Wrexham

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Jack Marriott believes the fierce competition for places in Wrexham's squad has been a pivotal factor in their impressive start to the League One season.

Phil Parkinson's men beat Peterborough United 2-0 to move up to second in the table - with Jack Marriott scoring against his former club before Max Cleworth netted his second goal of the campaign to seal victory over the Posh.

And Marriott, 29, feels the squad depth Phil Parkinson has at his disposal combined with the determination of players to prove their worth on a weekly basis have been crucial to earning Wrexham 10 of the 12 points on offer so far this term.

"It's [squad] really strong. For every position we've got someone who can step in and put in a good performance for the team," Marriott told BBC Sport Wales.

"I think it keeps everyone on their toes, everyone wants to work for each other.

"The lads coming on, we all want to do our best for the team, whether that's coming off the bench or playing from the start, we're all fighting for the same goal.

"I think we've had a really tough start to the league and we're just going into every game with the work ethic and desire to put in a performance, and that's getting us results."

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Phil Parkinson believes his side's summer transfer window signings can help continue the "Wrexham story".

The Red Dragons brought in Mo Faal, Ollie Rathbone, Dan Scarr, Lewis Brunt, George Dobson, Seb Revan, Callum Burton and Arthur Okonkwo in the transfer market.

And Parkinson feels the additions will help Wrexham cope with the gruelling demands of the 2024-25 League One campaign.

"The transfer window is always a difficult one because some you miss out on, some you get," Parkinson said.

"I'm pleased with the people we've brought into the building to carry on this Wrexham story.

"When the games come thick and fast in the weeks to come, we'll make changes.

"We know we've got really good players to step in and we're enjoying working with the group and there's more to come from us."

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Wrexham's impressive start to the League One campaign continued with a 2-0 victory over Peterborough United.

Max Cleworth and Jack Marriott both netted against Darren Ferguson's side as the Red Dragons moved up to second in the table having claimed 10 points from the 12 on offer so far this season.

And boss Phil Parkinson could not hide his delight with the impact of his goal scorers against the Posh.

"Mulls [Paul Mullin] isn't quite ready yet, he's getting there, that's the best he's felt when he came on today, I felt he was so sharp," said Parkinson.

"Jack and Ollie [Palmer] have got the shirts at the moment, the other players have got to wrestle them away from them.

"It was a real quality goal, great movement from Jack and a good finish.

"I keep saying to the front two, what we're pleased with at the moment is their work for the team, and key moments come on the back of that, and that's why we're winning games at the start of the season."

Cleworth's headed effort in the 39th minute was his second goal of the season.

And boss Parkinson feels the 22-year-old has the ability to play at an even higher level than League One.

"I'm obviously pleased with Max, he's got all of the attributes to play at this level and above because he's so athletic and so calm," added Parkinson.

"He's adding goals to his game as well which we always knew was there.

"He's got such a great leap on him and he's very difficult to mark on set plays and that was a great finish."

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Sam Dalby has joined Dundee United on a season-long loan from League One side Wrexham AFC.

The 24-year-old has played for several sides, turning out for the likes of Leyton Orient, Woking, Southend, and Wrexham.

Announcing the deal, the club described him as "a confident finisher also adept at bringing team-mates into play".

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Wrexham’s next League One opponents Peterborough United are managed by Darren Ferguson.

Ferguson, son of ex-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, played for Wrexham between 1999 and 2007 and captained the Dragons.

He could have become Wrexham’s manager when Denis Smith was sacked in 2007 but instead began his managerial career with The Posh.

“Darren is obviously a very good manager,” Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson said.

“I’ve come across Darren a lot in my career and he's a great guy. He’s a good football man and is obviously steeped in football tradition with his family.

“He was a good player as Wrexham fans know and he’s gone on to do well in management.”

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Wrexham have made seven permanent signings during the summer.

Manager Phil Parkinson could add another name before the window closes while a few current members could be loaned out.

“Possibly one or two will be going and maybe the chance of one coming in. We’ll wait to see on that,” Parkinson told BBC Sport Wales.

“Like I’ve said before it’s got to be a carefully chosen addition to what we’ve got.

“The lads have had a good start, but equally we’re not getting carried away with that.

“There is budget to bring in another player if we feel the right player is there to compliment what we’ve got.

“If that happens then of course someone will go so there’s a couple of options for our players to go.”

