Phil Parkinson made a bold decision to drop Conor Coady for Wrexham’s last outing against Norwich City, replacing him with Dom Hyam.
Wrexham’s defensive three looked to take on its strongest form for the last outing against Norwich City, with Dom Hyam in the middle alongside Callum Doyle on the left and Max Cleworth on the right.
For Phil Parkinson, though, it meant dropping Conor Coady. Coady has been impressive for Wrexham since signing from Leicester City in the summer, and the former England man provides great coverage if one of Doyle, Hyam or Cleworth picks up an injury.
Wrexham beat Norwich City 3-2 last time out to pick up a massive win, and whilst Hyam came in for his debut, he couldn’t help the Dragons keep a second clean sheet of the season.
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EFL expert says Wrexham are better with Dom Hyam in the starting XI
Wrexham signed Hyam from Blackburn Rovers on deadline day, paying around £2.7million for the Scottish international. Blackburn fans were devastated to lose Hyam and that should tell Wrexham fans all they need to know about the experienced 27-year-old, who looked commanding in the game against Norwich despite Wrexham conceding twice.
Speaking on Not The Top 20, EFL expert Ali Maxwell gave his verdict on Hyam coming in for Coady, saying that he thinks it was a good decision from Parkinson. Maxwell said: “I can’t help but notice that Dom Hyam came in for Conor Coady.
“Hyam’s an excellent defender at this level, proven he loves defending his penalty box and and probably is an upgrade on that front from Coady, and the team looked a lot better.”
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Wrexham went above and beyond to sign Dom Hyam
Another central defender seemed vital for Wrexham on deadline day. Parkinson has everything else in the side but lacked a bit of depth at the back, especially considering Coady’s injury record.
But Hyam arriving at the Racecourse should prove to be a great bit of business, and Parkinson explained how Wrexham signed Hyam on deadline day and how the club had to go the extra mile to make the move happen.
Parkinson explained: “There were complications a little bit with Dominic because he was with the Scotland squad in Glasgow, so we had to be very creative in how we got that medical but Kev Mulholland did brilliant.
“He got all his scans and everything done in a hospital in Scotland. We had the option of getting him back down here but we just felt that it was more time efficient to get his medical done up there, and we’re pleased with the outcome of that.”
Expect Hyam to repay that faith shown in him over the course of the season and expect him to play a key role in however the Dragons fare in this 2025/26 campaign. Up next for Wrexham is a game against Reading in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.