Wrexham’s wait for the Championship season to begin is finally over.
Phil Parkinson’s side take on Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium in what will be the Red Dragons’ first fixture in the second tier since May 1982.
Wrexham are set to hand debuts to a number of new signings with the likes of Lewis O’Brien and Josh Windass expected to start.
Parkinson has a number of injury concerns but with over 30 players on the books currently, he will have some tough decisions to make over his squad. Especially with the chance of making history on the line.
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Wrexham haven’t beaten Southampton for 51 years
Given that Southampton’s last two home league matches were against Manchester City and Arsenal, Wrexham go into the game as underdogs.
The last time the Red Dragons got the better of their opponents was back in 1974 when they won 1-0 during an FA Cup 5th round clash at the Dell.
Dave Smallman scored the only goal of the game and the Red Dragons went on to reach the quarter final before losing out to Burnley in a narrow defeat.
Wrexham have faced Southampton seven times in their history as per 11 v 11 and the Saints have the slight edge winning four.
There has never been a draw between the two clubs and you get the feeling that Parkinson and the players would probably snatch at the offer of a point to begin their campaign – as would most supporters!
How Wrexham can cause Southampton problems
Windass is confident Wrexham can upset Southampton and the new signing will be an integral part of Parkinson’s plans to do so.
He will likely play just off of a striker and will have to do his bit defensively as Wrexham will surrender most of the possession to the hosts.
If Parkinson’s side can deny Southampton space between the lines and stay compact, they have the defensive organisation to really frustrate their opponents.
Then, when Wrexham do have opportunities to go forward, the pace and movement of Ryan Hardie on the counter attack will be key to causing problems.
Wrexham will have to ensure that they produce their own quality on the ball when given the chance and if they can do that alongside staying compact at the back, they have every chance of making a positive start.