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Elliot Lee says Wrexham players have a fight to wear the shirt each week given the strength in depth within Phil Parkinson's squad.

Lee has been a mainstay under Parkinson since joining the Dragons from Luton Town in 2022.

But the midfielder, 29, says no player can take their place in the team for granted given the options Parkinson has at his disposal.

“I think it shows the quality we have in the squad, some of the lads that didn’t even make the bench [against Reading last weekend]," he said.

"The competition for places is so high and that's how the manager wants it, he wants a really strong squad to attack this season and everyone's going to be used and that's the way we always do it.

"The lads that aren’t even in the team have always had the right attitude in the two years that I've been here, and that’s why there's been so much success.

"The manager is so good at bringing in the right characters and treating everyone very similarly.

"It’s such a strong squad and you have to fight for your shirt every week, but hopefully that brings positive performances."

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Elliot Lee is targeting a return to the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Awards after being named in the 2023-24 League Two team of the season alongside Wrexham team-mate Paul Mullin.

The pair played key roles as Phil Parkinson's men gained a second successive promotion last term.

Both players attended the PFA's ceremony at Manchester's Opera House earlier in August, and Lee hopes another impressive season with the Dragons could see him return to next year's edition of the awards.

"It was an incredible experience," he said.

"It was nice to do it with Mulls (Mullin) and nice to be nominated for the top six and be in the team of the season. It's a nice accolade for last season, but it's done now and it’s on to this season and hopefully we’ll be there again."

Lee was among the scorers as Wrexham beat Reading 3-0 in north Wales to maintain their unbeaten start to the League One season.

Mullin made his return from a back injury as a second-half substitute against the Royals.

“I know he's been working hard to get back fit and you can't rush back injuries, especially if you’ve had a bit of back surgery," said fellow forward Ollie Palmer.

"So it's great to have him back. He's a big part of Wrexham and the way we play and what he's done for the football club.

"It's fantastic to have him back and I'm sure there’s not anyone more happy than himself."

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Phil Parkinson says Wrexham will continue to scour the transfer market with a view to making further additions to his squad prior to Friday's deadline (23:00 BST).

The Red Dragons have brought in Seb Revan, Lewis Brunt, Dan Scarr, Callum Burton, George Dobson, Arthur Okonkwo and Ollie Rathbone since winning promotion from League Two.

And Parkinson admits there may be a few departures from the club in the latter stages of the summer transfer window in addition to potential incomings.

"We'll have a look at a few things," said Parkinson following his side's 3-0 victory over Reading.

"The lads are stepping up to the plate and I'm not getting carried away, if the right player becomes available, we'll obviously make a move.

"There's a few of our lads we feel need to go out on loan, so we're not thinking we've cracked it by any stretch of the imagination."

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Ollie Palmer says Wrexham will not get carried away after what has been a positive start to the League One campaign for Phil Parkinson's side.

The Red Dragons beat Reading 3-0 at the Racecourse to sit fourth in the table having collected seven of the first nine points on offer this term.

But immediately after his side's convincing victory over the Royals, Palmer admitted his full focus was already on Saturday's trip to Peterborough United (15:00 BST), and not on the club's impressive August so far.

“It’s a good start to the season but that's all it is, we are not going to get carried away and I know the coaching staff aren’t going to get carried away," said Palmer.

"Obviously, you'd rather a good start than a bad start, but three games in against three top League One teams that will be fighting at the right end of the table, that’s all it is.

"It's something for us to build on, we go back to training on Monday and look forward to Peterborough away."

In beating Ruben Selles' side in north Wales, Wrexham extended their run of scoring the most home league goals, 68, of any side in England's top four divisions since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign.

But Elliot Lee echoed Palmer's sentiments that the club will remain grounded after making their mark early on in the campaign.

“Everyone knows we had a bit of an unbelievable pre-season last season, but it was a bit disrupted and unorganised and that was probably the reason for a sloppy start to last season," said Lee.

"But this year we’ve had a brilliant pre-season, really organised and we’ve hit the ground running and we've had three great results.

"When teams come to this place, it’s hard on them. [Against Reading] I think everyone was at it and we felt it out there, at one with the fans, and we can make it really tough for teams coming here and that's what we'll do."

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Elliot Lee believes Wrexham have had a target on their back ever since the club was bought by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The Red Dragons have gained successive promotions under the Hollywood pair and have made an impressive start to the 2024-25 League One season, collecting seven of the nine points on offer so far.

