Fans were treated to quite the spectacle at the Racecourse Ground on Tuesday night with a thrilling 3-3 draw against Hull City in the Carabao Cup before a penalty shootout triumph for the Red Dragons.
Despite looking to be out of the contest heading into the dying moments, it was none other than Ollie Palmer to the rescue for Wrexham with an unexpected brace for the forgotten man.
Fans were delighted with Palmer’s impact, naturally, but the truth is, many of them actually missed the goals after leaving the Racecourse Ground early with the game appearing to be out of reach for Wrexham.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the last few years, it’s that you should NEVER leave a Wrexham game before the final whistle, and Phil Parkinson’s men are reminding us of that now.
- READ MORE: Forget Ollie Palmer, his Wrexham teammate who topped three stats vs Hull City was outstanding
Wrexham love a late goal
Once again, Wrexham turned a game on its head with a late goal or two, continuing a pattern they’ve established over the course of the Parkinson era.
Last season alone, Wrexham picked up five wins by scoring goals in the final five minutes of games. It’s not an understatement to say that those ten extra points made all the difference in turning Wrexham’s play-off hopes into automatic promotion success.
In 2023/24, Wrexham also worked wonders in the dying moments of games. They rescued a point from a 5-3 deficit against Swindon Town with injury time goals from Elliot Lee and Jamie Jones at the start of that season.
| Statistic | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
| Goals scored in final five minutes | 15 | 7 |
| Extra points earned from late goals | 16 | 10 |
From there onwards, the Red Dragons turned five draws into victories with goals in the last five minutes of games, including a dramatic winner against League Two champions Stockport County on the final day.
They also bagged two more draws from losing positions, and even managed to turn around a 2-1 scoreline to pick up all three points after two late goals in a game against Salford City.
That’s another 16 points that wouldn’t have been won had Wrexham not kept going right until the final whistle.
Wrexham’s belief and never-say-die attitude could be key this season
Wrexham have already progressed in the Carabao Cup thanks to a couple of late goals this season. They also suffered defeat late on against Southampton last weekend, so we’d say it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that there will be more late goals to come this term for Wrexham, one way or another.
It’s hard to truly pin down why this happens so often for the Red Dragons, but it’s more than likely got something to do with the fact that the Wrexham squad is so dogged and determined. They never know when they’re beaten, and that’s a valuable trait to have in football.
The never-say-die attitude, which is largely instilled in the players by Phil Parkinson’s own drive and desire to win against the odds, has been a major factor in the past few years for Wrexham, and long may it continue.
They’ll be up against it in the Championship this season, facing better teams than they’ve faced in many, many years, and grinding out points will take everything Wrexham have got.
If they can push teams right to the final whistle, and pick up an extra handful of points along the way, it could well be the difference between Wrexham finishing in the bottom half of the table, and fulfilling that ambitious goal of chasing a play-off spot this season.