Wrexham manager, Phil Parkinson has opened up about Luke McNicholas and how he believes he can be at least number two this season.
In the summer, Wrexham signed Luke McNicholas from Sligo Rovers on loan and he made his debut second start last week.
The Irishman signed on loan until January and the Reds have an option to sign him on a permanent basis after expiry.
Brought in for his second EFL Trophy appearance of the season, by Phil Parkinson, he kept a clean sheet in his first Racecourse appearance.
With Arthur Okonkwo in the form he is, it will be hard for McNicholas to get that starting birth.
What has Phil Parkinson said about Luke McNicholas?
Speaking to Leader Live, Parkinson was full of praise for the loanee following his performance against Port Vale.
With Mark Howard also at the club, some fans were surprised to see the 23-year old in the starting XI.
The Reds boss commented on that saying: “I was contemplating Mark or Luke against Port Vale but I just wanted to give Luke a chance in front of 7-8,000 people at home to give him a taste of it.”
Keeping a clean sheet and making two saves on the night, McNicholas had a quiet, yet successful evening.
His manager was keen to praise him: “Luke is a good goalkeeper. He has been a little bit unfortunate but he is confident, you can see that.”
Following his signing, he can feel hard done to that he maybe hasn’t featured in more minutes this season.
With that being said, Okonkwo’s form has made him an immovable object for Parkinson.
Rounding out, the Reds boss was keen to outline some positive points: “He is very good distributing with his feet and he is athletic; that save he made in the first half was outstanding.
“Not only that, he caught a couple of crosses at the end and he was nice and calm in everything he did so I was really pleased with Luke.”
McNicholas may feel that he deserves more minutes and with Wrexham still in two cup competitions, he could get that.