Wrexham earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers to progress into the semi final of the EFL Trophy.
Wrexham fans were delighted with Andy Cannon’s goal as the midfielder’s moment of magic proved to be the difference between the two sides.
Ryan Longman gave Parkinson an insight into a new attacking weapon when he delivered a number of long throws in the game, reminiscent of former captain Ben Tozer that brought so much success to the team.
However, Ollie Palmer’s opportunities at Wrexham look to be limited after he was omitted from the matchday squad altogether. Post-match Phil Parkinson shared his thoughts on the performance and gave an interesting insight into his tactical approach.
Phil Parkinson suggests Wrexham tried to play too many ‘killer balls’ against Bolton
Speaking to the club’s official YouTube channel post-match, Parkinson was discussing his side’s performance and spoke about the struggle in controlling the game.
Parkinson stated: “I thought we had some decent spells in the first half but probably went for the killer pass too many times rather than to get control but we adapted to that really well in the second period.”
Parkinson was pleased to progress against a ‘very good’ Bolton side but his comments on killer passes show that he is instructing the players to keep possession rather than find penetrating passes.
Possession of the ball and control is key to winning any game however, there does come a time where teams need that moment of inspiration and a defence-splitting pass to open up stubborn defences.
Wrexham are going to come up against deep defences in their race for League One promotion and Parkinson needs to allow his players to take risks as well as keeping control of the game.
George Evans reveals the key to Wrexham’s improved second half performance
Also speaking post game to the club’s official YouTube channel, midfielder George Evans discussed how the improvement in performance in the second half was the key to victory.
Evans stated: “In the second half we won a lot more second balls and got on top of them a bit more, we also know that we are very strong at home and come strong into the game so it was only a matter of time.”
Evans was involved in the Wrexham goal by playing a ‘killer pass’ through the lines to Cannon for him to then score past the Bolton keeper.
Personnel and formation tweaks will be part of Parkinson’s ongoing plan to lead the Red Dragons to promotion but he will also need to ensure his side play without fear and express themselves with freedom.