Wrexham handed Callum Burton an opportunity to shine against Reading, and he responded with a clean sheet on his return to action.
Wrexham beat Reading 2-0 on Tuesday night, advancing into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup in the process.
Nathan Broadhead found the net twice in the second half to send Wrexham through without too much fuss.
Phil Parkinson rotated his squad and saw Broadhead take his chance, while Callum Burton picked up a clean sheet in his first start for nine months.
Callum Burton highlights the rule change on his mind in Wrexham win
Burton deputised for Arthur Okonkwo last season, but suffered a cruel injury blow in a December win over Barnsley.
While Burton returned to the bench towards the end of the League One season, Tuesday’s start against Reading was his first appearance since the injury.
Burton performed well, and he can be pleased with a clean sheet on his return to action.
A lot has changed since then – and not just the players around him, after Wrexham made 13 summer signings.
New rules implemented earlier in 2025 mean goalkeepers can only hold onto the ball for eight seconds before being penalised by the referee, with a corner awarded to the opposing team.
Burton hasn’t played a competitive fixture since that rule came into effect, and he told Wrexham Match Day Live that it was on his mind throughout.
Burton actually felt that the rule helped, because he wasn’t overthinking his kicking, instead just sending the ball forward to avoid any bother with the referee.
The Wrexham stopper feels that Kieffer Moore, Ryan Hardie and Sam Smith are all really useful in that regard, backing all three strikers to hold the ball up when it comes their way.
“The biggest thing that I thought about today was, obviously, the eight-second rule, because that’s the first game that I’ve played in it,” said Burton.
“It probably helps, if anything, because I was thinking less about the kicking, so it’s definitely a new tactic that you’ve got to bring into your game.
“It keeps the game moving, but it’s not good when you’re trying to waste time! The lads are getting up to speed with it now, you see in the league games that they know they’ve got to get up the pitch, and obviously having players like Kieffer, Ryan, Sam up there, that can hold the ball up by themselves, is a massive help,” he added.
Callum Burton may back himself to really push Arthur Okonkwo
It was great to see Burton back in action, having made a strong impression in limited playing time last season.
Burton looked more than capable in League One, so it was no surprise to see him perform well against Reading – even after such a lengthy lay-off.
Burton will be delighted to have that first game under his belt, and pushing for starting action in the Championship is not out of the question.
Danny Ward is out injured, while Arthur Okonkwo hasn’t exactly found his best form in the early stages of this season.
Burton has shown that he can be relied upon at any time, and if Okonkwo remains a little off-colour, Parkinson could turn to Burton in Championship action.