Wrexham saw their hopes of automatic League One promotion slip further from their grasp after a disastrous night.
Wrexham were defeated 2-1 by Leyton Orient despite Ollie Rathbone opening the scoring from a James McClean corner.
Phil Parkinson claimed his side didn’t give Rathbone the ball enough as his side pushed for a late equaliser following Darren Pratley’s red card but were unable to break down a stubborn Orient defence.
To make matters worse for Parkinson, Wycombe secured a 2-0 victory over Bristol Rovers to move five points clear in the League One automatic spots – the Red Dragons are now looking over their shoulders.
Wrexham lose consecutive home games for the first time ever under Phil Parkinson
With defeats to Stevenage and Leyton Orient, Wrexham have now lost consecutive league games at the Racecourse Ground for the first time under the managerial reign of Parkinson.
The Red Dragons had turned the ground into a fortress and were unbeaten since March 2024 before the visit of Stevenage back in January.
Wrexham fans criticised Parkinson’s style of play after the game, with many believing that his ‘long ball’ approach was becoming outdated and holding the team back.
This peculiar run of home form has come at exactly the wrong time for Parkinson’s side as they looked to build momentum in their chase of Wycombe Wanderers.
Ollie Rathbone stars again in midfield for Wrexham
Rathbone warned of Orient’s quality before the game and with a typical industrious performance in midfield, the 28-year-old continued his recent run of excellent form.
The midfielder has now scored in consecutive matches and made it four for the calendar year to show that he is adding goals and assists to his game.
Picking up 8/10 in the Wrexham player ratings, Rathbone was once again the best player on the pitch for the North Wales side and is certainly doing his bit to inspire the team to promotion.
It is now up to the rest of the squad to show the same quality as well as endeavour to continue the fight to be playing Championship football next season.