Wrexham Report Card vs. Stoke City: Pressure Cranked Up in Playoff Push

The Red Dragons secured an important win to keep their EFL Championship playoff dreams alive.

Phil Parkinson's side bounced back from consecutive defeats with an important win | Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images

Wrexham scored twice in the space of 69 seconds as they defeated Stoke City 2–0 on Saturday to record a hugely important win in their bid for an EFL Championship playoff position.

Phil Parkinson made four changes from the dismal defeat to Birmingham City, with key players Arthur Okonkwo and Max Cleworth both dropped, which saw experienced goalkeeper Danny Ward make his first start in any competition since August.

The Red Dragons started brightly and had an early penalty appeal turned away when Sam Smith went down under pressure inside the box. Stoke looked dangerous whenever they got the ball in advanced positions and went close when Lamine Cissé fired over the bar.

Wrexham soon settled into the match and made their dominance count after half an hour. Ollie Rathbone won a corner when his low effort was blocked on the line and George Thomason curled the set piece expertly into the far corner of the net.

Josh Windass claimed he got a touch on the opening goal. Still, there was no argument just 69 seconds later when he capitalized on a defensive mistake from defender Aaron Cresswell and finished beyond the onrushing Gavin Bavunu to double their lead.

Stoke began the second half as the better of the two sides and could have grabbed a goal back when Bae Jun-ho saw a fierce effort blocked by Dan Scarr in the box. Wrexham almost added a third when Smith headed over the bar after some brilliant buildup play between Thomason and Windass in what was a low-key second half.

Wrexham almost suffered a late scare when Cissé sent an effort against the bar in the 89th minute but held on to secure an important three points in their push for a playoff position on the same day Hull City were held to a 1–1 draw at home by Birmingham City.

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Wrexham's Winners and Losers

Josh Windass scored his 14th goal of the season as Wrexham defeated Stoke City | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Winner

Josh Windass returned to the starting lineup after he was dropped against Birmingham City and strengthened his case for the Player of the Season award with his 14th goal of the campaign.

The 32-year-old pulled the strings in the forward line and was at the heart of most of what his side did well against Stoke City. He does not always get the credit he deserves due to his laidback demeanour but this was a reminder of the incredible attacking talent he has to offer.

Loser

Arthur Okonkwo will have felt aggrieved after he lost his starting role in the Wrexham lineup and watched on as his replacement Danny Ward produced a calm and confident performance in goal. Ward started the first four matches of the season before he dislocated his elbow and his target will be to start the final four matches of the season as well.

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Wrexham Report Card vs. Stoke City (3-4-2-1)

A BIG THREE POINTS 🙌

🔴⚪ #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/Jn8qu9jPfG

— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) April 18, 2026

GK: Danny Ward—B+: Ward was the surprise selection in the Wrexham lineup and justified his place with a calm and confident performance. He was signed to be the first-choice goalkeeper last summer and this was evidence of why he arrived with such high hopes.

CB: Dom Hyam—B-: A steady return to the starting lineup. Hyam was assured under pressure in his unfamiliar right center back role. The Scotland international was a vocal leader in the backline and helped keep things tight.

CB: Dan Scarr—B+: Scarr produced a brilliant no-nonsense defensive performance in the heart of the Wrexham backline. He made a vital block to deny Bae in the box and headed away the resulting corner.

CB: Callum Doyle—C: A sloppy performance by his usual high standards. Doyle saw plenty of the ball but struggled to influence the game as well as we have come to expect during his debut season.

RWB: Issa Kaboré—C: Looked a threat whenever he got forward and drew a few dangerous fouls. He just didn’t see enough of the ball down the right wing in what was a rather quiet personal performance.

CM: Matty James—C-: James was steady in possession of the ball but often found himself bypassed in midfield due to a lack of mobility. He might still be lacking match fitness after his recent return from injury.

CM: George Dobson—B-: A huge improvement after an erratic performance against Birmingham City a week ago. Dobson harassed the Stoke midfield and effectively broke up play, giving his side control of the match.

LWB: George Thomason—A-: He defended well enough against Sorba Thomas and caused a threat on the counter-attack. Thomason opened the scoring with a spectacular corner kick—the second time this season he has scored directly from one.

CAM: Josh Windass—A: He wasn’t afraid to take risks in the final third as Wrexham tried to break down the stubborn Stoke defense. There was some debate over whether he got a touch on the opening goal, but there was no debate about the second.

CAM: Ollie Rathbone—B: A livewire in the Wrexham attack throughout the match. He won the corner from which Wrexham took the lead and was a direct threat whenever he got the ball.

ST: Sam Smith—B-: His pace caused problems throughout and he had an early penalty appeal turned down. This was another selfless performance that saw him do the dirty work for his side in attack. Smith went close to a third goal for his side in the second half.

SUB: Lewis O’Brien (73’ for Rathbone)—C+: A lively introduction from the bench. O’Brien was bright with the ball and had a strong shout for a penalty when he went down under pressure in the Stoke City box.

SUB: Nathan Broadhead (78’ for Windass)—C: He was the club’s record signing last summer but Broadhead is very much a substitute at best on current form. He didn’t do much to influence the game when he was introduced with the win already in the bag.

SUB: Kieffer Moore (78’ for Smith)—B-: Moore had to settle for a place on the bench to begin with and made another decent contribution after he was introduced. He was a physical presence in his own box and won some important headers.

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What’s Next For Wrexham?

Wrexham are back in action when they travel to face relegation-threatened Oxford United on Tuesday night. The U’s head into the match 22nd in the EFL Championship table after they lost 1–0 to Derby County earlier in the weekend.

With just three matches left of the EFL Championship season, Wrexham know there is minimal margin for error if they are to overhaul the two-point deficit between them and Hull City in the final playoff position.

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