The Key Issue Wrexham Must Fix in the New Championship Season—And Fast

The Red Dragons were held to a 1–1 draw by Burnley in the EFL Championship on Tuesday night.

Jacques Ekomie scored his second goal for Wrexham in the Burnley draw. | Carl Recine/Getty Images

Wrexham's wait for their first home win of the new season continued as they were held to a 1–1 draw by Burnley at the Racecourse Ground.

The Red Dragons have dreams of reaching the Premier League next season, and this week, they face two sides who played in the division last season and have parachute payments. If they are to beat West Ham United on Friday, they will have to give better than the disjointed performance that never really got anything going on Tuesday night.

Wrexham's three-successive promotions under Phil Parkinson were built on impressive home form, and they are going to need swift improvement if they are to add a fourth anytime soon. It was not until their sixth home match that they secured three points last season, a key factor in why they narrowly missed out on the playoffs.

They added seven players to their squad over the summer at a cost of $48 million, with Burnley defender Joe Worrall arriving on Deadline Day last week. He didn't get on the pitch against his former side, but could soon be thrust into the limelight following a concerning hamstring injury to Max Cleworth.

Worrall has been part of two promotion-winning sides to the Premier League and is well aware of the importance of winning at home.

“It starts with your home form,” he tells Sports Illustrated. “Speaking from my experience, home form has been tip-top, whether that has been Forest or Burnley. Your away form does matter, but at the same time, if you can pick up points and keep clean sheets at home, they are like gold dust.”

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Wrexham Take a Step Back in Burnley Draw

Wrexham can have no complaints after they were held to a draw by Burnley. | Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Parkinson's side looked to have turned a corner with its defensive work away from home last week, but regressed with another poor showing at the Racecourse Ground. The Wrexham manager reverted to the same lineup that thrashed Millwall 3–0 a week ago, and his side was more dangerous in attack, but lacked the defensive resilience it showed in the goalless draw with Swansea City last weekend.

At the moment, it feels like Wrexham must choose between attack and defense when selecting their lineup, seemingly incapable of striking the right balance when playing two matches a week. Yet, they will need both when they travel to the London Stadium this weekend.

Wrexham started Tuesday’s match strongly, with their biggest threat coming from set pieces as Kieffer Moore saw a close-range header impressively kept out by goalkeeper Max Weiss. The Red Dragons went close again when Josh Windass saw a near-post flick saved with ease, though the home side struggled to make their early dominance count.

Burnley might have started the season poorly, but they are still a team packed with talented individuals capable of producing defining moments. Wrexham were passive out of possession and were emphatically punished when Largie Ramazani picked up the ball in acres of space and slid a perfect pass through to Zeki Amdouni, who calmly finished beyond Anthony Patterson.

The goal took the wind out of Wrexham's sails, with Patterson soon called into action again to deny Amdouni a second as Burnley sensed blood and a morale-boosting three points.

The wait for a home win continues. | Dave Thompson/PA Images/Getty Images

Wrexham took a few minutes to find their feet again but struggled to break down their opponents with passive sequences. Their best chances came when they went long and direct.

Parkinson was not happy with what he saw in the first half and made changes at the break, with Ollie Rathbone and Callum O'Hare replacing Josh Windass and Lewis O'Brien. Both made an immediate impact as Wrexham took back control of the match and pinned Burnley back in their own half.

Wrexham's wingbacks were key to their success against Millwall it and linked up brilliantly again for the equalizer. Issa Kaboré whipped a cross into the box from the right, and Jacques Ekomié attacked the ball expertly to head home from close range and draw things level.

The scene was set for a frantic finale, but attacking quality went missing as the ball went from one side of the pitch to another. A draw was a fair result that neither side could really argue with, as Wrexham were unable to assert their dominance over a talented team that arrived in North Wales low on confidence.

In addition to dropping home matches, a key reason Wrexham eventually fell short in their playoff bid last season was the number of matches they drew. They were held to 14 in the Championship last season, with only four teams recording more. They have already drawn four of their first six matches this season, more than any other side in the division. In isolation, a point against a Burnley side that played in the Premier League last season is not a bad result, but there are already worrying similarities between this season and the last.

It was Oct. 22 when Wrexham secured their first home win last season. With high-flying Southampton the next visitors to North Wales, the Red Dragons will be adamant to ensure this season’s fate is different.

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