Wrexham

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George Dobson feels the winning mentality created during Phil Parkinson's tenure as head coach has been pivotal to Wrexham's flying start in League One.

The north Wales side have gained back-to-back promotions under Parkinson and are firm contenders to go up to the Championship.

Indeed, Wrexham sit second in League One having won 10 of their opening 17 fixtures.

And Dobson credits his side's impressive form to the vast levels of experience Parkinson has at his disposal in the dressing room.

"It's a group of winners, the team is used to winning. When you've got that momentum, it's massive," explained Dobson.

"You look at the group, it's vastly experienced. There are players that have played higher, there's players that have played a lot of games at this level and just know how to win.

"We know if we stick to our game plan and if we're at it, more than not we'll win the game.

"There's a really high bar being set from Birmingham and Wycombe at the minute, but we can only focus on ourselves, and we're doing well so far."

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Ryan Barnett has been the standout wing-back in League One so far this season, according to his Wrexham team-mate George Dobson.

Barnett has been among the star performers for Phil Parkinson's side and was recently rewarded with a new contract that runs until the summer of 2027 - with Wrexham holding the option to extend the deal by a further 12 months.

Dobson also hailed Wrexham's ability to tie Barnett down to a long-term contract as a "statement of intent".

"I don't want to blow his trumpet too much, but he's probably the best crosser of a ball that I've played with," said Dobson.

"We just know if we can get him in good positions, he's going to create chances, and long may that continue.

"I'm not surprised [Dobson was offered a new deal], he's probably been the standout wing-back in the league this season.

"When we get the ball out wide, he puts in such fantastic crosses so it's a massive coup for the club to be able to keep him for a long time.

"I think it shows a statement of intent from the club to be able to keep your big assets."

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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.

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Matty James is keen to prove the "doubters" wrong by helping Wrexham to a third consecutive promotion this season.

The 33-year-old midfielder is on a short-term deal with Phil Parkinson's side until January after being released by Championship Bristol City.

Despite being vastly experienced, James believes age was a barrier when it came to finding a new club

"I want to prove people wrong. When I joined I had a lot of people who supported me, but a lot of doubters as well putting a bit of stigma on my age which I completely disagreed with," he said.

"I know my capabilities... I know how my body feels and I know what I can do."

After making two substitute appearances, James has started the last two games in the wins against Exeter City and Lincoln City.

Wrexham remain second in the League One table, and James hopes he has done enough to keep his place in the team.

"Just to be back out there playing is unbelievable for me. To be getting wins is also an amazing feeling," he said.

"It's everything I was fighting for during the months I was off.

"It's almost like a pre-season for me, but I'm playing at a high level and I'm doing as much as I can to recover between games.

"The motivation now is to stay in the team and win football matches.

"I'm grabbing this opportunity with both hands really, and trying to take the team to the next level."

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Former Wrexham defender Mark Creighton believes they can achieve an "astonishing" third successive promotion to reach the Championship next season.

Creighton was at the Stok Racecourse to see Phil Parkinson's side underline their credentials in a 1-0 League One win over Lincoln City on Tuesday night.

Wrexham needed a slice of fortune to hang on to second place, as Lincoln defender Tendayi Darikwa diverted James McClean's shot into his own net.

"The winning goal, as it turned out, had a little bit of luck to it but it was coming. We'd really started the second half very well - we applied a lot of pressure," Creighton told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"Lincoln were very, very good, you know, they came and they had a right go at us, but they were also very robust out of possession and made it difficult for us.

"But we kept hammering the door again. We've got James McClean, who was announced as man of the match. And you know, that could have been four or five or six players that got that last night for me, but he did what he did all night, kept putting that ball across the box, and at some point something goes for you. So it was a pleasing display."

Creighton said Wrexham had to be "robust" against a "tough team".

He added: "We had to be good in possession, we had to be good out of possession, and I think we ticked all the boxes. Last night might not have been pretty at all times, but we were certainly super-efficient."

Leaders Wycombe Wanderers and third-placed Birmingham City have games in hand over Wrexham.

But Creighton says Wrexham are capable of finding themselves in the Championship, English football's second tier.

