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Phil Parkinson believes Wrexham have what it takes to defy the pattern of Championship sides faltering in the season after placing seventh in the division.
The Red Dragons achieved the greatest league finish in the club's 162-year history last season, wrapping up the campaign in seventh place and just two points shy of the playoff spots. Had they converted just one of their 14 draws into a victory, Wrexham would have climbed to sixth ahead of Hull City on goal difference, with the Tigers going on to earn promotion to the Premier League.
Wrexham have found the going tough in the early stages of the new campaign, managing only three victories from their opening 12 league outings. That leaves them sitting 17th in the standings, though they remain within striking distance of the playoff positions and six points above the relegation zone.
A single victory could dramatically shift the atmosphere around the club, and Parkinson is intent on securing that result when his team heads to face Sheffield United on Friday evening.
Phil Parkinson Determined to Buck Unusual Trend
Sports Illustrated highlighted earlier this week a peculiar pattern affecting clubs that finish seventh in the Championship. Over the past 15 seasons, just one seventh-place finisher has gone on to end up in the top half the following year. Furthermore, in the last seven seasons, only one team finishing seventh has placed higher than 17th the season after.
Middlesbrough were the sole exception to that pattern when they finished fourth in the 2022–23 season, though even their campaign got off to a rocky start. The club found themselves 21st in mid-October before Chris Wilder was dismissed and replaced by Michael Carrick. The incoming manager introduced a fresh tactical philosophy and guided the team up the standings, bolstered by reinforcements in the January transfer window.
It remains premature to conclude that Wrexham will end up in the lower half this season, though history indicates their sluggish start is not entirely unexpected.
"I think that there's obviously a stat of teams who've been in the playoffs can find it tough, but you look at Derby, they just missed out as well, how they've struggled," Parkinson told Sports Illustrated.
"Whether that [mental toughness] is a factor or not ... Of course, as much as there was a pride that in our first season in the Championship we'd got to seventh, the highest position the club had ever finished, on the last day of the season there was an opportunity which slipped away from us.
"I don't want to use that as an excuse. It's up to us to buck the trend of that. There is probably something in it, but let's not use that as an excuse; we can use that and say we are the team that kind of changed the stat around."
Wrexham Team News vs. Sheffield United
Wrexham are expected to have midfielder Ben Sheaf fit to start against Sheffield United after he made his return from injury as a substitute in the recent loss to Blackburn Rovers. Max Cleworth and George Thomason may also feature in the matchday squad following their respective spells on the sidelines.
Cleworth has been absent for six matches after sustaining a hamstring injury in the home draw with Burnley, while Thomason has sat out 10 games since picking up a thigh problem during Wrexham's draw with Watford.
"Sheafy has got through the week. He has trained well, he's made another step in the right direction," Parkinson said at his pre-match press conference. "Max and Tommo, they weren't with us on Saturday, but they stayed here [Colliers Park] and trained.
"They have also had good weeks on the training pitch. We have had a good day today. We will assess those two going into the weekend. At the very least, they have strengthened up the numbers as we go into three games in eight days."
The Red Dragons are still anticipated to be without Seb Revan, Liberato Cacace, Nathan Broadhead and Josh Windass for their visit to Bramall Lane.