Wrexham are still searching for a first win of the Championship season, but it shouldn’t all be doom and gloom around the STōK Cae Ras.
Wrexham drew 2-2 with Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday afternoon, but that doesn’t really tell the story of disappointment.
Phil Parkinson’s side were 2-0 up at half-time as the impressive Kieffer Moore scored twice to open his Wrexham account in style.
Wrexham fell away after the break and conceded two goals to Barry Bannan and Bailey Cadamarteri, meaning Parkinson is still waiting for his first league win of the season.
Parkinson has come in for real criticism since Saturday’s draw, both in terms of his style of play and his lack of substitutions in the second half.
Rival fans love to take a pop at Wrexham, but there are plenty of reasons to shut out the doom and gloom and stay optimistic about this season.
Nathan Broadhead will make his presence felt
Wrexham snapped up Nathan Broadhead in a club-record move from Ipswich Town, and fans may have expected an immediate impact.
Broadhead is proven at Championship level, and when the price tag is so high, expectation levels tend to follow.
Broadhead has yet to make a big impact in the Wrexham attack, but let’s be realistic – he’s played just 128 minutes of action in a Wrexham shirt.
The 27-year-old is still settling in at Wrexham and needs some time to find his best form again.
That is an exciting prospect moving forward, with Broadhead surely set to play a huge role in the coming months, adding serious attacking quality.
More signings to come
Wrexham have now made 10 signings, racking up around £30million in terms of spending outlay.
Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds will have been wise enough not to pay all of that up front, but this has been an expensive summer.
Callum Doyle became Wrexham’s latest signing on Thursday, but Parkinson’s spending is unlikely to end there.
Wrexham are now eyeing three midfielders – Andy Irving, Jordan James and Will Smallbone.
We would be surprised to see all three sign, but Wrexham may attempt to bring in two of those names to add more quality to Parkinson’s engine room.
Wrexham have already added quality this summer, but a couple more proven Championship players could make a big difference.
Phil Parkinson has been here before
Parkinson’s Championship record isn’t particularly impressive over the course of his career, but he has never had a squad like this at his disposal.
That brings greater expectations, but the slow start won’t worry Parkinson too much.
Wrexham won just one of the first five games in the 2023-24 League Two campaign, ultimately taking some time to adjust to the level and tighten up defensively.
Wrexham then ended that campaign with promotion, so Parkinson knows that the first three games don’t necessarily make or break a season.
Parkinson will look to use that season as an example of what Wrexham can still achieve this season, and his experience in this situation should bring some optimism that better results will come.
Wrexham still have quality to add
Even if you forget about future signings to come, Wrexham still have quality to add to the mix.
Injured Liberato Cacace shouldn’t be too far away from a return, while Ollie Rathbone will hope to make his comeback in the near future.
Wrexham snapped up Callum Doyle on Thursday, and the defender should slot right into Parkinson’s back three.
Those additions will bring more energy and quality to the Wrexham side, and Parkinson will have big roles in mind for all three players.
The margins have been not been huge
Wrexham have just one point from three games, but Parkinson’s side have not exactly been blown away.
Wrexham were leading at Southampton until conceding two late goals in heartbreaking fashion.
Sam Smith’s late goal arguably made the 3-2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion a little closer than it should have been, but they all count – and it was another one-goal loss for Wrexham.
Saturday saw Wrexham take a 2-0 lead into half-time, but tired legs meant Wednesday were able to drag themselves back into the game.
Parkinson must take some blame for that as well, with his only two substitutions coming in attack rather than in midfield or at wing-back.
Wrexham aren’t being absolutely blown away at this level, though, and Parkinson will have faith that the margins will swing back in Wrexham’s favour over the course of a 46-game season.