Wrexham return to EFL Trophy action on Tuesday evening, taking on Port Vale.
With the Red Dragons already out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup thanks to defeats at the hands of Sheffield United and Harrogate Town, the EFL Trophy is now their only chance of claiming silverware in 2024/25.
Wrexham advanced out of the group stage with relative ease, seeing off Salford City and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ U21 team.
However, they did draw with Port Vale in their final group game after 90 minutes before losing that match 4-2 on penalties.
It didn’t matter, however, with Phil Parkinson’s side already doing enough to make it into the knockout rounds.
Wrexham beat Crewe Alexandra 1-0 in the second round of the competition on December 10th, with a third-round meeting against Port Vale now awaiting on January 7th.
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Phil Parkinson provides positive Jack Marriott injury update
Ahead of the meeting with Port Vale, Parkinson spoke to the media and provided an update on Jack Marriott.
Marriott suffered a broken leg in training back in early October and has been on the shelf ever since.
The striker had scored five goals in 10 League One matches prior to his injury and has been majorly missed since.
Speaking last month, Parkinson gave an update on Marriott, suggesting he was ahead of schedule after initially being given a four-month lay-off period.
The Englishman was expected to return in mid-February but ahead of their EFL Trophy meeting this week, as per BBC Sport, the Wrexham manager stated that the 30-year-old is ‘not far away’ from returning.
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Phil Parkinson hints at changes for Port Vale vs Wrexham
While Marriott isn’t expected to feature on Tuesday, we could see several fringe players given a run-out against Port Vale.
Thomas O’Connor and Geroge Dobson were the only Wrexham players who have featured regularly this term to start the win over Crewe last month.
And when discussing Marriott, Parkinson also hinted he could once again make changes to his team in the EFL Trophy this week.
He said: “There’s no way lads who’ve played a lot of football can be risked in that game.
“It would be complete madness to do that. A few of them deserve a well-earned rest now.
“We know it’s our job, getting on with things, but there’s a few we’ve been sending out there strapped up. I’ve got to make sure we give those lads a bit of time off now.”