Wrexham coasted to victory against Burton Albion this weekend, securing another massive three points at the perfect time to nudge further ahead of Wycombe Wanderers in the race for promotion.
A 3-0 win at the Racecourse Ground saw Wrexham sail past struggling Burton and cap a wonderful afternoon in the sunshine for all those attending the game, including superstar owner, Ryan Reynolds.
But, it was misery for rivals Wycombe who fell to a 1-0 defeat to Reading. That leaves the Red Dragons now six points clear of Mike Dodds’ side, who do still have a game in hand.
While many have praised Sam Smith for his role in the win, it’s worth looking at another crucial area of the pitch that Wrexham are dominating on their march to promotion.
- READ MORE: What Phil Parkinson immediately told Wrexham players after Wycombe Wanderers lost to Reading
Wrexham continue to rack up clean sheets
The goas may be flowing for Wrexham once more, but it’s their defensive success that is forming the foundation for this rampant run of form of late, and it’s going to be key to getting them over the line for promotion this season.
After yesterday’s victory over Burton and yet another shut-out from Wrexham, the club can boast it has six of the top seven players in the division when it comes to keeping clean sheets this season.
Eoghan O’Connell leads the way with a whopping 20 clean sheets from his 37 League One appearances in 2024/25. He’s been tipped as Wrexham’s player of the season by Humphrey Ker, and he might just have a point.
Behind him, there’s George Dobson, Elliot Lee, Max Cleworth, and Ollie Rathbone all on 19 clean sheets, while James McClean also makes the cut with 18 to his name.
Charlton Athletic’s Tyreece Campbell is next in line from any team in the division. He also has 18 clean sheets.
In past years, Wrexham have simply outscored opponents and bulldozed their way to victory a lot of the time. But, this year, with the standard of football improving in League One, and the Red Dragons unable to rely on the goals of Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer, they’ve clearly found a different way to grind out results.
It doesn’t matter who plays in goal, Wrexham are a solid unit at the back
What makes this all the more impressive is the fact that, throughout this season, Wrexham have rotated their goalkeeper; be it through necessity or through Phil Parkinson’s decisions.
It’s telling that number one goalkeeper, Arthur Okonkwo, doesn’t make the list for the most clean sheets this season. He has 16 to his name, but that’s largely because he’s only played 28 games in the league this year due to injury.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Birmingham | 39 | 28 | 8 | 3 | 71 | 28 | 43 | 92 |
| 2 | Wrexham | 41 | 24 | 9 | 8 | 59 | 32 | 27 | 81 |
| 3 | Wycombe | 40 | 21 | 12 | 7 | 65 | 37 | 28 | 75 |
| 4 | Stockport | 41 | 21 | 11 | 9 | 60 | 36 | 24 | 74 |
| 5 | Charlton | 41 | 21 | 10 | 10 | 57 | 38 | 19 | 73 |
| 6 | Bolton | 40 | 20 | 6 | 14 | 62 | 57 | 5 | 66 |
Okonkwo has missed 13 games in total, with Mark Howard stepping in for seven games while Okonkwo recovered from a wrist injury, and another three games when Parkinson began to doubt his number one. Howard also contributed three clean sheets during that spell.
So, what we know is that, regardless of who goes in goal, Wrexham’s defensive acumen is strong enough to hold out opponents thanks to the personnel in other areas of the pitch.
From front to back, Parkinson has got his team well-organised and looking incredibly solid. You can’t lose a football match if you keep a clean sheet, and that mantra is certainly driving Wrexham forward this year.