Wrexham’s Promotion Push Already Facing Early Reality Check After Birmingham Defeat

Wrexham’s winless start to the new season continued as they were beaten 2–1 by Birmingham City in the Hollywood derby at the Racecourse Ground.

The Red Dragons were off the pace from the start on Friday and had an early let-off when August Priske saw a close-range header cleared off the line by Ollie Rathbone. Birmingham deservedly took the lead when Phil Neumann headed in at the back post from Alex Cochrane’s corner, and it should have been two when Carlos Vicente raced through on goal and laid the ball off to Jay Stansfield, who unbelievably blazed over the bar with the entire goal at his mercy.

Wrexham finally showed some signs of life late in the first half when Danny Imray drilled a low effort at goal that was saved by Birmingham goalkeeper James Beadle. Phil Parkinson’s side improved after the break and drew level when Callum Doyle fired in from close range after an excellent cross from Lewis O’Brien.

It was only 10 minutes before Birmingham regained their lead though, when Neumann headed in again after some weak defending from a cross.

There could be no complaints at full-time as Wrexham suffered their first defeat of the season in what was their worst performance so far.

Central Issue

Phil Neumann (left) scores his sides second goal during the Sky Bet Championship match. — Wrexham conceded two soft goals against Birmingham. | Peter Byrne/PA Images/Getty Images

Wrexham are in the market for another center back before deadline day, and their defensive performance against Birmingham only amplified the need for reinforcement. Just as Watford wreaked havoc with their use of a physical target man last weekend, the Blues had great joy through the commanding presence of Priske in attack.

The Danish striker should have scored from an early corner routine, which set the tone for the rest of the match, while he gave Wrexham captain Dom Hyam a torrid time with his physicality throughout the afternoon. It was telling that substitute defender Dan Scarr was giving instructions to his teammates at halftime but was not then called upon when the defense needed his physicality.

It was not only in attack that Birmingham flexed their muscles, with defensive duo Neumann and Christoph Klarer proving equally dominant at the other end. Neumann won three of his aerial duels, while Klarer won all eight of his. Kieffer Moore cut a frustrated figure against a defense that largely nullified his strengths.

After already having bids rejected for Norway international Henrik Falchener, a move now looks less likely after Viking qualified for the Champions League. It might be difficult to convince him to give up matches against Atlético Madrid and Bayern Munich for trips to face Blackburn and Bolton instead.

Leicester City defender Harry Souttar remains on Wrexham’s radar, and with just four days of the window remaining, he has become a more attractive prospect despite his worrying injury record. After making only two appearances last season, he could still be a useful addition to the Wrexham squad if he is managed carefully. The problem is that Wrexham appear to need him more urgently than that.

A Lack of Support

Phil Neumann of Birmingham City and Kieffer Moore of Wrexham compete for the ball. — Kieffer Moore had little support against Birmingham City. | Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The other position Wrexham would like to reinforce in the final days of the window is attacking midfield. Although the Red Dragons were boosted by the return of talisman Josh Windass in the closing stages against Birmingham, they remain over-reliant on his creativity to get them out of difficult situations.

Nathan Broadhead continued his lackluster start to the season with another tame display in attack, while Ollie Rathbone worked hard but is still not a natural fit in the role at this level. Both can form part of a wider squad, but Wrexham need more reliable options if they are serious about their immediate Premier League ambitions.

Wrexham will come up against dream addition Femi Azeez when they face table-topping Millwall midweek, with the match coming one day after the transfer window closes. Birmingham are also believed to have tabled a bid for Ipswich Town ace Anis Mehmeti, who appears reluctant to drop down to the Championship this summer.

If Mehmeti watched Friday night’s match, Wrexham will have to make quite the sales pitch to convince him to choose them over their opponents.

Callum Doyle Is Premier League-Bound

Callum Doyle of Wrexham celebrates his goal to make it 1-1 vs. Birmingham City. — Callum Doyle gave Wrexham hope with his goal against Birmingham City. | Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images

This time next year, Callum Doyle should be playing in the Premier League. Those packed inside the Racecourse Ground on Friday night will hope it is with Wrexham. At just 22 years old, he already has 200 competitive appearances under his belt and is one of the leaders of this Wrexham squad, through his attitude as much as his ability.

Doyle was named in the Championship Team of the Season during his debut campaign in North Wales, while he also won the club’s Young Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards. It is not only the supporters who appreciate the unique talents of the former Manchester City academy star.

It was no different against Birmingham, where Doyle was not only the best of Wrexham’s backline but also one of their biggest attacking threats. He relished the attacking freedom afforded to him by Ekomie at left wingback and got forward whenever he could, always looking to drive with the ball at his feet or attempt a risky pass that many of his teammates appeared reluctant to take.

Those moments are a reminder that Doyle is not the finished article, but he is clearly an extremely talented central defender with ambitions of playing at the very top. Wrexham certainly harbor those same ambitions. Now they need to match them before Doyle outgrows them.

The Winless Start Continues

Ben Whiteman dejected after the Sky Bet Championship 2026/27 match between Wrexham and Birmingham City. — Wrexham can have no complaints about their home defeat to Birmingham. | Jan Kruger/Getty Images

No team can win promotion in August, but a team can dent its hopes of achieving it by May with a poor start to the season. Wrexham can argue they were the better side in their previous draws against Cardiff City and Watford, but there can be no excuses after a deserved defeat at the hands of Birmingham.

It means Parkinson’s side has taken just two points from a possible nine during its opening three matches of the campaign, a run that has exposed more negatives than positives and raised questions about their readiness for the grueling season ahead.

Wrexham’s three recent promotion campaigns were built on the back of a formidable home record at the Racecourse Ground, and the challenges don’t get any easier, with Burnley and Southampton the next visitors before the international break. Regardless of where it comes from, the Red Dragons need to find a win somewhere soon.

Mind you, they are still one point better off than they were at this stage last season, when they had drawn one and lost two of their opening three matches. Their first win eventually came away at Millwall in the fourth match of their Championship campaign.

Next up, they return to The Den on Wednesday night.

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