July 1, 2023, marks the two-year anniversary of Phil Parkinson becoming the manager of Wrexham AFC, with his second season delivering the long-awaited promotion back to the EFL that fans have been craving since relegation to the fifth tier in 2008.
It’s been a rollercoaster couple of years for Phil Parkinson and his players but with life in League Two on the horizon, there isn’t a better time to take a look back at the manager’s record since joining Wrexham as well as the highs and lows of his time at the club.
Wrexham commemorate Phil Parkinson’s two-year anniversary
On July 1, Wrexham paid tribute to manager Phil Parkinson and his assistant Steve Parkin with a social media post to mark the two-year anniversary of their joining the club.
The post featured the caption: “One league title, 71 wins and 256 goals later, it’s safe to say we’ve never looked back since.”
Plenty of Wrexham fans have joined the plaudits, too, with many commenting messages of thanks or to wish Parkinson and his squad good luck for the coming season.
Phil Parkinson’s record as Wrexham boss
In guiding Wrexham to promotion from the National League, Phil Parkinson comfortably holds the record as the Red Dragons’ most successful manager since the club’s relegation in 2008.
Parkinson has taken charge of 109 Wrexham matches to date and has won an incredible 71 times, drawn 23 and lost just 15.
This gives the current Wrexham boss a win percentage of 65.14% – far above any of his predecessors since 2008, with only Sam Ricketts (56.5%) and Andy Morrell (52.14%) managing to win more than half of their matches in charge.
Parkinson’s incredible record even beats legendary Wrexham manager John Neal’s win percentage of 41.98% – although Neal was manager for nine years in higher divisions and even led Wrexham to several European campaigns in the Cup Winners’ Cup.
Perhaps if Parkinson can maintain his record as Wrexham attempt to push up the divisions, he could earn similarly revered status.
Highs and lows
Despite being the manager to finally win promotion for Wrexham, Phil Parkinson’s time in charge didn’t start as planned, as the team fell to mid-table by October 2021 after a less-than-ideal start.
Early defeats against Grimsby and Stockport were bitter blows to take, especially as Wrexham took the lead in both games.
Following a 3-2 loss against Maidenhead, Wrexham’s fortunes slowly began to turn and with big wins over Aldershot (5-0) and King’s Lynn (6-2), the team finally started to climb the table.
Wrexham were involved in some truly Hollywood-inspired matches by the end of the 2021/22 season, beating Dover 6-5 in March and ultimately losing the playoff semi-final against Grimsby 5-4.
The 2022/23 season wasn’t any easier on the nerves thanks to an almighty rivalry with Notts County and some more bonkers results, notably a 7-5 victory over Barnet.
Wrexham dished out plenty of four and five-goal hammerings throughout the season and only lost three league matches, with defeats coming against Notts County, Chesterfield and a shock loss against mid-table Halifax towards the end of the season.
Parkinson’s side even enjoyed a fairytale FA Cup run, reaching the fourth round before losing to Premier League-bound Sheffield United.
Back in the league, Wrexham took a huge step towards promotion with a crucial 3-2 win over Notts County before they officially clinched the title against Boreham Wood.
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