Wrexham

Portsmouth will look to end a tricky spell with a victory over Wrexham when the Welsh side make the trip to Fratton Park on Wednesday night (20:00 GMT).

Pompey are without a win in four league games, losing their past three successively.

However, Wrexham have begun to build momentum. Undefeated across their past three (W2 D1) to see them start to make an ascent up the table.

• This will be the first meeting between Portsmouth and Wrexham in any competition since 1986, when Pompey beat the Welsh side 4-1 on aggregate in the second round of the League Cup (2-1 away, 2-0 home).

• Wrexham won 1-0 on both of their first two trips to face Portsmouth in the Football League in 1977 and 1978, but did lose 3-0 on their most recent in September 1982 when led by Bobby Roberts.

• Portsmouth have lost their last two home league games, last losing three on the bounce at Fratton Park in March 2018 under Kenny Jackett.

• Wrexham are winless in their last three away league games (D2 L1), but the Dragons haven't gone four without victory on the road since they were promoted back to the Football League in 2023.

• Wrexham's Josh Windass has been directly involved in five goals in seven Football League appearances against Portsmouth, scoring once for Accrington Stanley and grabbing two goals and two assists for Sheffield Wednesday.

Image source, Rex Features

Dan Scarr believes Wrexham have a "good chance" of reaching the Championship play-offs this season as they look to extend their three-game unbeaten league run at Portsmouth tonight (20:00 GMT).

The Red Dragons have taken seven points from a possible nine since losing 1-0 at Stoke City, a run that has seen them move within striking distance of the second tier's top six.

And defender Scarr believes his side's performances against high-flyers Middlesbrough and Coventry City prove Wrexham can compete with the best in the division.

When asked if the squad believe they can challenge for a play-off berth, Scarr said: "One hundred percent. We've faced the top two sides in the league and we've had positive performances from them - I don't think we've got anything to fear.

"I think if we can try and stay solid, it'll give us a foundation to build from and if we start being even more clinical than we were on Friday night (against Coventry), I think we can have a good chance."

The defender added: "When you come into the league, there's a lot of good teams and good players so you always have to give the opposition a level of respect.

"But sometimes the game suits getting after the team we've played. The Friday night one, and probably Middlesbrough as well, suited that - that's what we needed to do."

Scarr has had to be patient for game time this season, with the 30-year-old's start against Coventry being his first in the league this term.

But the centre-back admits the increased competition for places has helped to lift the levels at the club.

"We've signed some really good players all over the pitch, they've all been good additions," he added.

"Defensive-wise, we've got a lot of good, solid defenders which is good competition.

"It can be frustrating at times on a personal note for everyone who's not involved because everyone wants to play every game.

"But I think you need that level of competition, that's what makes you train hard, stay hungry and ready for when you're called on."

Kieffer Moore's perfect hat-trick helped Wrexham inflict Coventry's first loss of the season on Friday night.

It was a memorable night under the lights for Phil Parkinson's side, which co-owner Rob McElhenney saying the atmosphere "made a massive difference" to the side.

He posted on social media : "Having spoken to Phil and a lot of the players it's abundantly clear that the support they received against Coventry made a massive difference.

"It's hard to be that loud and positive, every game for 90+ min over an entire season. But I thought it worth mentioning that when the Racecourse is rocking, anything is possible.

"This is your team. We're all invited and honored to be a part of it. Support them in whatever way brings you joy but know that for sure, you are making a difference in their success."

What do you make of Rob Mac's post? Do you think anything needs changing to the home atmosphere?

Have your say here

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Elliot Lee will be sidelined for 12 weeks having undergone knee surgery as Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson hopes to have Danny Ward available by Christmas.

Midfielder Lee has not played a single minute in the Championship this season, with his only minutes coming in the EFL Cup.

The 30-year-old - who played a pivotal role in each of Wrexham's three successive promotions under Parkinson - will now be sidelined until 2026 after a specialist determined he needed an operation on his knee.

"Elliot's has had an operation on his knee. He saw a specialist last week and they decided he needed an operation. He'll be out for 12 weeks unfortunately," confirmed the Wrexham boss.

"It gives him a chance to get that right. He tried to carry on with it but it got to a point where, last week, we sent him to get a second opinion and the specialist decided that, to get him right, he probably did need surgery, so he's had that."

Andy Cannon and Jay Rodriguez are also progressing well at present - with Parkinson adding that goalkeeper Ward could return from a shoulder injury in the latter stages of this year.

"Andy Cannon's making great progress. He's out on the training pitch with us, not joining in full training but it's good to see him out there," added Parkinson.

"Jay is still in the gym working hard and hopefully we can get him back out on the grass.

