Wrexham can look forward to the Carabao Cup third round draw after a dramatic late winner against Preston North End.
Phil Parkinson’s side were on the back foot for most of the first half and would have felt fortunate to have only been going into the break 2-1 down.
However, Wrexham came out in the second period looking a completely different team and Harry Ashfield drew the away side level.
With the introduction of some intelligent substitutions, the Red Dragons pushed for a winner and found it when Kieffer Moore tapped home for a late winner. One Wrexham star has given Parkinson a huge decision to make with his performance.
Ryan Hardie makes case to start for Wrexham against Millwall with Carabao Cup performance
Wrexham fans were impressed with Callum Doyle during their Carabao Cup victory over Preston but another Wrexham star has given Parkinson a selection headache ahead of the Championship clash with Millwall.
Ryan Hardie is yet to start a league game in a Wrexham shirt but the summer signing reminded Parkinson of why he brought the 28-year-old to the club.
Hardie produced a stunning finish to get his side back on level terms during the first half and was a constant thorn in the Preston defence.
| Preston v Wrexham match statistics | Ryan Hardie |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Dribble success rate | 100% |
| Passing accuracy | 67% |
His pressing from the front allowed the Red Dragons to get a foothold back in the match and his intelligent movement in behind the defence really caught the eye.
Hardie was labelled ‘quality’ by Wrexham fans during pre-season and is starting to make a real case for a regular starting berth in Parkinson’s side.
Who could Ryan Hardie replace in Wrexham’s team v Millwall?
After his late winner and brace against Sheffield Wednesday, Moore has cemented his place as leading the line against Millwall.
However, Parkinson may now be considering playing Hardie alongside Moore as a runner that can feed off the Welsh striker.
Nathan Broadhead has been playing just behind Moore in recent fixtures, however, the club-record signing has failed to impact the game as much as he would like.
It may well be that the pace and energy of Hardie could be the way to go for Wrexham against Millwall, with Broadhead dropping a little deeper to find those intricate passes in behind the defence.