Wrexham and Bolton Wanderers played out a 0-0 draw at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday afternoon.
Wrexham went into the game looking to gain some ground in the automatic promotion race.
Wycombe Wanderers did, as expected, lose their meeting away to table-topping Birmingham City by one goal to nil.
That means the gap between the two sides has now been closed to two points, though it could have been zero.
Wrexham drew with Bolton despite dominating for large periods of the game and limiting the away side’s goal threat.
Ryan Longman impressed fans with his showing inside the 90 minutes, creating a number of chances – at least one of which could have been put away.
However, there was another player other than Longman who shone during the stalemate at the Racecourse Ground.
Ollie Rathbone is becoming Wrexham’s best player
The man in question is Ollie Rathbone, who arrived in Wales from Rotherham United over the summer.
The midfielder took some time to break into the starting eleven but since doing so, he hasn’t looked back.
Wrexham legend Andy Morrell praised Rathbone for his outing in the 2-1 victory over Mansfield Town last weekend.
He now has five goals and two assists in League One this term and is almost always the hardest-working player on the pitch whenever he starts.
Rathbone hit a new career milestone last month, and though he may not have found the net against Bolton, as fans have become accustomed to him doing in recent months, he was still a level above most across the 90 minutes and is quickly establishing himself as the most important player in Parkinson’s team.
Ollie Rathbone stats for Wrexham vs Bolton
With Elliot Lee not starting, it was down to Rathbone to create the bulk of the chances through the centre of the pitch.
Matty James and George Dobson really don’t work well together in midfield, but the former Rotherham man tried to make up for this by producing three key passes and one big chance.
| Ollie Rathbone | Stats vs Bolton |
| Minutes | 85 |
| Key passes | 3 |
| Sofascore rating | 7.7 |
| Long balls (accurate) | 4 (3) |
| Big chances created | 1 |
| Total defensive actions | 7 |
It wasn’t enough to hand Wrexham the three points, but the 28-year-old is sure to continue his excellent form in the final few months of the campaign as the Hollywood-owned club’s promotion battle goes on.