"Wardy, having an injury like that, the healing process takes the time expected, there's no way you can shave time off that.

"But Wardy's a great lad to have around. Even when he's not involved, he's always offering words of encouragement and he'll be back hopefully by Christmas time."

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Parkinson will welcome Callum Doyle back to his Wrexham squad for Wednesday night's contest with Portsmouth (20:00 GMT).

The centre-back has missed his side's last three games after being sent off during Wrexham's 1-0 victory over Oxford United at the Stok Cae Ras on 22 October.

"Callum's had a good 10 days of training. When you get suspended, all you can do is utilise that period. He's worked very hard," said Parkinson.

The manager also confirmed Ryan Barnett is available to feature against John Mousinho's side having been left out of the matchday squad for the 3-2 win against league leaders Coventry City on Friday night.

"We had a good chat with Barney this week because he was disappointed with how he played against Cardiff," said Parkinson.

"We want to get that positivity back with Barney because he's a very dangerous attacking player. He's had a bit of time to reflect.

"It was the first time he's not been involved in a squad, but I want him to use that as a motivator.

"His game is about getting the opposition players on the back foot with his pace and trickery. He's been an important player for us in the past and he'll continue to be so."

Unbeaten leaders Coventry go in search of a club record seventh straight win as they kick-off the Championship weekend with a Friday night trip to Wrexham (20:00 GMT).

The Sky Blues are three points ahead of second-placed Middlesbrough and with a goal difference of +25 after 12 games - more than double any other side in the division.

The Red Dragons drew 1-1 at Boro last Saturday to make it four points from their past two games and climb to 16th, five points clear of the drop-zone, though they did go down 2-1 at home to Cardiff in the EFL Cup fourth round on Tuesday night.

• This will be the first league meeting between Wrexham and Coventry City since February 1964, a third tier match which ended 1-1 between the two sides.

• Coventry City have won five of their eight league games against Wrexham in club history (D1 L2), scoring 3+ goals in four of those five victories.

• Wrexham have won just one of their six home league games so far this season (D3 L2), though that sole victory did come last time out at the Stok Cae Ras, beating Oxford United 1-0.

• Coventry remain unbeaten after 12 matches in the Championship this season (W8 D4), only the second time that they've reached this stage of a campaign without defeat after 1937-38 (first 15).

• Brandon Thomas-Asante is the Championship's top scorer so far this season with nine goals, one ahead of teammate Haji Wright; the last Coventry player to reach double figures for league goals prior to matchday 15 was Callum Wilson in the 2013-14 League One campaign who did so after 11 games.

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Dom Hyam opened up on the talk that boss Phil Parkinson gave to the Wrexham players in the aftermath of last weekend's 1-1 draw with promotion-chasing Middlesbrough.

Hayden Hackney's late header cancelled out Josh Windass' first-half opener as the points were shared at the Riverside Stadium.

And defender Hyam revealed Parkinson was determined to emphasise the remarkable nature of the journey the club has been on over recent years in the aftermath of the draw with Boro.

"He (Parkinson) was straight in the dressing room after," Hyam told BBC Sport Wales.

"We were disappointed to drop points and he just said it shows how far the club has come, that we've come away disappointed from the Riverside having only got a draw.

"We're an ambitious group and we want to win and get points from every game, but we know the games are hard so we'll take a point from there and move on."

Hyam will line up against his former employers Coventry City tonight as Wrexham look to cause a shock by ending the Sky Blues' unbeaten start to the Championship season.

And the 29-year-old feels Wrexham can take confidence from their draw with Middlesbrough for the visit of the league leaders.

"They're (Coventry) high-flying and playing with a lot of confidence," added Hyam.

"It's our job to make it difficult for them to come here and play their stuff.

"We go into it with confidence on the back of the Middlesbrough result and performance - we're confident going into the game with our league form that we can get something out of it."

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Ben Sheaf will be assessed before Wrexham's Championship fixture with the his former club Coventry City at the Stok Cae Ras on Friday (20:00 BST).

The 27-year-old midfielder has not featured for the Red Dragons since the 1-0 loss to Stoke City on 18 October due to a groin issue.

"Ben's getting there. We didn't play him on Tuesday [against Cardiff City] because he needed to train," Parkinson told BBC Sport Wales.

"We'll just assess him closer to kick-off, but we've got good options in the midfield area."

Ollie Rathbone made his long-awaited return to action against Cardiff in the fourth round of the EFL Cup in midweek after three months on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

"With Ollie, we made the changes at half-time, but he was always going to come off, maximum 60 minutes anyway. It was almost like a pre-season game for him, we've got to get him some minutes," explained Parkinson.

