Wrexham Need This ’Major Talent' to Step Up—Even If It Upsets His Father

The Red Dragons begin the new Championship season against Cardiff City.

Wrexham have failed to score in their last three matches. | Carl Recine/Getty Images

It is set to be an emotional weekend for Nathan Broadhead.

Not only does it mark one year back at his boyhood club Wrexham, but a fierce clash against Cardiff City to kick off the new season will see the Welsh international tasked with carrying much of his team’s attacking responsibility.

A trip to the capital comes with even more pressure for Broadhead, as family bragging rights are on the line. His father, Mark, is a Cardiff fan, meaning he will have divided loyalties on Monday night.

Cardiff are back in the Championship with a point to prove after securing promotion from League One last season. It will be the first league meeting between the clubs since March 2002, although the Bluebirds ended that 21-year wait for a competitive meeting when they knocked Wrexham out of the Carabao Cup last season.

Before that game, Broadhead had revealed that he was hoping to draw Cardiff in the next round.

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National Pride at Stake

Broadhead has made 20 senior appearances for Wales. | Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

Supporters of both clubs will be quick to point out that this isn't technically a derby. For Wrexham, that term is reserved for Chester and Shrewsbury, while Cardiff's fiercest rivalries are with Swansea City and Newport County.

But national pride will certainly be on the line.

Wrexham, so often overlooked within Welsh soccer, are now the country's biggest attraction. Their remarkable rise has been watched with envy by the other Welsh clubs, and Cardiff will be desperate to put one over on the Red Dragons amid their return to the Championship.

It is only natural, then, that the Welsh contingent will take center stage.

Danny Ward and Kieffer Moore are expected to start on the bench at Cardiff City Stadium, while Broadhead should start in one of the attacking midfield roles. After a somewhat disappointing debut season following his then-club-record move last summer, a starring performance against Cardiff would be the perfect way to answer his critics.

“Broady has had a great preseason,” Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson tells Sports Illustrated. “He has come back in really good shape. I am so pleased with him. It was good to get him away with the team in preseason, and he is a major talent. He is such a talented player, and he is looking really good.”

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A Strong Second Season

Nathan Broadhead won promotion to the Premier League with Ipswich Town in 2024. | Molly Darlington/Getty Images

Broadhead recorded a respectable nine goals and five assists last season, although more was expected from the player who cost Wrexham an initial $10.17 million. The overall value of the deal could rise to a club-record $13.56 million if all of the performance-related add-ons are met.

The 28-year-old appeared to turn a corner when he scored three goals in five games during the spring, but a poor performance against Watford in March, substituted at halftime, changed the trajectory of his season.

Broadhead started just one of Wrexham's final eight matches, while Josh Windass came alive at exactly the right time. He scored seven goals in the final eight games to finish the campaign as the club's Player of the Year and establish himself as Parkinson's standout attacking option.

Nathan Broadhead 2025–2026 Championship Record

Metric	Value
Appearances	38
Starts	20
Goals	7
Assists	4
Shot accuracy	27%
Pass accuracy	82.6%
Crossing accuracy	30.8%
Dribble completion	44.7%

But with Windass sidelined by injury after missing the entire preseason schedule, Wrexham need someone else to step up during the opening weeks of the season.

Broadhead delivered one of his most convincing performances for the club in last week's Carabao Cup defeat to Middlesbrough, although that display came with an obvious caveat: Parkinson had openly described the game as an additional preseason fixture.

The real judgment begins now.

Competitive action brings greater praise when things go well, but far harsher criticism when they don't. Broadhead has another year of experience at Wrexham behind him, and the stage is set to show exactly why he can be the star man for both club and country.

Even if it means upsetting his dad for one night.

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