There’s Hope for Wrexham: Six Times Red Dragons Bounced Back Under Phil Parkinson

The Red Dragons need a response against Southampton after being smashed by West Ham.

Phil Parkinson is under fresh pressure as Wrexham manager. | Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images

Wrexham were emphatically downed by West Ham United, but they are still not out for the count. If there is one club that knows about defying the odds in the face of adversity, it is the Red Dragons, with Phil Parkinson well-versed in getting back to his feet when it seems he has been dealt a knockout blow.

Parkinson’s men have won just one of their first seven Championship matches this season, while the 6–0 hammering was the biggest defeat they have suffered during his reign. He admitted his side was “well and truly beaten” at the London Stadium and that they “have to take the criticism,” with a huge improvement demanded against Southampton this weekend.

It is just three years ago this month that Wrexham lost 5–0 away to Stockport County. At the end of that season, they earned promotion. While the challenge is certainly harder this time around, there is great evidence of the Red Dragons bouncing back under Parkinson before.

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A Slow Start in the National League

Wrexham endured a slow start to life under Phil Parkinson five years ago. | Jacques Feeney/Getty Images

It might seem like a lifetime ago, but Wrexham’s start to life under Parkinson didn’t exactly go according to plan either. The Red Dragons won just four of their first 12 league matches in the 2021–22 National League season as a new group took time to gel and get used to their new tactical approach.

Having been tipped for promotion, the Red Dragons were 12th in the table after 10 matches, while Stockport County sat in 10th. After a defeat to Notts County on Jan. 2, Wrexham lost just one of their next 16 league matches as they surged up the table, dragged themselves back into an unlikely title race and reached the FA Trophy final.

They ultimately fell short the first time around, but they would soon reap the rewards of sticking with Parkinson through those testing early months in charge.

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Not a Very Good Friday

Wrexham lost 3-1 to Halifax Town on Good Friday in 2023. | Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

The stakes were much higher during Wrexham’s second season under Parkinson as they went head-to-head with Notts County in a tense title race. With only one automatic promotion spot available from the National League, every dropped point felt like a defeat, and room for error was limited.

With just six points left to play for in the league season, the Red Dragons traveled to Halifax on Good Friday as they looked to keep pace with their title rivals. Wrexham were on a 28-match unbeaten run in the National League, which came crashing down as they lost 3–1 in Yorkshire and dropped to second in the table behind Notts County on goal difference, with both teams on 100 points.

Even with a game in hand, it felt like Wrexham had inconceivably blown their chance at the title. Three days later, they produced a dramatic 3–2 victory over Notts County at the Racecourse Ground to take back control of the promotion race and wrapped up the title with a match to spare.

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Welcome Back to the EFL

Wrexham were hammered by MK Dons in their first match back in the EFL since 2008. | Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images

Wrexham returned to the English Football League full of confidence before they were quickly brought back down to earth with a 5–3 home defeat to MK Dons on the opening day.

The Red Dragons won just one of their first five matches of the new season, as questions were quickly asked of the manager once again. Meanwhile, National League promotion hero Ben Foster reversed his retirement decision after being at fault for many of their goals.

Wrexham steadied the ship before a 5–0 defeat away at Stockport knocked down the new foundations, but they responded with an eight-match unbeaten run and lost only one of their next 14 matches in League Two.

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Three in a Row

Wrexham have only lost three league matches in a row once under Phil Parkinson. | Athena Pictures/Getty Images

Before they went on to achieve back-to-back-to-back promotions, Wrexham only once suffered three consecutive league defeats under Parkinson. Just four months after that devastating defeat to Stockport, their revived promotion hopes were dealt another huge blow when they lost to Newport County, Salford City and Bradford City in succession.

Wrexham slipped down to fifth in the League Two table after that run of three defeats, with the Bradford loss in Feb. 2024 marking the first time they had failed to score at home since Nov. 2021.

Although they lost three of their next 12 league matches, Parkinson’s men hit their stride, winning seven of their final eight matches as they finished second in League Two and secured their second straight promotion.

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Draws That Felt Like Defeats

It looked like Wrexham had dropped some costly points in the final weeks of the League One season. | Cody Froggatt/PA Images via Getty Images

Wrexham were much steadier upon promotion to League One, with their only troubled spell coming at the start of 2025 when they won just one of five matches, including defeats to Barnsley, Shrewsbury Town and Stevenage.

The Red Dragons found their feet again, losing only two of their last 18 matches and bouncing back from each of them with impressive wins that put them back in contention for automatic promotion. However, it all looked in vain when they drew against Cambridge United, Wigan Athletic and Bristol Rovers to slip down to third and put Wycombe Wanderers back in the driver’s seat with only three matches left in the season.

Wrexham had the much tougher matches on paper but responded in style, with famous wins over Blackpool and Charlton Athletic allowing them to wrestle back control and achieve a third successive promotion with a game to spare.

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This Time Last Year

Wrexham bounced back from an equally slow start in the Championship last season. | Cody Froggatt/PA Images via Getty Images

The most recent reminder for patience came last season, when Wrexham put a poor start to their Championship campaign behind them to secure the highest finish in the club’s 162-year history and finish narrowly short of the playoffs.

Wrexham won just two of their opening 10 matches of the new season and didn’t win at home until their sixth attempt, although they are currently one point behind their tally from this stage a year ago. A nine-match unbeaten run was followed by a five-match winless streak before the Red Dragons went on an impressive four-match winning run, finding momentum at a crucial time.

Even after damaging defeats to Southampton and Birmingham in April, it looked like any promotion hopes had vanished before two more wins put them back into the playoff picture ahead of the final day. Although they finished just one point from the playoffs, it was quite remarkable that they ever clawed their way back into contention in the first place.

Parkinson will hope to lead his team on a similar path in 2026–27, one that this time at least ends with a top-six finish.

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