Wrexham’s Premier League Push Takes a Hit With Frustrating Draw

The Red Dragons dropped points in their second consecutive league match.

Phil Parkinson saw his side squander a glorious opportunity. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Wrexham coughed up a late lead against Leicester City on Tuesday evening and were forced to settle for a disappointing 1–1 draw with the Foxes.

The Red Dragons were just minutes away from claiming all three points after a hard-fought night at the STōK Cae Ras. Lewis O’Brien had broken the deadlock on a rainy night in North Wales with what looked to be the game’s only goal in the 63rd minute.

Yet the midfielder saw his strike cancelled out in the 90th minute when Jannik Vestergaard brought the visitors level, silencing the sea of red shirts in the crowd. Neither side could find a winner in stoppage time, and when the final whistle sounded, it was shared points for Wrexham and Leicester City.

Phil Parkinson’s men have now failed to win their last two league matches, earning just one point of a possible six. Tuesday night’s draw comes just three days after the club suffered a 2–1 defeat to Norwich City. Both lacklustre results unfolded in front of a home crowd.

The pressure will be on Wrexham to bounce back fast, with a trip to Loftus Road coming at the weekend. Anything other than a win on Saturday could knock the Red Dragons out of the top 10 in the Championship standings.

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Wrexham Standings: EFL Championship Table After 28 Games

Wrexham are hoping to earn a spot in the Premier League next season. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Place	Team	Points	Games Played
1	Coventry	58	28
2	Ipswich Town	50	27
3	Middlesbrough	49	27
4	Hull City	47	27
5	Millwall	46	28
6	Preston	43	28
7	Stoke City	41	27
8	Watford	41	26
9	Wrexham	41	28
10	Derby	41	28

Despite dropping points on Tuesday, Wrexham improved their place in the standings from 10th to ninth. The Red Dragons inched past Bristol City in the table after Gerhard Struber’s men suffered a 2–0 defeat to Ipswich Town on Matchday 28.

The oldest club in Wales are now level on 41 points with Stoke City, Watford and Derby County, though Stoke have a game in hand and Watford have two. The tally puts all four clubs just two points off the playoff spots.

Had Wrexham closed out their game against Leicester, they would have jumped to seventh in the standings with 43 points, level with Preston North End, who currently claim the final playoff spot as it stands.

Still, there are plenty of games left to be played for Parkinson’s men to crack the top 6 and secure their place at Wembley Stadium, where they could potentially fight for a spot in the Premier League next season.

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