Lee, who scored in his side's 3-0 triumph over Reading, believes boss Phil Parkinson has played a key role in keeping the squad grounded amid the noise surrounding owners Reynolds and McElhenney.

“I think they’ve [other teams] been trying to shoot us down for the two years I've been here and we've been successful both years," Lee said.

"The gaffer is very good at keeping all that noise that surrounds such a high profile club.

"He keeps it away from us and makes us work harder every day, keeps us humble and keeps the lads together. He hasn't brought in the wrong characters who will get carried away by anything like that."

Lee added: "We're always there to be shot down because of the owners, but it might be a little bit less this season because there's a lot of other big clubs in this league, so we'll take that in our stride and see."

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Phil Parkinson says Paul Mullin will undergo a "tough week" in training after making his return from injury in Wrexham's 3-0 win over Reading.

Mullin missed his side's opening three matches of the 2024-25 season due to a back injury.

But he featured as a second-half substitute as goals from Ollie Palmer, Elliot Lee and Andy Cannon earned Parkinson's side victory against the Royals.

And boss Parkinson says striker Mullin will be put through his paces in training ahead of Wrexham's trip to Peterborough United as he bids to return to full fitness.

"It was important to get Paul a little bit of game time," said Parkinson.

"It was never going to be more than that because he knows he's got work to do.

"It gives us another week with Mulls to really have a tough week with him on the training ground and see if he can go that step closer to being involved again next week."

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Phil Parkinson admits Wrexham enjoyed their 3-0 win over Reading even more due to the squad and staff's bond with supporters at the Racecourse.

Goals from Ollie Palmer, Elliot Lee and Andy Cannon earned the Red Dragons an emphatic win over the Royals in north Wales.

Victory means Wrexham have collected seven of the nine League One points on offer so far this season.

Parkinson's men also extended their run of scoring the most home league goals, 68, of any side in England's top four divisions since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign.

And Parkinson revelled in the occasion after his side secured a second home win from as many matches this season.

"It's a terrific atmosphere," he said of the Racecourse.

"There's a great connection from the stands with the players.

"I said to the lads at half time, 'you've got to really enjoy this, lads' because every tackle, every block, every time someone sprints back and every quality moment, the fans are right behind you.

"It's great, it really is. We enjoyed today."

It's been an unbeaten start to Wrexham's return to League One - and the fans have been impressed.

As Phil Parkinson's side look for a second Racecourse win of the season as they welcome Reading, we asked for your thoughts on the early days back in the third tier - and whether challenging at the top end of the table is out of the question.

Here's a selection of your comments.

Wes: I believe they will go up in the play offs - Hollywood script Part III

Rod: Pretty happy with the squad, think we need Paul Mullin back for the X-factor but Jack Marriott has been looking better this season. I think people are too quick to write off Ollie Palmer at this level; he still has a lot of assists and goals in him. We probably need to get two strikers out and one new striker in for us to challenge for play-offs.

Rich: We start games well, however second-half in games we seem to leak goals. The defence gets lost and we need to be more organised.

Mike: Owners, manager, players are pushing for as high as possible or actual promotion. The infrastructure isn’t there yet to sustain a Championship club, so we could go up but struggle to avoid coming straight back down. 10th to 15th would be lovely.

Tim: Consolidation. Most fans will settle for midtable; there seems to be a realisation this is a big step up. As for the owners, they want promotion ASAP which is a great mindset to have.

Mick: So far, so good. The new signings look to have improved an already League One-quality squad. Hopefully Paul Mullin is on the road to full fitness and returning to action soon. We can seriously challenge for play-offs, if not promotion.

Kev: Top 10 finish would be great for us Wrexham fans. Next year we can hopefully challenge to go up when we strengthen again.

Alec: Wrexham's biggest weakness the past three years has been its defence. This year it's much improved with a firm structure. Once Paul Mullin returns, League One better watch out!

Ian: I went to the Wycombe game and the crowd was like an extra man for Wrexham. Bolton away was hard but we handled the pressure with an excellent point. Play-offs at very least and promotion a big possibility.

John: They need another striker - or two - to support Mullin and, hopefully, Marriott. I think, sadly, that the league will prove too strong for us this year and we will fall short of the play-offs, but achieve an upper half finish. We need to be clinical at set pieces as we may get ‘out-footballed’ and need to take every chance we get.

