Wrexham are back in Championship action on Saturday, taking on QPR at the Racecourse.
Wrexham return to league duties this weekend, following the September international break which has seen a number of Dragons in action.
Three Wrexham players were called up for Wales in Kieffer Moore, Nathan Broadhead and Danny Ward, Issa Kabore for Burkina Faso and Dom Hyam for Scotland.
And Phil Parkinson will be hoping that everyone returns fit and firing and ready for yet another tough Championship game against a QPR side sitting in 18th.
Wrexham beat Millwall 2-0 away from home before the break to leave themselves in 15th place of the table.
Danny Ward injury timeline at Wrexham confirmed
Against Millwall, Ward suffered a dislocated elbow. The experienced goalkeeper was down for a long time and required serious medical attention on the pitch, with reports since confirming that Ward will be injured for up to four months.
Replacing the Welsh international against Millwall was Arthur Okonkwo. For the opening game of the season against Southampton, Parkinson dropped Okonkwo in favour of Ward in a move that surprised many Wrexham fans.
Ward has been steady so far, but now it’s Okonkwo’s time to shine. Last season, former Arsenal man Okonkwo had some patchy spells in goal but he remains a player with huge potential, and if he can shine over the next four months then he might keep Ward out of the XI when he does eventually return.
| Okonkwo’s career so far | Games | Conceded | Clean sheets |
| League Two | 59 | 57 | 23 |
| League One | 33 | 23 | 19 |
Arthur Okonkwo thinks he’s ready for the Championship
There have been spells where the 24-year-old Okonkwo has looked like one of the best young goalkeepers in the Football League. But it’s clear that he still has a lot of room for improvement and the next four months or so will be a really defining period for him and his career.
And there’ll be a lot of pressure on him to perform with the outfield now looking very strong and likely to really start putting some points on the board.
Speaking earlier this summer, Okonkwo spoke about Wrexham’s chances in the Championship, saying: “I can’t wait for next season. It’s the next challenge playing in the Championship and I’m sure I’ll be ready for it. We’re just going to enjoy it, the same as this season just gone.
“The pressure is going to be on and it’s going to be challenging, we’re just going to take it in our stride. But last season was challenging, the season in League Two was challenging so it’s just the same. Obviously not the same in terms of the level which is going to increase again but that’s football.
“You want those challenges, you want to play in the big stadiums and you want to play the big teams. That’s what everyone dreams about and I am sure we are going to enjoy next season.”
If Okonkwo can prove consistent in the next few months then Parkinson won’t have any reason to drop him when Ward is fit to return, which is a blow for Ward as he was certainly looking likely to be the no.1 throughout the campaign.
Wrexham’s game against QPR kicks off at 3pm.