Wrexham got their 2025/26 Championship campaign underway on Saturday against Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Despite taking the lead via new signing Josh Windass early in the first half, the former Premier League outfit roared back late in the game. Will Still used Southampton’s superior strength in depth to turn the game on its head, bringing Ryan Manning off the bench to draw the game level in the 90th minute, before fellow substitute Damion Downs set up Jack Stephens’ 96th minute winner.
Speaking after the defeat to the press, Phil Parkinson was keen to highlight the disparity between Wrexham and Southampton’s squad depth, saying: “I thought it was a really good performance from us against a team that’s come down out of the Premier League and is pulling players off the bench who are worth £10m to £20m.”
Parkinson’s squad depth woes were exacerbated during the game itself too as new signing Kieffer Moore was forced off with an ankle ligament injury. The club are yet to find out the extent of the injury, with Moore set to undergo scans in the coming days.
Wrexham dealing with the longest injury list in the Championship
Moore’s injury has left Wrexham in a rather precarious position heading into their games against Hull City and West Brom in the EFL Cup and Championship respectively.
The striker has taken Wrexham’s tally of players on the injured list to five – joint highest in the Championship along with Derby County.
| Team | No. of injured players |
| Wrexham | 5 |
| Derby County | 5 |
| Coventry City | 4 |
| Swansea City | 3 |
Along with Moore, Parkinson is currently also unable to call upon fellow new signing George Thomason due to a thigh injury. The former Bolton captain has yet to make his Wrexham bow after suffering the ailment in training.
Stars of the 2024/25 League One promotion campaign Jay Rodriguez and Ollie Rathbone are out of action too. Rathbone is actually on the sidelines with a similar ankle ligament injury to Moore, having suffered it during Wrexham’s pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia.
Andy Cannon is a long-term absentee, having not played since a 2-1 win over Mansfield Town back in February due to an ACL injury.
Phil Parkinson’s transfer plans as club look to strengthen squad
Ahead of the EFL Cup clash with Hull City, Parkinson admitted that Wrexham’s transfer plans may change depending on the severity of Moore’s injury.
The club have already been incredibly active in the 2025 summer window, signing eight players and breaking their record transfer fee on two occasions to acquire Liberato Cacace and Lewis O’Brien – both of whom started against Southampton at the weekend.
Wrexham are widely expected to break that record once again before the transfer window shuts on 1st September, with reports suggesting that the club are ready to fork out £7.5m to secure the services of Nathan Broadhead from Ipswich Town.