Wrexham need to find a response in League One having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Harrogate Town on Sunday afternoon.
Wrexham were drawn against Harrogate Town in the FA Cup first round and made the trip to Yorkshire in hope of a victory.
The 2-2 draw at Charlton Athletic left Wrexham heartbroken as a late penalty robbed Phil Parkinson of a big away win.
Parkinson will have been hoping to use the FA Cup to get back on track but saw his Wrexham side fall flat in a poor display.
Jack Muldoon’s opener was enough for Harrogate Town to claim a 1-0 victory and eliminate Wrexham in the first round.
This was a really poor performance and Wrexham’s direct approach has been questioned by pundit Kevin Ratcliffe.
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Wrexham praised by Harrogate Town boss
Wrexham had so much of the ball and hit more than 20 shots during the game, but only landed five on target.
Paul Mullin’s poor day in front of goal frustrated Wrexham fans and this will ultimately go down as a day to forget for all connected to the club.
Parkinson has branded this a ‘wake up call’ for Wrexham and will be desperate for a reaction against Mansfield Town this weekend.
Harrogate boss Simon Weaver has already praised Wrexham’s rise under Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, branding the club’s project ‘exciting’.
Weaver has also praised Wrexham as a ‘very talented group of players’ whilst speaking to ITV Sport.
Weaver called Wrexham ‘the land of the giants’, highlighting the aerial prowess in Parkinson’s team – but it didn’t stop Harrogate scoring from a set piece.
The Harrogate boss loved how his side defended the penalty area against Wrexham, believing that they ultimately deserved the win.
“We knew that they’re a very talented group of players, as you’d expect – they’re second in League One,” said Weaver.
“You have to weather storms within that period of 90 minutes but we did that and the defending of the penalty box was outstanding, all across the back line.
“It was good to get the set piece against the land of the giants team! That was very rewarding,” he added.
Wrexham attacking concerns lingering
Harrogate put their bodies on the line and are understandably proud of that display.
From a Wrexham perspective though, this performance simply wasn’t anywhere near good enough.
Wrexham had chances to score but didn’t take them and Mullin certainly doesn’t quite look back to his best just yet.
That is understandable given Mullin’s lack of pre-season action but Wrexham’s leading marksman needs to find his feet soon with Jack Marriott and Steven Fletcher both out injured.
Ollie Palmer has been leading the line brilliantly but isn’t a prolific goalscorer and Modou Faal is still a raw talent.
New signing Jon Dadi Bodvarsson could make an impact but he hasn’t started a competitive game since the end of last season.
Wrexham’s attack has been dented by injuries but Sunday’s performance was a real concern and Parkinson will be desperate to see an improvement against Mansfield.