"If that happens, it's not bad is it? I think it's absolutely astonishing, in all honesty, to go two promotions back to back and now are we dreaming of a third? Is there a chance of a third? I think there is, at the moment, from what we've seen so far," he said..

"Whilst we're not always pretty, we always seem to find a way to grind a result out, and that is a sign of a really good side. So if we can keep doing this… if you can get through the busy Christmas period and into the New Year, and you are still there or thereabouts, we've got a great chance.

"And that is astonishing to even say."

However, Wrexham's progress this season has taken Creighton aback.

Asked if he believed at the start of the season they could push for promotion, he replied: "I said 'no, I didn't' straight off the bat because we were almost running before we could walk, but we're still sprinting, which is brilliant for us."

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Lewis Brunt has spent much of this season watching Wrexham rather than playing for them, but has already seen enough to convince him that Phil Parkinson's side can compete for promotion.

Wrexham are second in League One after bouncing back from defeat at Stockport with an emphatic win over Exeter City over the weekend.

Next up for the Dragons are seventh-placed Lincoln City on Tuesday night – and Brunt says Wrexham believe they can compete with any opponent in the third tier.

"If you look at the squad we have got, some of the names in there and some of the players, it's just as good as anyone in the league," the centre-back said.

"Every single player can come in and put on a performance so it's no real shock to me where we are in the league."

Brunt made his full league debut for Wrexham against Exeter having been forced to wait for opportunities since signing from Leicester City in the summer.

The 24-year-old says he has been assured by boss Parkinson that he will have a big part to play at the Stok Racecourse.

Having impressed in the Exeter win, Brunt will hope to keep his place against a Lincoln side who saw a six-game unbeaten run end against leaders Wycombe last Saturday.

"There's no easy fixture in this league," Brunt added. "We know what we are up against but we will be right and ready."

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Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson will be looking to back up their 3-0 win at home to Exeter when they host Lincoln City at the Stok Racecourse on Tuesday.

The Imps are just a place outside the League One play-off spots, having lost 3-2 to leaders Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.

Wrexham are four points behind Wycombe in second, having played one game more.

"It could be a great game, Lincoln, because I saw them play while we were looking at Exeter," said Parkinson.

"They are a physical team, a bit different to Exeter, but we’ll be ready for that. We’ll dust the lads down, get them recovered."

Before Saturday, Wrexham had suffered a dip in form with a narrow win over Mansfield in between a draw at Charlton and defeat at Stockport County, as well as an FA Cup exit at Harrogate.

"We can’t wait to run out here again on Tuesday night," said Parkinson.

"It was important that we got back to a more consistent level of performance across the 90 minutes.

"Mansfield, periods of the game were good, but then there were other periods where we were sloppy in possession."

Parkinson, however, felt Saturday's display against Exeter was much closer to their best form.

"We had real control, that was very important for us to get back and put in a performance like we done earlier in the season, the Reading game, the Shrewsbury game, that was a similar type of performance today."

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Wrexham returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion on Saturday, putting three goals past a side with the best defensive record in League One.

Exeter City arrived at the Stok Racecourse having only conceded 10 goals all season, but leaked three with Max Cleworth, Ollie Palmer and Ollie Rathbone all heading home to push Wrexham into second place.

What was equally pleasing for manager Phil Parkinson was the clean sheet and full home debuts for the likes of Lewis Brunt, Matt Jones and goalkeeper Callum Burton.

"Matty, we know he is a class player, I’m really pleased for him," said Parkinson.

"He played at Port Vale in his first game for a while, he was great, he got cramp towards the end but that’s all that is."

Parkinson was also delighted for Brunt, who he says has "waited patiently for his chance".

"It’s always frustrating coming to a new club, but he did come to us with an injury so he was always a bit behind in pre-season, but we competed with clubs for his signature," Parkinson said.

"He’s trained hard, we’ve had a lot of chats with him about being a bit frustrated, but he’s handled it the right way and he’s done really well when he’s been called upon in the cup games and he took his chance so well."

Brunt joined Wrexham from Leicester City on a three-year deal after spending last season on loan at Mansfield Town.

