Wrexham need to secure all three points against Stevenage on Tuesday night to keep up their title charge, but Phil Parkinson has been told to give a starting spot to a player who struggled in the last game.
The big celebrity derby between Wrexham and Birmingham City ended in a 1-1 draw last Thursday night, and arguably, the Red Dragons could and should have taken all three points.
Next up for Phil Parkinson’s men is a home tie against Stevenage, who currently sit down in 15th place in the League One table.
We’ve taken our guess at predicting Wrexham’s lineup for the Stevenage clash, but one player simply has to start, according to a Red Dragons expert.
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Dan Scarr was ‘rusty’ on his return, but he will get back to his best
Looking back at the Birmingham game, the folks on the Fearless In Devotion podcast gave their assessment of Dan Scarr, who made his first appearance for Wrexham since November.
“I thought he was a little bit rusty,” Andrew Gilpin said. “The set-plays, they were dangerous, hitting the back post, but Scarr was being blocked and that’s why we were so fragile at set plays.”
But, Gilpin believes Scarr can improve with more game time, and pushed Parkinson to keep the defender in the team for the Wrexham vs Stevenage game.
He added: “I think Scarr is a big lad, it will take time to get back to his sharpness. But he’s come back against Birmingham, that’s tough; he had some top quality attackers to deal with.
“Also, at the middle of a back three you have to do a lot of organising, and that’s hard if you’ve been out like he has. But I would keep him in at least for Stevenage. I think there’s an aerial threat there.”
Phil Parkinson has plenty of defensive options at his disposal
While Wrexham are clearly looking to sign a new striker, Parkinson can at least rest assured that he has an abundance of defenders to choose from each week.
Lewis Brunt is back from injury, Scarr and Thomas O’Connor have become viable options, and Max Cleworth continues to impress. Then, there’s still Eoghan O’Connell, who has struggled for form of late, but still offers a solid, experienced head at the back.
Despite a shaky return last week, Scarr should be able to keep his place in the Wrexham team for tonight’s game. That is, unless Parkinson changes his formation to accommodate for Ryan Longman, with a 4-3-3 certainly an option the Wrexham manager may consider.