first place is likely to prove too tough a task for Parkinson and his players.
James McClean explains why Wrexham deserve a lot of credit
Wrexham drew 0-0 with Leyton Orient in their last fixture, seeing them slip down to second in the table and two points behind Birmingham, who have a game in hand.
And while the title may be just out of their reach, Wrexham do have a real shot at securing the second automatic promotion place this season.
A key reason behind the club’s early-season success in League One has been their superb defensive record.
Parkinson and co. have shipped just six goals in eight games this term – the joint-second-best defensive record in the division behind Stevenage.
Now, as per Leader Live, James McClean has rightly claimed that Wrexham ‘deserves a lot of credit’ for their defensive work so far in 2024/25.
He said: “We have got a good structure about us.
“We have got a lot of honest lads that like defending and we work off a well-organised structure put together by the manager.
“If you can’t win the game, certainly don’t lose the game and our defensive work deserves a lot of credit this season.”
Wrexham record now set to be tested after big blow
Wrexham have managed five clean sheets in eight league games so far this term but their solid defensive record is now set to be tested.
Arthur Okonkwo was impressive vs Leyton Orient over the weekend, making some key saves to keep the score level at 0-0.
However, while another shutout was achieved, Wrexham lost Max Cleworth to injury during the game.
The centre-back has been in top form for the club so far this campaign but now faces a spell on the sidelines.
With Cleworth out, one of Wrexham’s summer signings Dan Scarr or Lewis Brunt now need to step up to try and continue their excellent record when it comes to conceding goals.
Both players have very limited minutes under their belt this season though and may find it hard to get up to speed now the 2024/25 season is in full swing.
Wrexham face Stevenage on Tuesday evening and it will be interesting to see if they can continue their excellent defensive form without Cleworth.