Wrexham referee: Patience and belief are key to the club’s upward trajectory

Patience has been a key word used behind the scenes at Stok Cae Ras following a transfer window that saw 13 players join the club.

There were very encouraging signs from the start at Southampton, although an agonizing 2-1 loss to the Saints proved to be the start of the theme early on.

Wrexham had chances to extend their lead in the opening game of the season, Conor Coady and Ryan Hardy being among those who went close from Josh Windass’s early penalty – but they were punished harshly for failing to make those efforts as they conceded two late goals.

Depressing and disappointing results against West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield Wednesday and QPR – with a 2-0 win over Millwall being the biggest early bonus point.

There was also qualification to the fourth round of the EFL Cup – which saw victories over Hull City, Preston North End and Reading – for the first time since 1978, providing Parkinson with the platform to rotate his side.

As for the Championship, in stark contrast to Parkinson’s previous four seasons at the club, home form was an issue this time around as his side failed to win any of their first five league matches in North Wales.

Commenting on the team’s performance at home after his team’s win over Charlton, Parkinson said: “Especially at home, in those early matches we were chasing games almost in a bit of desperation to get that first win.”

Even after a disappointing 3-1 loss to QPR, the attacking data was very encouraging, with Wrexham showing they can create chances and score goals at level.

But the defensive side of things was deeply worrying, although improvements were gradually becoming apparent.

Speaking in mid-September, Parkinson said: “We’ve completely changed the team and there’s always a period at the start where things don’t quite go your way.”

Such is the case with scrutiny at Wrexham, where their slow start has always made headlines.

One media outlet claimed that Wrexham bosses had held talks over Parkinson’s future at the club, a report which non-executive director Sean Harvey described as an “absolute disgrace”.

The club has not looked back since that hot spot.