Phil Parkinson highlights lost quality Wrexham must ‘rediscover’ in order for Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney to throw another promotion party

The Red Dragons were able to hold their nerve in the 2022-23 season when surging to a record-breaking National League title triumph. More of the same was expected 12 months on, with the support of Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney allowing a star-studded squad to be pieced together.

Parkinson has endured the first wobbles of his Wrexham reign in 2024, with the Red Dragons losing five of their last eight fixtures in all competitions – picking up just two wins along the way. They have slipped out of the top three in League Two once again, with the Welsh outfit unable to maintain the dominance that they have grown accustomed to enjoying.

Parkinson has told BBC Sport where his side is lacking at present, with a 1-0 defeat suffered at Gillingham last time out: “We did a lot of very good things but lacked that clinical edge in their box. We’ve got to rediscover that killer instinct. There were a couple of breakaways in the first half and other moments, but it’s the ruthless edge and the clinical nature of our game that was missing. You won’t get to dominate a game for 90 minutes. But when you have those periods, it’s important to get a goal and recently we haven’t done that as well as we previously have. We are passing when we should shoot and shooting when we should pass and I think we are maybe just a little bit desperate to find those key moments, but we will address that for our next game. Football is about taking those big moments, but we will stick together. Everyone must step up a little bit more.”

Wrexham’s away form has been holding them back, with only five wins collected from 17 games on the road. In contrast, they boast the best home record in the division and will be looking forward to getting back to SToK Racecourse next weekend following another midweek trip to struggling Forest Green Rovers.