Phil Parkinson promise to take Wrexham AFC to the next level

Ryan Reynolds names Phil Parkinson’s ‘most impressive’ trait as Wrexham owner makes ‘rising to the occasion’ comment

WrexhamPhil ParkinsonLeague Two

Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds has revealed what he has been “most impressed” with during Phil Parkinson’s reign as Red Dragons boss.

Parkinson led Wrexham to National League trophy

The 56-year-old English coach is somewhat of an icon thanks to the infamous ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary, but his importance to the Welsh outfit cannot be understated. Parkinson successfully led the Red Dragons to the National League title last term as they ended their 15-year hiatus from the Football League. And Reynolds has pointed towards the manager’s ability to strengthen the squad’s mentality, highlighting their increased “resilience” in particular.

The Wrexham owner told theYours Mine Away Podcast, which is hosted by Red Dragons ‘keeper Mark Howard: “We are doing very well but I don’t count any of those chickens until they’ve hatched. That’s what’s so crazy about this sport. One of the things that’s most impressed me is about how Phil has made this club so resilient. You lose players to injury for large swathes of time and there’s always somebody who can step in who is as good, sometimes better – rising to the occasion.”

Parkinson has certainly had to face more challenges since the club’s promotion to League Two. Veteran goalkeeper Ben Foster announced his retirement just four games in the new season, while Wrexham’s rise to prominence has seen two stars in James McClean and Jacob Mendy miss crucial games through international call-ups. Those elements coupled with injuries to star players such as Paul Mullin make their fourth-placed League Two standing all the more impressive.

That said, Parkinson’s side have been on a torrid run of late. Defeat to local rivals Newport on January 20 was followed by a 4-1 drubbing in the FA Cup by Blackburn nine days later. Wrexham fell to two league defeats in a row on Saturday after a 3-1 loss to Salford City and will want to bounce back against Bradford on February 10.