There is no doubt Phil Parkinson will be a little disappointed to start the year with defeat to Barnsley, but one element of that loss will be particularly frustrating for the Wrexham boss.
Wrexham essentially left themselves too much to do after a poor first half at Oakwell on New Year’s Day, with the Red Dragons trailing 2-0 at half-time and looking completely out of the game.
Phil Parkinson’s side put up a spirited fight back after the break, and in many ways, Wrexham perhaps didn’t deserve to lose the game in the end.
But, the Wrexham squad once again were exploited in one particular area that is now becoming a major issue for the team as they hunt for promotion.
Wrexham are leaking goals down the right side of defence
The problem is not necessarily that Wrexham are conceding goals — especially against a proficient outfit like Barnsley — but the big concern is that it is now becoming a pattern that they are leaking goals from the right side of their defence.
Both of Barnsley’s goals on Wednesday afternoon came from the Tykes’ attackers exploiting Wrexham’s defenders in that area, with Eoghan O’Connell’s calamitous mistake and Max Cleworth’s failure to stand up his man allowing Davis Keillor-Dunn and Adam Phillips to strike.
Wrexham knew about Barnsley’s key threats before the game, but it seems the Red Dragons should have been more focused on fixing their own problems, first.
That now makes it four goals out of the last five that have come down the right side of Wrexham’s defence, with Blackpool and Wigan also exploiting the same area.
The issue has been prevalent throughout December, in fact, and Wrexham are now five games without a clean sheet, largely because of this specific weakness.
Is Max Cleworth to blame, or does he need better protection?
It would be very easy to look at those facts and claim that Max Cleworth is simply not doing his job, but while he does need to take some of the blame, he is not the sole culprit.
As mentioned above, Eoghan O’Connell was completely at fault for Barnsley’s second goal, after coming across to the right side of the pitch and collapsing on the ball.
Before the Barnsley game, we have seen the likes of Ryan Barnett and George Dobson also produce errors in a similar area, and a lot of it comes down to hesitation and cross-communication.
Essentially, the key to fixing this problem does not need to be any drastic tactical change or for Cleworth to be dropped. No, it’s as simple as the team as a unit being more confident and decisive with their actions on the pitch, and communicating better to ensure Cleworth is not left stranded on the right.