Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson hopes his team can overcome an unusual statistical trend that often affects Championship clubs in the season after they narrowly miss out on the play-offs.
Championship History and Current Standing
Over the past 15 seasons in the second tier, only one team has managed a top-half finish in the year following a seventh-place finish, when Middlesbrough placed fourth during the 2022-23 campaign. Wrexham secured seventh place last term, marking the highest league finish in the club’s history, after missing out on the top six following a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough on the final day.
The Red Dragons currently occupy 17th position in the league standings, having secured 14 points from their opening 36 available this season. Speaking to BBC Sport, Parkinson acknowledged the historical difficulty for teams in this position, noting how other clubs like Derby have also struggled after just missing out.
“I think that there’s obviously a stat of teams who’ve been in the play-offs can find it tough, but you look at Derby, they just missed out as well, how they’ve struggled,” Parkinson said.
“Whether that [mental toughness] is a factor or not… Of course, as much as there was a pride that in our first season in the Championship we’d got to seventh, the highest position the club had ever finished, on the last day of the season there was an opportunity which slipped away from us,” he added. “But it’s up to us to buck the trend of that.”
Upcoming Fixtures and Club Anniversary
Despite their slow start to the current campaign, Wrexham have accumulated the exact same number of points at this stage as they did last year. Parkinson’s squad is looking to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat against Blackburn Rovers last weekend as they prepare to face Sheffield United away at Bramall Lane on Friday at 20:00 GMT.
The match against Sheffield United coincides closely with the five-year anniversary of co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney attending their first Wrexham fixture. The Hollywood duo watched the team lose 3-2 away at Maidenhead United in the National League back in October 2021.
Following three promotions and the club’s record-setting league finish since his appointment in the summer of 2021, Parkinson noted that facing high-profile opponents highlights the massive strides the club has taken during his time in charge.
“I think this week alone, it’s Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and Wolves – what a week for everyone connected with the club to look forward to,” Parkinson stated. “Five years ago, when Rob and Ryan came to Maidenhead away, that was an eventful game to say the least. It was a great introduction for them into the world of the National League. Then they came up at the weekend [for a draw with Torquay], which was a fantastic occasion for them to be at the Racecourse.”
