Wrexham secured promotion to League One in style but Phil Parkinson must find a cure to one of their major issues to be successful next season.
Having clinched promotion to League One after their 6-0 thrashing of Forest Green Rovers, Wrexham followed that up with a comfortable 3-0 win over Crewe Alexandra last weekend.
Wrexham host Stockport County on the final day of the season on Saturday. It promises to be an emotional day for the club as they bid farewell to the long-serving Luke Young and Ben Tozer, but it also marks the start of a new chapter.
An exciting summer awaits Phil Parkinson and his squad as they embark on their most difficult change yet; taking League One by storm.
Although many believe the Reds can challenge for promotion to the Championship, Parkinson has to reshape his squad and several additions will be needed off the field.
While on it, the Wrexham boss has encountered one glaring issue that needs resolving.
Wrexham’s away form
Wrexham’s away form has improved recently.
Despite the pressure of securing promotion, Parkinson’s men have won four of their last five matches on their travels.
Those victories include the 3-1 win over Grimsby and last weekend’s 3-0 demolition of Crewe.
There doesn’t appear to be an issue when looking at their recent away form, but their form across the season tells a different story.
| League Two away table | W | D | L | GS | GA | Pts |
| Stockport | 12 | 6 | 4 | 47 | 29 | 42 |
| Mansfield | 11 | 6 | 5 | 46 | 24 | 39 |
| Wrexham | 9 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 27 | 34 |
Despite jumping up to third in the away form table, Wrexham’s biggest problem has been scoring goals on their travels, striking 19 and 20 fewer than Mansfield and Stockport defensively.
They’ve also slipped to defeat in several games and not looked like scoring; defeats to Newport, Gillingham and Doncaster spring to mind.
Phil Parkinson must improve Wrexham’s away form
Parkinson has persisted with his tried and trusted 5-3-2 system throughout this campaign, though his refusal to change formation when it isn’t working has irked supporters.
During some abysmal away defeats, the former Bradford City boss hasn’t tried changing a system when his side have struggled to create chances, leaving many questioning his tactics.
In the end, persisting with just one system didn’t cost Wrexham, but in League One, Parkinson may have to resort to a plan B.
It’s a league that possesses so much more quality than League Two and Parkinson is already apprehensive about making the step up.
Wrexham should build on their current philosophy, by all means, however, changing to a more counter-attacking system – like a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 – wouldn’t hurt and it could be the way forward next term.