Parkinson seeks to reverse seventh-place slump as Wrexham prepare for Sheffield United
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson wants his side to defy a trend of Championship clubs struggling after finishing seventh, as the Red Dragons sit 17th ahead of a trip to Sheffield United.
Phil Parkinson has set his Wrexham side the target of defying an unusual pattern in the Championship, where teams that finish seventh tend to struggle the following season. Over the previous 15 second-tier campaigns, only one club managed a top-half finish in the year after ending up seventh, with Middlesbrough's fourth place in 2022-23 the lone exception.
Wrexham finished seventh last season, the highest league placing in the club's history, after a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough on the final day ended their push for a top-six spot. This term they sit 17th, having collected 14 points from the 36 available so far.
Parkinson acknowledged that narrowly missing the play-offs can take a toll. He pointed to Derby as another side that just missed out and has since found the going difficult. While he described pride in reaching seventh in the club's first Championship season, he noted the opportunity that slipped away on the final day, adding that it is up to his team to break the pattern.
Despite the slow start, Wrexham have the same number of points at this stage as they did last season. They will look to respond to last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers when they face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Friday at 20:00 GMT.
The fixture falls almost exactly five years after co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac attended their first Wrexham match, a 3-2 National League defeat at Maidenhead United in October 2021. Parkinson, appointed in summer 2021, has overseen three promotions and the club's highest-ever league finish, and he highlighted a demanding week featuring Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and Wolves as a sign of how far Wrexham have come.
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