Rich: The sky is the limit for Wrecsam. Realistically, a successful season will be a top ten finish with positive steps towards the Championship. But given the rapid progress, intent from the owners and recent signings there is no reason to believe that promotion is impossible!

Robert: Top half of the table (between 6 &10), but still shy a few offensive pieces. We are relying too much on some old/ageing players to have a serious chance for promotion this year. A few years of "seasoning" for younger players and a few more dollars spent on outside talent and the Reds will look like a contender in 2026-27.

Johnnie: The team is definitely showing its credentials but it's still early days yet. I hope that the team can make history which no other team has ever made: back-to-back-to back.

Rob: Will be happy top half / top eight this year; it's a season of consolidation, building and preparing for the next push up to the Championship. It may take a couple of seasons but, if that what it takes, I'd be happy with that.

Alun: It would be sensible to learn the difference between the higher leagues. Look for the top ten and pick up some higher-class players in the future. No sense in going up and going back down right away.

David: Not quite yet. They need another striker. Good result at Bolton but played it safe and were satisfied with a draw.

Andrew: Encouraging start....shown we can compete against teams who finished in the top half/play-offs last season. Just need Mullin back fit.

You can have your say after this weekend's game against Reading here, external

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Following last weekend's 0-0 draw at Bolton Wanderers - one of the clubs he previously managed - Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson comes up against another former club on Saturday.

Parkinson played for Reading between 1992 and 2003 and won the Second Division title with the Royals in 1994.

“I’m looking forward to another test for us against a club who have had financial problems,” Parkinson told BBC Sport Wales.

“But they’ve managed to keep everyone together and obviously the benefit of producing players from the academy.

“Even in the tough times they’ve been having, they’ve still managed to have that supply of players.

“They’re a decent side who have had a good start so we’ve got to go into it fully respectful, which we will do.

“But equally we’re looking to improve and maintain certain standards.”

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Jordan Davies was forced off the pitch through injury after just 12 minutes of Grimsby Town's 4-1 defeat at Notts County.

Davies was making his fourth appearance of the campaign for the Mariners after joining the League Two club on loan from Wrexham for the duration of the 2024-25 season.

But the Welshman sustained a hamstring injury and had to be substituted off the field against Notts County - with Grimsby boss David Artell confirming the former Wales under-19 international will undergo a scan to determine the extent of the issue.

"Obviously he's extremely upset, he's tweaked his hamstring," Artell told BBC Radio Humberside.

"That's probably the most disappointing thing tonight. We'll get him scanned and assessed and then we'll see what the prognosis is."

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, after sustaining the injury, Davies said: "The highs and lows of football all in a week, I’ll be back as soon and as strong as possible."

Davies, 26, featured for Grimsby against Fleetwood Town and Bradford City before scoring twice in a 3-2 win over Cheltenham Town.

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Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo hailed Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as "incredible owners" following the club's remarkable success since the duo took over the club.

Following back-to-back promotions, actors Reynolds and McElhenney were in attendance as Phil Parkinson's side beat Wycombe Wanderers 3-2 on Wrexham's return to League One on 10 August.

And having joined Wrexham on a permanent basis after being released by Arsenal in the summer, Okonkwo opened up on the impact of the Hollywood pair on the Racecourse dressing room.

"They're two incredible owners," he told BBC Radio Wales Sport.

"They were in the changing room with us before the (Wycombe) game. They're so involved.

"I've had the calls and the messages like some other players have said. It's just amazing, after the game to get a message from Ryan Reynolds saying 'well done' or a call from Rob.

"It's incredible to have those people supporting you. Normally it's a number from LA (Los Angeles) or with Ryan it can come as anything. You just don't know what to expect."

Okonkwo made 40 appearances in all competitions during his loan spell with Wrexham during the 2023-24 season.

And during a phone call with McElhenney prior to re-joining the club, Okonkwo overheard a fan urging the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star to sign the goalkeeper on a permanent deal.

"That is a true story," explained the goalkeeper.

"I was on the phone with him after the season, he called me to talk about the future before I'd signed. 

"I could hear the person saying 'sign Arthur Okonkwo'.

"It's amazing the support we have in America, especially in pre-season.

"We have more fans than I knew we had out there, it's always lovely to see."