Rob McElhenney was in attendance as Wrexham tasted defeat against Birmingham City but he would have been impressed with what he saw from one player.
A star-studded audience from the stands, including Rob McElhenney, Tom Brady, Gary Neville and David Beckham watched as Birmingham City beat Wrexham 3-1.
Phil Parkinson dubbed Wrexham’s performance in the early stages as ‘excellent‘ and rightly so. Jack Marriott put the visitors ahead inside three minutes.
At this point, McElhenney would have thought that the Welsh side were on their way to another victory however, the narrative of the game soon switched.
Birmingham were camped in Wrexham’s half for the rest of the game and scored three goals, including a brace from £15 million signing Jay Stansfield.
Despite conceding more in this game than in their previous five league matches, one defensive player still stood out for the Reds.
Eoghan O’Connell was Wrexham’s standout player in front of Rob McElhenney
Starting in the middle of a back three for Wrexham alongside his usual partners, Tom O’Connor and Max Cleworth, Eoghan O’Connell was the standout player of the trio.
While he had the unenviable task of defending against Stansfield and he was caught under the ball for Birmingham’s second goal, he still produced a great performance in front of McElhenney.
The Irishman cleared most of what was thrown at him in the box as he won four of the eight aerial duels he contested and all six of his ground duels.
O’Connell was also calm in the rare moments Wrexham had possession, completing 34 of his 45 passes (76%) while accurately placing three long balls and making a key contribution to Marriott’s goal.
It was a night of struggle for Parkinson’s side but the 29-year-old still deserved to come away from the game with some credit.
Wrexham’s defensive record in 2024/25
Parkinson’s system is built from the base of defensive solidity, as seen in most of their matches in the league.
Wrexham kept four clean sheets in a row before facing Birmingham – including against Bolton and Peterborough – as the only two goals conceded were at home to Wycombe Wanderers on the opening day.
While the Reds were torn apart by the Blues exceptional quality, particularly for their second and third goal, Parkinson’s men still have reasons to be positive about their strong defence.
There will be many games this season where Birmingham put more than three goals past an opponent, so there is no shame in losing in the manner Wrexham did.
Therefore, if the first five matches are anything to go by, Wrexham could have one of the strongest defences in the league.