Wrexham are right in the League One promotion mix and saw one rival suffer an enormous blow before the January transfer window has even opened.
Wrexham fans may head into Christmas with a sense of frustration.
Lessons were not learned from the 2-2 draw with Cambridge United as Wrexham once again threw away a victory at Bristol Rovers.
Conceding late goals when leading is not a trait you often see from promoted clubs and that is something Phil Parkinson will be keen to rectify.
Wrexham are still in a great position though, sitting third in the League One table with more than half of the season to go.
The promotion race is already starting to heat up and unless there is a team posted for an incredible run in 2025, the automatic race may be between five teams.
Stockport County suffer enormous blow
Wycombe Wanderers and Birmingham City sit ahead of Wrexham whilst Huddersfield Town are three points behind Parkinson’s side.
Six points behind Wrexham sit Stockport County, who have become familiar foes for Wrexham in recent years.
The two sides battled it out for promotion in the 2021-22 season and then went head-to-head for promotion from League Two last season.
Both sides ended up going up but are now right in the mix for another promotion as the two sides continue remarkable rises.
Stockport’s Callum Connolly has highlighted a rivalry with Wrexham and there may have been more than a few Wrexham fans with smirks on their faces on Sunday.
Stockport confirmed that star forward Louie Barry will now be leaving the club to return to Aston Villa.
Barry is only on loan from Villa having spent last term on loan with County too, but he has really become a superstar this season.
The 21-year-old scored a stunner to hand Stockport a 1-0 win over Wrexham in November and has racked up 14 goals and three assists in just 21 League One games this season.
The news is a massive blow for Stockport but a potential boost for Wrexham with County losing their star player before the transfer window has even swung open.
Wrexham will just be pleased not to face Barry in 2025 with the forward proving a menace for Parkinson in the past.
Wrexham stance on loans
Wrexham haven’t really experienced anything like this Barry situation during Parkinson’s time in charge.
That is because Wrexham have largely avoided loan deals ever since the Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds era began.
Just two players – Arthur Okonkwo and Luke McNicholas – have joined Wrexham on loan deals.
McNicholas saw his deal turned permanent last January whilst Okonkwo became a permanent Wrexham player last summer.
There was some risk of Okonkwo returning to Arsenal, but there was a firm deadline of January 13th for any recall – and that didn’t happen.
Wrexham have preferred permanent signings, cutting out the risk of a situation like Stockport now encounter with Barry.
Loan deals with Premier League clubs are usually on their terms and that means recall clauses in January, which can lead to players being swiped away in order to facilitate other loan moves.
Barry is now likely to end up in the Championship and whilst loan deals can bring major quality – as Stockport have found – the risk seemingly isn’t one that Wrexham are willing to take on a regular basis.