"I’ve had to bide my time and be patient here, because of the lads doing so well," he said.

"But I’m always ready to play and hopefully I showed I am ready to keep playing.

"Every footballer just wants to play football so even to just get out on the pitch and show the fans what I can do is a good feeling."

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Ollie Rathbone feels Wrexham are fully deserving of their place in League One's top two given their performances so far this season.

Rathbone - who joined Phil Parkinson's side in a club-record deal from Rotherham United in August - scored his first goal for Wrexham in a 3-0 triumph over Exeter City on Saturday.

Victory against the Grecians lifted Wrexham to second in the table following Birmingham City's 3-2 loss at Shrewsbury Town.

And Rathbone feels Wrexham are proving they are serious promotion contenders having bounced back from defeat at Stockport County by securing a convincing win against an Exeter side who boasted the best defensive record in the division before the sides met at the Stok Racecourse.

"It's an exciting place to be, I'm really enjoying it," said Rathbone.

"The table doesn't lie, we're over a third of the way through the season and we're where we are on merit. I don't think it's a flash in the pan.

"There's no reason we can't continue and see where we are at the end of the season."

Rathbone's goal sealed victory over Exeter after early strikes from Max Cleworth and Ollie Palmer.

"If you want to be successful in this league, you've got to keep going, you can't just have little patches of form and performances," Rathbone added.

"You've really got to build them up and go on runs of winning games and collecting points.

"Good teams don't lose two in a row, you can't end up going into a dip, and I don't think we've done that at all this season."

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Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson reserved special praise for groundsman Paul Challoner and his staff following the 3-0 home win over Exeter City which saw them move up to second in League One.

Max Cleworth, Ollie Palmer and Ollie Rathbone scored the goals as Parkinson’s side maintained their unbeaten record at the Stok Racecourse this season.

Following heavy snow earlier in the week and the arrival of Storm Bert, the Wrexham groundstaff had their work cut out to ensure the game went ahead.

“Man of the match today was Chall the groundsman for me,” Parkinson said.

“The rain and snow we’ve had which was on the pitch - enormous credit to Chall and his team to get it in that good condition.

“They did brilliantly and that just doesn’t happen – he’s been working tirelessly to get that right and we’ve got to thank Chall and his staff today.”

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Midfielder Ollie Rathbone has backed Wrexham to bounce back against Exeter City on Saturday.

Wrexham lost 1-0 at Stockport County last Saturday, only their third defeat of the season in League One.

But Rathbone is confident of a positive response as the side look to maintain their position in the top three.

"That’s what good teams do - they bounce back," Rathbone told BBC Sport Wales.

"It’s a long season and you can’t always be at your best week in, week out but as long as you bounce back you should be in good stead come the end of the season.

"The club’s been super successful over the last couple of years so not used to losing and I imagine every defeat hurts that little bit more.

"But we’ll put that behind us now and put it to bed and crack on for the rest of the season.

"In the grand scheme of things we’re still in a very good position.

"We’ve had a really good start to the season not just with the results but with the performances, especially at home."

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Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo will not require surgery for a broken wrist, manager Phil Parkinson has confirmed.

Okonkwo, 23, suffered the injury in Wrexham’s 1-0 win over Mansfield Town on 9 November.

Up until then the former Arsenal youngster had been an ever-present between the posts for Wrexham in League One this season.

"The good news with the fracture is he doesn’t need an operation," Parkinson told BBC Sport Wales.

"Hopefully it’s just going to be the six weeks which is the minimum we thought it would be.

"While he’s out the other lads are enjoying their moment."

Callum Burton, a summer signing from Plymouth Argyle, played in goal in Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Stockport County.

Wrexham also have veteran Mark Howard and youngster Liam Hall on their books, while Luke McNicholas is on a season-long loan at Rochdale.

"The keeper department is strong," Parkinson added.

"You’re always one moment away from getting your opportunity.

"Callum, Mark Howard and young Liam have worked really hard. Every single day they’re right at it and are a great example.

"Callum’s played at this level before for Plymouth and he knows the division - he’s an experienced goalkeeper and so is Mark.

"Luke, who unfortunately is injured, but has done really well on loan at Rochdale."