How did Wrexham contain ‘best in the league’ Josh Sargent? Phil Parkinson explains how Red Dragons kept USMNT striker quiet

Those inside the Wrexham camp have been quick to play down any talk of Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney considering a change in the dugout, but positive results were required after making a slow start to the 2025-26 campaign.

The Red Dragons returned to winning ways in Norfolk, having trailed at half-time, with Sargent’s considerable threat being extinguished. Parkinson said of keeping the United States international quiet: “We were up against probably the best striker in the league today in Josh Sargent. We did a lot of work on him, how we felt we had to deal with him. He’s a dangerous player but our concentration levels were good. There was a lot of fatigue out there eventually, as they tracked his runs, they got tight to him and limited a really good player to very little.”

Parkinson is pleased to have got another three points on the board, with Wrexham’s record-breaking promotion-winning coach calling for a sense of perspective. He said of competing with the Championship elite: “I wanted the lads to enjoy this game. Four years ago we were down this way and playing King’s Lynn away in front of 800 people. I want people to understand how far we have come.”

Wrexham have moved onto seven points from six games, with that return leaving them 15th in the table. They are, however, only three adrift of the play-off places and will be back in action on Tuesday when facing Reading in the Carabao Cup third round.