Wrexham

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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."

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Wrexham Women romped into the quarter-finals of the Bute Energy Welsh Cup after hitting 10 goals past second-round opponents Felinheli.

In a game that began in torrential rain, Ava Suckley grabbed a brace of goals in the first half to put the visitors in control.

But the scoring floodgates opened after the break as Katie Sharp and Brooke Cairns both struck within six minutes of the restart to double the scoreline.

Rosie Hughes, Rebecca Pritchard and Amber Lightfoot all found the net before Sharp added a second to stretch Wrexham's lead to eight.

In the closing stages Hughes grabbed her second goal before Suckley fittingly rounded things off with her third for a deserved hat-trick.

Bute Energy Welsh Cup second round

North

Felinheli 0-10 Wrexham

Llandudno 0-6 The New Saints

NFA 0-8 Aberystwyth Town

South

Cardiff City 2-1 Cascade

Johnstown 0-3 Pontypridd United

Caldicot Town 2-2 Barry Town United (Barry win 4-2 pens)

Penydarren 1-11 Briton Ferry Llansawel

Carmarthen Town 0-3 Swansea City

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Elliot Lee says the Wrexham changing room is the best he has been involved in during his career.

The midfielder, 29, has been a pivotal figure under Phil Parkinson since moving to the Stok Racecourse from Luton Town in the summer of 2022.

Lee played a key role in the club's promotions from the National League and League Two and Wrexham are firmly in the mix to go up for a third season running.

"It's the best changing room I've ever been a part of," he said.

"The staff, players, everyone's together, they're just good honest people who want to work hard for each other and achieve success together.

"That's why we have been successful over the last couple of years."

He added: "When times aren't going well, we stick together. When times are going great, we keep our feet on the ground.

"We do that as a team, we've always done that."

Lee has scored four times in 14 League One appearances so far this season, with Parkinson's men sitting third ahead of their trip to Stockport County on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Lee says the environment throughout the club has been crucial to Wrexham's success so far under boss Parkinson.

"It's a great place to come into every day and train. I love playing for the club, I love going out there every day with these lads under the staff," added Lee.

"When you have that feeling, and I know I'm not the only one in there, when everyone's got that feeling, you work hard and enjoy coming in, going out on a Saturday and representing the club and the fans. I feel very lucky to be a part of this group."

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He may not have played a league game in over 18 months, but Wrexham goalkeeper Callum Burton is no rookie.

Burton is in line for a Wrexham league debut at Stockport County on Saturday after Phil Parkinon's first-choice in goal, Arthur Okonkwo, suffered a broken wrist.

Assuming he is picked ahead of veteran stopper Mark Howard, Burton will feature in a league game for the first time since helping Plymouth Argyle to victory at Port Vale in May 2023.

He made only two appearances for Argyle in 2023-24, both of which were in the EFL Cup, and was released at the end of the season.

Since signing for Wrexham in July, he has featured in four cup games, with his latest appearance at Port Vale in the EFL Trophy in midweek.

Burton was replaced at half-time at Vale Park by Howard, with Parkinson wanting to ensure he would be OK for the weekend.

A trip to sixth-placed Stockport is a big game to come into, but Burton has more than 100 career appearances to his name.

He had a spell playing regular League One football at Plymouth, having sampled League Two with Cambridge United and played in the National League for Chesterfield and Southport.

While the loss of Okonkwo is a blow to Wrexham, Parkinson will be hopeful that Burton can seize his chance to impress.

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Wrexham have an opportunity to make up ground – temporarily at least – in the race for promotion to the Championship this weekend.

Phil Parkinson's team go to Stockport County on Saturday hoping to build on last weekend's hard-fought victory over Mansfield Town.

Should they claim another win, Wrexham will move back into the automatic promotion places and to within a point of top spot.

That is because the leaders Wycombe Wanderers, as well as second-placed Birmingham City, have the weekend off after their fixtures were postponed because of international call-ups.

By Saturday night, Wycombe will have a game in hand on Wrexham and Birmingham will have played two fewer league fixtures than the Dragons.

Even so, an away triumph against sixth-placed Stockport would serve as a reminder to others at the top end of the division that Wrexham are serious contenders this season.

"It's a very tough league and there are a lot of good teams up there," said Ryan Barnett, one of Parkinson's star men this season.

"But we have so much confidence within the squad.

"We know we should be pushing up there because we have got that quality. All we can do is keep putting in performances week in, week out and see where we are at the end."

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Barnett says the mood within Wrexham's dressing room right now means the club's players cannot wait for each fixture to come around.

After mass alterations were made for the midweek EFL Trophy game at Port Vale, Parkinson is expected to revert to something close to the side which started against Mansfield.

Wrexham may not have been at their very best against the Stags, but found a way to win against another side in the promotion mix, courtesy of Barnett's first goal of the campaign.

After promotion in each of the last two seasons, Barnett says Wrexham know how to deliver results even when levels dip.

"You look at last season - there were a lot of times when we weren't at our best but we ground out those performances," he said.

"Those points can be massive come the end of the season."

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Wrexham lost a penalty shoot-out at Port Vale after a 1-1 draw in normal time but still clinched top spot in Northern Group B on goal difference, securing home advantage in the last 32 of the EFL Trophy.

Phil Parkinson's side came into the game already assured of a place in the knock-outs, while their hosts had also qualified going into the final round of group games.

Mo Faal has made his mark in the competition this season and the young striker saw his header parried by Vale goalkeeper Ben Amos, but at the other end Ruari Paton brought a good save out of Callum Burton.

Early in the second half Max Cleworth pounced from close range to put Wrexham ahead after being set up by Jon Bodvarsson.

Mark Howard had replaced Burton at half-time, making his 50th Wrexham appearance, and was soon in action as Vale attacked - saving Benicio Baker-Boaitey's shot as it arrowed towards the top corner, then getting to Jesse Debrah's header and a later Antwoine Hackford effort.

But with eight minutes of normal time remaining, Rico Richards connected with a left-wing cross to usher in a penalty shoot-out at Vale Park.

A draw in the group stage of the competition goes straight to a penalty shootout, with a bonus point awarded to the winner.

Amos starred for Vale, stopping spot-kicks from Anthony Forde, Seb Revan and Ollie Rathbone to win the shoot-out 3-1.

A hard-fought match was marred by the ejection of a spectator for alleged homophobic abuse, with Port Vale issuing a statement saying: "Tonight, the club once again expresses its anger and disappointment in the strongest possible terms, having taken action to eject an individual from the stands."