Wrexham go into tonight’s game against Leyton Orient knowing they could potentially leapfrog Wycombe into second place, but they have to be wary.
After back-to-back away wins in the league, plus a couple of nice victories in the EFL Trophy, Wrexham are on a high at the moment.
Phil Parkinson’s men closed the gap on Wycombe at the weekend thanks to a 2-0 win against Northampton, and their rivals dropping points at Crawley Town.
We suspect Parkinson will have a surprise or two in store for Leyton Orient tonight as he looks to keep the momentum going, but Richie Wellens’ side also have lots of talent and plenty of motivation to get the win, too.
Josh Keeley is one of the best goalkeepers in League One
Wrexham may have a plethora of brilliant attackers who will be looking to pick apart the Leyton Orient defence, but even if they get through, they will come up against one of the best goalkeepers in League One.
Josh Keeley, currently on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, has had a terrific season with Orient, keeping 13 clean sheets across 27 games in all competitions. He’s even scored one goal, in the FA Cup, but hopefully the Red Dragons won’t have to worry about that aspect of his game on Tuesday night.
However, when comparing Keeley to the rest of his peers in the division, the 21-year-old ranks second for clean sheets, and actually has the best clean sheet percentage in the whole league at 65%, compared to the 59% held by Ryan Allsop at Birmingham City.
| Statistics | Josh Keeley (24/25) | League One rank |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 20 | – |
| Clean sheets | 13 | 2nd |
| Clean sheet % | 65 | 1st |
| Save % | 76.9 | 1st |
| Goals against/90 | 0.65 | 2nd |
Keeley’s save percentage is also the best in League One, at 76.9% and he’s ranked second for goals against per 90, with just 0.65 goals conceded per game on average.
Suffice to say, if Wrexham want to get anything from this game, they’re going to have to find a way past a goalkeeper in top form.
Preventing Jamie Donley from playing will be key for Wrexham, too
Unfortunately for Wrexham, it’s not just Keeley that will cause them problems. Leyton Orient also have a supremely talented midfield playmaker in Jamie Donley, another Spurs loanee.
The youngster has been pulling the strings for Orient in recent weeks and has five goals and six assists to his name this season. He was even named the EFL Young Player of the Month for January, and managed to score from the halfway line against Man City in the FA Cup.
Richie Wellens fears a scrappy game could be Orient’s undoing against Wrexham, but in Donley, he has the kind of player who can bring composure and creativity to the midfield battle. In that respect, there’s every reason to believe the 20-year-old could be the deciding factor in this close contest.
However, with Parkinson normally employing three in the middle of the park, he will be hoping Wrexham can nullify Donley’s threat and that there will be enough space there to create chances for the likes of Sam Smith in attack.