Parkinson looks to protect 'outstanding' James

Phil Parkinson says he must "protect" Matty James after the midfielder's impressive start to life at Wrexham.

James joined Wrexham in October having been a free agent since leaving Bristol City in the summer.

He made his first league start for the Dragons in last weekend's impressive win over Exeter City, playing 89 minutes, and kept his place for the midweek triumph over Lincoln City.

Parkinson admitted Wrexham's staff had to "think long and hard" whether to play James on Tuesday given that he has had little football since his Ashton Gate exit.

But the Wrexham boss felt they made the right call after the former Leicester City player impressed again as he played 72 minutes against the Imps.

"He said he felt OK and it was a huge performance from him - I thought he was outstanding," Parkinson said.

"We knew we'd have to bring him off because we don't want to get him injured - we need to protect him.

"But I thought his contribution was really good. He got stronger in the second half, he was dictating the game for us, not just with the ball but without it."

Wrexham have the weekend off after their early FA Cup exit, giving James a chance to rest up before they return to League One action with a home game against Barnsley next Tuesday.