Phil Parkinson has named one factor that was so vital to Wrexham’s strong home form at the Racecourse Ground last season.
Wrexham achieved a record-breaking promotion to League One in style. Phil Parkinson’s men exited League Two with seven wins from their final eight matches.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds rewarded the players with a trip to Las Vegas for the second year running, with midfielder Andy Cannon describing it as a “special” time.
The Wrexham squad will now have several weeks to unwind before it’s back to business. Parkinson’s men will be preparing for their biggest challenge yet and will hope to replicate their strong home form.
Wrexham ended their 2023/24 campaign with the strongest home record in League Two, accumulating 17 victories from a possible 23 matches and scoring 62 goals.
That total was the best of any team in the EFL and formed the foundations of their promotion challenge.
Phil Parkinson explains why Wrexham were so strong at the Racecourse
According to Football Web Pages, Wrexham’s average home attendance of 11,210 was only beaten by former Premier League side Bradford City who averaged a gate of 17,547.
To put into context how the Hollywood ownership and promotion has impacted their match viewing figures, the Reds averaged 4,057 fans at the Stok Cae Ras in the 2019/20 season, a year before McElhenney and Reynolds arrived.
Wrexham’s support has skyrocketed and their home ground has transformed into a fortress, losing just three times across the last two seasons.
This is a major factor behind why they’re so good on home turf, but Parkinson believes the quality playing surface has played its part.
Speaking to The Leader, the 56-year-old said: “We have got the work done early and that gives us a great chance to get the pitch ready for pre-season. We were delighted with the pitch last season.
“It held up really well especially with having a lot of rain throughout a very wet winter.
“We were so pleased with the quality of the pitch and that helped a lot in terms of our home form.”
A lot of the praise has to be aimed towards groundsman Paul Chaloner, who will ensure the pitch is in pristine condition once the new season kicks off in August.
Wrexham’s away form must improve in League One
Wrexham’s excellent home form offers them a platform to start their League One journey in style, although the main concerns arise when looking at their away form.
Despite ranking fourth in the table for points accrued on their travels (34), the Reds only scored 27 goals with the likes of relegation battlers Accrington Stanley, Swindon and Walsall scoring more than them.
With goal machine Paul Mullin leading their line, it’s a surprise that Parkinson’s men struggled on their travels and it’s an issue that must be resolved in League One.
Not only will Wrexham be coming up against an increase in quality opposition but they’ll also have fewer chances to score on the counter, meaning they’ll need to be efficient in and around the box.