Five Things We Learned From Wrexham’s Lackluster Draw With Watford

The Red Dragons were held to another draw as they played their first home match of the season against Watford.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac watched the draw vs. Watford. | Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images

Wrexham remain winless in the new Championship season after being held to a 1–1 draw by Watford at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday.

The visitors took an early lead when striker Luca Kjerrumgaard headed home from close range before Wrexham hit back through summer signing Danny Imray. The Red Dragons edged a closely contested encounter but could have few complaints about dropping points for the second time in a week, with both sides creating relatively few clear-cut chances.

Phil Parkinson’s men will be back in action next Friday when they host Birmingham City at the Racecourse Ground, where they will hope to avoid dropping points in three consecutive matches.

Here are the main talking points from Saturday’s draw with Watford.

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Slow Signings, Fast Impact

Imray scored his first Wrexham goal since signing from Crystal Palace. | Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images

Wrexham targeted quality over quantity in the summer transfer window, and that approach could yet pay off. Although there is frustration that only three players have been signed so far, the early signs from all three have been extremely encouraging.

Parkinson handed home debuts to Anthony Patterson, Imray and Ben Whiteman against Watford, and all three were among Wrexham’s standout performers. Patterson was steady in goal and commanded his area well, while Whiteman kept things ticking over neatly in the heart of midfield.

Imray was the star, though. He followed up his impressive display against Cardiff with another excellent performance, capping it with a cooly taken goal. He is evidence that, while it might take time to complete the club’s transfer business, the signings are proving worth the wait.

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Rock at the Back

Wrexham fell behind early on against Watford after a soft goal. | Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images

A few eyebrows were raised when it emerged that Wrexham wanted to sign another center back before the transfer deadline. Their draw with Watford provided a reminder of why.

Those talks are continuing in the final week of the window amid interest in Harry Souttar and Henrik Falchener. Parkinson wants a dominant central defender who can offer something different alongside Dom Hyam and deal with the most physical strikers in the division. Essentially, he wants a better version of Dan Scarr, who could leave before the deadline.

Hyam was excellent against Cardiff but struggled against the brute force of Kjerrumgaard. The Watford striker peeled away from him too easily for the opening goal and won the physical battle throughout the afternoon.

Wrexham regained control after the Danish forward was replaced in the second half. If they are going to achieve promotion, though, they need to become better equipped to handle this type of opposition.

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Blunt in Attack

Wrexham only managed three shots on target against Watford. | Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images

For the second time in a week, Wrexham dominated a Championship match against tough opposition. For the second time in a week, they had only a point to show for it.

Parkinson remains adamant that his side have enough firepower within the squad to start turning draws into wins, but the longer this trend continues, the more those concerns will grow.

The Red Dragons managed just three shots on target on Saturday, with Watford goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia rarely troubled after the equalizer. Wrexham cannot have too many complaints when they finished the match with an expected goals total of just 1.58, which underlined their failure to turn their territorial dominance into clear-cut opportunities.

Wrexham developed a knack for grinding out narrow wins last season, with 13 of their 22 victories coming by a one-goal margin. They could have added another two wins to that tally this week, but they fell short in key moments.

Parkinson won’t want to get carried away after just two matches, but Wrexham have already dropped four points in what is expected to be a fiercely competitive playoff race.

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Midfield Magician

O'Brien was the star performer for Wrexham in his revised midfield role. | Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images

If Wrexham want to focus on the positives, they can point to Lewis O’Brien as an encouraging sign for the season ahead. The 27-year-old has impressed in a central midfield role throughout the summer and was again one of the standout performers against Watford.

O’Brien had more touches than any other player (89), completed 92% of his passes and created two chances for his side. He also wasn’t afraid to do the dirty work, recording six defensive contributions and six recoveries.

If Wrexham are to fulfill their ambitions this season, they need to get the best out of their midfield magician.

The problem is that a lack of attacking midfield cover forced O’Brien further forward in the closing stages. He missed a big chance to win the match when he headed over the bar from a position he wouldn’t normally occupy, but that shouldn’t detract from another excellent performance.

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Back to the Drawing Board

Wrexham have already drawn both matches this season. | Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images

Rob Mac once said that some draws feel like wins and some draws feel like defeats. Wrexham's stalemate with Watford very much felt like a draw.

There were few chances for either side to win the match, and ultimately there could be no complaints about a point apiece.

Parkinson was quick to point out that Wrexham had lost both of their opening matches at this stage last season. The positive spin is that they are two points better off and still unbeaten.

That will only matter, though, if they can follow it up with a win over Birmingham City next week. Five points from the opening three matches would be a respectable return; anything less will increase the pressure ahead of difficult trips to Millwall and Swansea City early next month.

Wrexham drew 14 Championship matches last season. They have already drawn both of their games this campaign.

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