"He's trained really well to be fair to him, he's looked good. But it's hard to replicate the intensity of first-team football."

Having confirmed this week that defender Lewis Brunt has undergone surgery, Parkinson has been dealt another blow after it was confirmed midfielder Elliot Lee is likely to need a knee operation.

Discussing his side's long-term absentees, Parkinson said: "Andy [Cannon] is out on the training pitch every day working really hard.

"Jay [Rodriguez] is still in the gym frustrated to get back out working.

"Brunty had an operation this week, Elliot Lee is looking like he's going to have an operation on his knee as well.

"I'm not sure on the timescale of that one, it's a problem that's been troubling him for a while. It's been part and parcel, particularly for Jay and Andy, who have spent the whole season in rehab. But they'll appreciate it more when they're back."

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The Stok Cae Ras will host Wales Under-19s next month as part of the build-up to next summer's 2026 Uefa Men's U19s European Championship which will be held in north Wales.

November's mini-tournament will see Craig Knight's Wales side face Germany, USA and Japan.

Matches will be played at several venues across the north, including Denbigh Town's Central Park and the Hops and Barley Community Stadium in Rhyl.

Wrexham will host Wales' game against the USA on Saturday, 15 November.

The Stok Cae Ras – the world's oldest international football stadium still hosting international matches – will be among the north Wales venues for next summer's European Championship finals.

Image source, PA Media

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson says a gruelling playing schedule meant he was forced into making a raft of changes to his starting side as they tumbled out of the Carabao Cup.

This Friday's home game against Championship leaders Coventry City (20:00 GMT) will be Wrexham's fifth game in 14 days.

For Tuesday night's last-16 tie with Cardiff City, Parkinson made seven changes from Saturday's 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough in the Championship.

He was without defender Lewis Brunt with injury and Callum Doyle through suspension, although Ben Sheaf and Ollie Rathbone passed late fitness calls.

That saw Nathan Broadhead start up front alongside Sam Smith in a mostly untested strike partnership, with key forward Kieffer Moore named on the bench.

"We made a lot of changes and we did that in a big game, but I've got to protect the squad as well," Parkinson said.

"I had to utilise the squad [against Cardiff]; Brunty picked up an injury at the weekend, we had Callum suspended... but we still should have done better."

With League One side Cardiff leading at half-time through Yousef Salech's opener, Parkinson was forced into a triple substitution at the break - with Moore, Josh Windass and Matty James replacing Smith, Broadhead and Ollie Rathbone.

The changes worked as Moore grabbed a swift equaliser, only for Cardiff to respond through Will Fish to seal a 2-1 victory.

"We're very frustrated in the manner of the defeat," Parkinson added.

"We spoke to the lads prior to the game about what to expect, but we just weren't at the levels we needed to be.

"Their pressing forced us into hurried passes which gave the ball away cheaply, and the other side we were five yards off them which made it too easy for them to play.

"It's something we've done better in recent weeks, I think everyone who has seen us play will have seen that.

"But [against Cardiff] the structure and the press and the work and the intensity of winning the ball back wasn't where it needed to be."

Image source, Huw Evans Agency

Former Wales striker Iwan Roberts says Cardiff City thoroughly deserve to be in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup after outplaying hosts Wrexham on Tuesday night.

Goals from Yousef Salech and Will Fish, with Kieffer Moore having equalised for Wrexham, gave the League One Bluebirds a 2-1 victory against their Welsh rivals from the Championship.

"It was brilliant, there wasn't an empty seat in Stok Cae Ras," Roberts told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"I think over 1,000 Cardiff fans had made the journey from south Wales. There was a bit of banter going on north versus south as you'd expect.

"Cardiff were absolutely exceptional from the first whistle to the last - they played well at Burnley on the 20th of September [knocking out the Premier League side in the previous round].

"First half [at Wrexham] it was men versus boys. Wrexham, they just didn't know how to handle Cardiff. They got that good early start with the early goal from Yusef Salech.

"They could have had more in the first half. Rubin Colwill smashed a free-kick against the bar. Callum Burton produced an outstanding save from Cian Ashford.

"It could have been three at half-time, to be fair. Phil [Parkinson, Wrexham manager] went to his bench at the start of the second half, he brought on Josh Windass, Kieffer Moore and Matty James.

"A momentum change - they got that early goal to equalise, but I have to say, the way they responded and the composure that the young Cardiff lads showed after conceding that equaliser, it was great to see from a Cardiff point of view, and fully deserved.

"They had more shots, twice as many shots on target. I think they had three times as many corners as Wrexham. So no luck involved - fully deserved to go through to the quarter-finals."