Wrexham continue to move forward under Phil Parkinson as he chases a remarkable third promotion in a row.
Another season is coming towards its end with Wrexham chasing yet another promotion.
Wycombe Wanderers beat Rotherham United on Tuesday night to go back ahead of Wrexham on goal difference in the race for second place.
Wrexham fans have become used to these end-of-season charges towards promotion and this could be another one.
Phil Parkinson has come in for criticism recently but his ability to have Wrexham consistently competing and adjusting to higher levels cannot be overlooked.
Parkinson will go down as one of the finest Wrexham managers of the modern era but one manager springs to mind at the other end of the spectrum.
Wrexham shunned Sam Ricketts amid Shrewsbury Town move
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought Wrexham in 2021 and fairly quickly moved to replace Dean Keates with Parkinson.
Bryan Hughes came before Keates with the former Wrexham midfielder stepping in after Graham Barrow’s stint as interim manager.
Barrow had been brought in as assistant manager to Sam Ricketts in the summer of 2018 as Wrexham looked for experience to aid the rookie boss.
Few could have predicted how Ricketts would fare; the results on the pitch were actually strong with 13 wins from 23 games, losing just three times.
Come December 2018 though – just months after Ricketts was appointed – the former Wales defender was shunned.
Ricketts was being heavily courted by Wrexham’s rivals Shrewsbury Town and speculation was swirling over his future.
Wrexham remarkably released a statement ahead of facing Newport County in the FA Cup, confirming that Ricketts had essentially been told to stay away.
“In view of the speculation surrounding the future of our first team manager Sam Ricketts, Wrexham AFC felt it is not appropriate for him to attend this evening’s game.
“We will seek to clarify Sam’s future as Wrexham AFC manager as soon as is possible,” the statement read.
Just two days after that Newport clash, Ricketts was confirmed as the new Shrewsbury boss with Wrexham fans bewildered.
Another Wrexham statement, as noted on BBC Sport, Ricketts made it clear that he wanted to speak to Shrewsbury and ultimately leave Wrexham in controversial fashion.
“Following an approach from Shrewsbury, we did everything possible to retain Sam’s services. However, once this interest became known, Sam expressed his desire to speak to them regarding their vacancy. Shrewsbury triggered elements in Sam’s contract enabling them to approach him and, at that point, we were obliged to allow him to speak to them,” the statement read.
Sam Ricketts decision didn’t work out
Ricketts traded in that great start at Wrexham to make the move to Shrewsbury, ultimately missing out on the McElhenney and Reynolds era by just over two years.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender just couldn’t bring that strong Wrexham form to Shrewsbury, winning only 28 of his 96 games in charge.
34 draws and 34 defeats along the way ultimately saw Ricketts lose his job in November 2020, less than two years after making the move to Shropshire.
More than four years on since leaving Shrewsbury, Ricketts has yet to return to management and it’s unclear whether he is still pursuing coaching opportunities at this time.
There will be many Wrexham fans who just won’t forgive Ricketts for his departure and will always look back at his reign with a sour taste in the mouth.