Two former Wrexham strikers locked horns on Tuesday night as Ollie Palmer’s Swindon Town defeated Jack Marriott’s Reading.
Wrexham beat Millwall 2-0 on Saturday afternoon to head into the international break on a real high.
Phil Parkinson had been patiently waiting for his first league win of the season, and secured it at the fourth attempt.
Kieffer Moore and Lewis O’Brien fired Wrexham to victory, meaning Parkinson no longer has a winless start hanging over him in this international break.
Wrexham players may not be preparing for Championship action this weekend, but games are still ongoing elsewhere.
Tuesday night saw two recent Wrexham strikers in action as Ollie Palmer and Jack Marriott faced off with their new clubs.
Reading fans react to Jack Marriott display
Swindon Town and Reading locked horns in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night, and this may not even have been a game on the radar of many Wrexham fans a couple of weeks ago.
That all changed with two transfers, as Jack Marriott joined Reading and Ollie Palmer signed for Swindon last week.
The two strikers played their part in Wrexham’s rise to the Championship but had to move on for first-team action elsewhere.
Marriott and Palmer went from teammates to opponents in rapid fashion and, as luck would have it, both of them scored in Tuesday’s clash.
Palmer opened his Swindon account from close range in the first half to put Swindon 2-0 up, only for Marriott to slide home a goal of his own to make it 2-2.
Royals fans were certainly impressed with Marriott’s performance, suggesting that his goal was an example of ‘excellent’ strike play.
Other fans on social media suggested that Reading have been ‘crying out’ for a striker like Marriott for weeks, with some now backing him to score at least 15 goals this season.
Some believe Marriott already looks ‘levels above’ Reading’s other strikers, with the former Wrexham man making a positive early impression.
Here are some of the best reactions from Reading fans on social media after Marriott’s goal…
- Excellent by Marriott, exactly what good strikers do. Great to see his first goal so soon.
- Great striker play by Marriott there, making the run in behind the defender, stood on the shoulder of the last defender and a good pass from Sackey to find him. Been crying out for this all August, great to see
- Been impressed with Jack Marriott! Not the tallest as we know, but he uses his body well, runs the channels nicely, links up play and really knows how to drift away from his man and find space. Lovely finish too
- Jack Marriott will get 15+ goals this year, mark my words
- Marriott. Already sold on him!
- Marriott is streets ahead of O’Mahony; it’s almost a joke
- Lovely finish by Marriott. Really hoping that’s the first of many this season
- Marriott already looking LEVELS above
Jack Marriott can become Reading’s new Sam Smith
Marriott joined Reading last week, completing a move to the Select Car Leasing Stadium just over six months after Sam Smith left the Royals for Wrexham.
Smith was a real goalscoring hero for Reading, finding the net 26 times in just 59 games after a 2023 move from Cambridge United.
Reading simply couldn’t refuse Wrexham’s move for Smith, and they struggled to bring in a replacement at the time amid financial concerns.
Replacing a goalscorer like Smith is never easy, but boss Noel Hunt has turned to the experienced Marriott for goals this season.
Marriott has proven himself in League One on numerous occasions and Wrexham fans would not be surprised to see him become Reading’s new goalscoring hero this season.