Wrexham take on West Brom in the Championship on Saturday, and for Phil Parkinson, one huge decision lies ahead.
Wrexham pit themselves against another former Premier League regular in West Brom this weekend.
Last weekend it was Southampton. Phil Parkinson took his side to St Mary’s and they were on the cusp of a huge upset, until Southampton staged a late comeback to beat Wrexham 2-1.
It was a hammer blow for the Dragons who’d played so well up until the final minutes. But the Dragons bounced back in midweek with Wrexham coming from behind to beat Hull City in the Carabao Cup first round.
Parkinson made several changes for that game against Hull. He’ll no doubt name an XI very similar to the one that started against Southampton, albeit without Kieffer Moore who picked up an ankle injury that day.
And there will be a lot of eyes on who starts in goal for Wrexham on Saturday.
Phil Parkinson has given himself a conundrum at Wrexham
Last season, Arthur Okonkwo was Wrexham’s no.1 for the most part. He played 33 times in League One and kept 19 clean sheets, but he endured spells on the sidelines and even on the bench with Parkinson preferring Mark Howard and Callum Burton at times.
This summer, Danny Ward moved to the Racecourse. Ward joined Wrexham on a free transfer and immediately, Wrexham fans were divided over the signing of Ward who had previously endured some tough performances with former club Leicester City.
But to almost everyone’s surprise, Ward started in goal for Wrexham against Southampton, with Okonkwo on the bench. Okonkwo returned in midweek against Hull City and made a handful of saves, whilst Ward held his own against Southampton. So who starts on Saturday against West Brom is a bit of a mystery.
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Danny Ward vs Arthur Okonkwo – who starts for Wrexham vs West Brom?
Parkinson is experienced enough to know that chopping and changing goalkeepers isn’t sustainable. Given that, and given the fact that Ward didn’t make any mistakes against Southampton, Parkinson looks set to stick with Ward in goal for the game against West Brom.
But it’s clear that Okonkwo is the man who Wrexham will want in goal in the long run. Parkinson urged Wrexham to sign Okonkwo last summer, seeing him as an investment for the future, and at 23 years old, he still has bags of potential.
| Player | Saves | Saves inside the box | High claims | Goals conceded |
| Ward vs Southampton | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Okonkwo vs Hull City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
There’s no denying though that Okonkwo looked shaky at times last season. Coming up to the Championship, it may prove sensible for Parkinson to stick with the more experienced Ward and to keep on giving Okonkwo minutes in the Carabao Cup.
Though should a time come where Ward becomes a weak link in the side then Parkinson may need to step up and make a decision to bring Okonkwo back into the fold. Should that time come then Okonkwo just needs to make sure he’s ready to step up, and then take his chance.
Wrexham’s game against West Brom kicks off at 12:30pm on Saturday.