Wrexham verdict: Patience and belief key to club's upward trajectory

Wrexham went into the final international break of 2025 on a high as they earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Charlton Athletic.

With 15 games of the Championship season now under their belt, Phil Parkinson has the opportunity to take stock of how his side have coped with the rigours of the second tier so far.

All in all, the Welsh side can feel very pleased with their progress as they sit in 13th place, just four points adrift of the play-off places.

With club action put on hold until Wrexham travel to Ipswich Town on 22 November (15:00 GMT), BBC Sport Wales takes stock of the club's campaign so far.

Patience was a key word used behind the scenes at the Stok Cae Ras following a transfer window that saw 13 players join the club.

There were hugely encouraging signs from the outset at Southampton, although the gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to the Saints proved to be the start of a theme early on.

Wrexham had chances to extend their lead in their season opener, with Conor Coady and Ryan Hardie among those to go close after Josh Windass' early penalty - but they were ruthlessly punished for failing to take those efforts as they conceded twice late on.

Frustrating and disappointing results against West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield Wednesday and Queens Park Rangers followed - with a 2-0 win at Millwall being the biggest plus point early on.

There was also a run to the fourth round of the EFL Cup - which saw wins against Hull City, Preston North End and Reading - for the first time since 1978, which provided Parkinson with the platform to rotate his squad.

As for the Championship though, in stark contrast to Parkinson's previous four seasons at the club, home form was an issue this time around as his side failed to win any of their first five league matches in north Wales.

Reflecting on the home form after his side's victory against Charlton, Parkinson said: "Particularly at home, in those early games we were almost chasing the games in a bit of desperation to get that first win."

Even after a frustrating 3-1 loss to Queens Park Rangers, the attacking data was hugely encouraging, with Wrexham showing they could create chances and score goals at the level.

But the defensive side of matters was deeply concerning, although, little by little, improvements became evident.

Speaking in mid-September, Parkinson said: "We've changed the squad around completely and there was always going to be a period at the start where it doesn't go completely as you'd want it."

Such is the scrutiny on Wrexham, their slow start was always going to create headlines.

One media outlet claimed Wrexham chiefs had held talks over Parkinson's future at the club, a report that non-executive director Shaun Harvey labelled "an absolute disgrace".

The club have not looked back since that flashpoint.

Victory against Charlton means the Red Dragons are now unbeaten in five home Championship matches - winning each of the last three.

They are also unbeaten in five league matches and have lost just once in 10 Championship games.

Key to the improvement has been the recent defensive form, which when combined with the impressive attacking output means the team is far more balanced.

Wrexham shipped 12 goals in their opening six league matches - an average of two goals per game.

They have conceded just seven times in the following nine league outings at an average of 0.78 goals per game - letting in more than one goal in a game just once in that run, against leaders Coventry City.

They also go into the current break having kept clean sheets in three of their last five league fixtures.

When asked about his side's defensive work, Parkinson said: "It's not just the defenders, it's the structure of the team as well."

In attack, the output has been encouragingly consistent.

According to Fotmob, Wrexham have created 35 big chances this season - the fifth-most of any team in the Championship.

Only five teams have scored more than their total of 20 goals in the league this season too.

It has all ensured Wrexham have been on an upward trajectory, having gone from averaging 0.8 points per game across their first five matches to 1.7 points per game over their last 10 games.

"We've improved in terms of our mindset about how to go about winning games at this level," Parkinson said when assessing the first third of the season.

Wrexham's ambition under the ownership of Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has been there for all to see.

Following an unprecedented three successive promotions in the English Football League (EFL), there was understandably some trepidation over how the team would fare during what is their first season in the second tier since 1981-82.

But the patience shown following what was a significant summer spend is now reaping rewards.

Excitement levels were raised after the stunning 3-2 triumph over leaders Coventry on Halloween, with hat-trick hero Kieffer Moore and defender Dan Scarr going on to say Wrexham could challenge for the play-offs this season.

Josh Windass - who assisted each of Welshman Moore's three goals against the Sky Blues - was left somewhat bemused by talk surrounding the club's ability to compete in the Championship.

"We've got some of the best players in their positions in the division in my opinion," he said.

According to Transfermarkt, at 27.6 years of age, Wrexham have the oldest average age for players used in the league this term, so it is clear they have plenty of experience.

"We want to have success in this division," Windass added.

"That's what I'd assume all of the lads have signed here to do, to be at the top end of this league."

No one at the Stok Cae Ras is getting carried away with what has been a much-improved run of performances and results, but there is no doubting that this is a club brimming with belief at present.

During a campaign in which the league appears to be wide open, there is no doubt that Wrexham are a club looking up the table at present, not down.

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