Wrexham are preparing for life in the Championship as Phil Parkinson looks to keep this incredible journey moving in the right direction.
Wrexham pulled off the unthinkable, securing three straight promotions to go from the National League to the Championship in rapid fashion.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds’ takeover has set Wrexham on a remarkable path, but it’s boss Phil Parkinson who has knitted it all together.
McElhenney is eyeing more Wrexham success, with promotion to the Premier League the ultimate dream.
That may take a while, but Parkinson will be keen to engineer a strong season and exorcise some Championship demons.
Parkinson has won just 26 of his 141 Championship games across his spells with Bolton Wanderers, Hull City and Charlton Athletic, losing 78 and averaging just 0.82 points per game.
We have full faith in Parkinson to get it right this time, and some of his players will also have a point to prove in the Championship.
Dan Scarr
Defender Dan Scarr will certainly hope for a chance to prove himself in the Championship.
The centre-back has made it to the EFL the hard way, featuring in non-league football with Causeway United, Redditch United and Stourbridge.
Scarr joined boyhood club Birmingham City in the Championship but failed to make a single first-team appearance.
Scarr dropped into League Two and League One with Wycombe Wanderers, Walsall and Plymouth Argyle, before returning to the Championship with the latter in 2023.
The 30-year-old started 25 Championship games for Argyle in the 2023-24 season, just over half of their league games, but was then sold by Wayne Rooney.
Wrexham pounced for Scarr, with the defender taking a step back to League One in the hope of a promotion to the second tier again.
Now back in the Championship once more, Scarr will be keen to prove that he really belongs at this level once and for all.
George Dobson
Parkinson landed George Dobson last summer, securing the midfielder on a free transfer from Charlton Athletic.
Dobson U-turned on a move to Fehervar and penned a three-year deal with Wrexham, reuniting with his former Sunderland boss Parkinson.
Dobson played a key role in Wrexham’s promotion-winning campaign, racking up 38 starts and four substitute appearances.
The 27-year-old’s battling qualities will be key, but this will be his first taste of Championship football.
Dobson has spent the last eight seasons in League One, featuring for Walsall, Sunderland, AFC Wimbledon, Charlton and Wrexham.
The Championship call has never arrived for Dobson despite being so good at League One level, and next season finally offers him the chance to prove himself as a Championship-level midfielder after so long in the third tier.
Sam Smith
Wrexham snapped up Sam Smith in January, paying a club-record fee to land the Reading striker.
Smith fired Wrexham to promotion and will now look for the goals to flow in the Championship.
Smith does have eight Championship appearances to his name, all of which came with Reading in the 2017-18 season.
As far as League One strikers go, Smith is as proven as they come; he has smashed 61 goals in his last 168 appearances in the third tier.
Now back in the Championship seven years after his last appearance at this level, Smith will be desperate to prove that he isn’t just a League One striker.
The quality and variety of Smith’s goals lead us to believe that he will shine in the Championship, and Parkinson will be counting on him to find the net after such a brilliant start to his Wrexham career.