Wrexham extended their winning streak to four games with a thrilling 2–1 victory over Derby County on Sunday afternoon, surging into the top half of the Championship table.
The Red Dragons put together a sublime festive period, defeating Sheffield United on Boxing Day, Preston North End on Dec. 29 and Blackburn Rovers on New Year’s Day to collect nine points in the span of seven days.
The hectic holiday schedule concluded with a trip to Pride Park Stadium at the weekend, where Phil Parkinson’s men got off to a bright start thanks to Sam Smith, who finished off Nathan Broadhead’s expert service to put the visitors up 1–0 in the 25th minute.
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Ben Brereton Díaz bagged an equaliser less than 10 minutes later, drawing groans from the travelling supporters. Clean sheets continue to be a problem for Wrexham, who have conceded at least one goal in eight of their last nine matches.
Yet Matthew James came to the rescue in the 48th minute, curling home a sensational strike from 25 yards out. The Welsh outfit protected its one-goal lead, much in part thanks to Arthur Okonkwo’s five saves, to go home with the victory.
|
Place |
Team |
Points |
Game Played |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Coventry |
52 |
26 |
|
2 |
Middlesbrough |
46 |
26 |
|
3 |
Ipswich Town |
44 |
25 |
|
4 |
Preston |
43 |
26 |
|
5 |
Millwall |
43 |
26 |
|
6 |
Watford |
41 |
25 |
|
7 |
Hull City |
41 |
25 |
|
8 |
Stoke City |
40 |
26 |
|
9 |
Wrexham |
40 |
26 |
|
10 |
Bristol City |
39 |
26 |
Wrexham now sit ninth in the table, level on 40 points with Stoke City. Suddenly, the Red Dragons find themselves just one point off the Championship playoff spots after their recent string of wins.
Watford and Hull City do each have a game in hand, but Parkinson’s squad is well within striking distance of sixth place regardless. After such a poor start to the season, Wrexham’s dreams of competing at Wembley Stadium for a place in the Premier League are coming into focus.
The oldest club in Wales also have a favourable schedule in the coming weeks, with Norwich City and Leicester City headed to the STōK Cae Ras next. Then, the Red Dragons face a tough test against QPR away from home, before taking on 24th place Sheffield Wednesday.
Wrexham would love nothing more than to continue their climb up the standings, but first, they must set their focus on an FA Cup bout with Nottingham Forest on Friday, Jan. 9.
