Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson gave a ruthless verdict of the Red Dragons’ defeat to Wellington Phoenix, which will alert both Ollie Palmer and Ryan Hardie.
Wrexham’s final pre-season game of the Down Under Tour saw the Red Dragons suffer defeat to Wellington Phoenix.
Phil Parkinson’s side held a firm grip of the game, creating several chances, but they appeared to be rather toothless in front of goal.
There were positives to the defeat, with Wrexham youngster Harry Ashfield notably shining, standing out in what was a poor performance by the Red Dragons.
Following the game, Wrexham boss Parkinson gave a scathing report, focusing specifically on his side’s output in the final third, something that will surely worry both Ollie Palmer and Ryan Hardie as pre-season comes to an end.
What Phil Parkinson said following Wrexham defeat to Wellington Phoenix
As Wrexham ended their pre-season tour with a 1-0 defeat against Wellington Phoenix, Parkinson struggled to note any positives.
Considering that a top-level Wrexham side struggled, particularly in the second half against a young Wellington side, Parkinson was left with many reasons to be critical of his side.
Via Sgorio, Parkinson said: “We’ve had numerous opportunities to score, cross after cross, and we haven’t really tested the keeper enough.
“Football is about final third quality, how you get there is one thing, but when you’re in-and-around the final third, it’s producing a bit of calmness we needed to get a goal. We’ve had a lot of dominance in the game, but we didn’t produce when it mattered most.
“That’s a big learning curve for us, but credit to Wellington.
“It’s a tough night for us, because you always want to win, but we didn’t and we’ll learn from that.”
Ryan Hardie and Ollie Palmer will be worried following Phil Parkinson’s verdict
As has been the case since Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac took charge of the club, they have shown true commitment to backing Phil Parkinson, particularly in the transfer windows.
It is clear now, based on the defeat to Wellington Phoenix, that Wrexham cannot solely rely on Hardie and Palmer as their attacking options.
The pair were given opportunities to shine for Wrexham in pre-season, especially Palmer; however, he may not be alarmed knowing that his performances haven’t quite matched Parkinson’s expectations.
Hardie performed well in the pre-season opener against Melbourne Victory, but such scrutiny from the Wrexham boss, which was clearly aimed at the lack of attacking intent, could ring alarm bells for the former Plymouth Argyle man.