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Wrexham were thoroughly dismantled by West Ham United, yet they remain far from finished. If any club understands what it means to defy the odds when facing adversity, it is the Red Dragons, with Phil Parkinson having a proven track record of rallying his side after seemingly insurmountable setbacks.
Parkinson's side have claimed just one victory from their opening seven Championship fixtures this campaign, while the 6–0 thrashing represented the heaviest loss of his tenure. He conceded his team was "well and truly beaten" at the London Stadium and that they "have to take the criticism," with a significant turnaround required against Southampton this weekend.
It was only three years ago this month that Wrexham suffered a 5–0 away loss to Stockport County, yet they went on to earn promotion by the end of that very season. While the challenge is undoubtedly steeper this time, there is compelling evidence of the Red Dragons recovering strongly under Parkinson's guidance.
A Slow Start in the National League
It may feel like a distant memory, but Wrexham's early days under Parkinson were far from smooth sailing. The Red Dragons managed just four wins from their opening 12 league games in the 2021–22 National League season as a new squad needed time to bond and adapt to fresh tactical demands.
Despite being considered promotion favourites, the Red Dragons found themselves 12th in the standings after 10 matches, with Stockport County sitting in 10th. Following a loss to Notts County on Jan. 2, Wrexham dropped just one of their subsequent 16 league outings, surging up the table, forcing their way back into an unlikely title race and reaching the FA Trophy final.
They ultimately fell short on that first attempt, but the rewards of standing by Parkinson through those difficult early months would soon become apparent.
Not a Very Good Friday
The pressure was considerably greater during Wrexham's second season under Parkinson as they locked horns with Notts County in a gripping title battle. With only a single automatic promotion place on offer from the National League, every dropped point carried enormous weight and margins for error were razor-thin.
With just six points remaining in the league campaign, the Red Dragons made the trip to Halifax on Good Friday hoping to stay in touch with their title rivals. Wrexham were riding a 28-match unbeaten run in the National League, which came to an abrupt end with a 3–1 defeat in Yorkshire, dropping them to second behind Notts County on goal difference, with both clubs level on 100 points.
Even with a game in hand, it appeared Wrexham had unthinkably squandered their title ambitions. Three days later, they delivered a stunning 3–2 win over Notts County at the Racecourse Ground to reclaim control of the promotion race, eventually wrapping up the title with a match to spare.
Welcome Back to the EFL
Wrexham returned to the English Football League brimming with confidence, only to be swiftly humbled by a 5–3 home defeat to MK Dons on the opening day.
The Red Dragons won just one of their first five matches of the new campaign, prompting renewed questions about the manager. Meanwhile, National League promotion hero Ben Foster came out of retirement despite being implicated in several of their conceded goals.
Wrexham began to stabilise before a 5–0 away defeat at Stockport shook those new foundations, yet they responded with an eight-match unbeaten run and lost only once in their next 14 League Two outings.
Three in a Row
Before completing three consecutive promotions, Wrexham endured just one run of three straight league defeats under Parkinson. Merely four months after that crushing loss to Stockport, their resurgent promotion push suffered another major setback when they fell to Newport County, Salford City and Bradford City in a row.
Wrexham slid to fifth in the League Two table following that three-game losing streak, with the Bradford defeat in Feb. 2024 marking the first occasion they had failed to score at home since Nov. 2021.
Despite losing three of their next 12 league games, Parkinson's men hit top gear, winning seven of their final eight matches to finish second in League Two and seal their second promotion in as many seasons.
Draws That Felt Like Defeats
Wrexham were considerably more settled upon their arrival in League One, with their only difficult patch arriving at the start of 2025 when they managed just one win from five matches, including losses to Barnsley, Shrewsbury Town and Stevenage.
The Red Dragons rediscovered their form, losing only twice in their final 18 matches and bouncing back from each setback with convincing victories that kept them in automatic promotion contention. However, it all appeared to unravel when draws against Cambridge United, Wigan Athletic and Bristol Rovers saw them slip to third, handing Wycombe Wanderers the advantage with just three matches remaining.
Wrexham faced the tougher fixtures on paper but rose to the occasion magnificently, with memorable victories over Blackpool and Charlton Athletic enabling them to seize back control and clinch a third successive promotion with a game to spare.
This Time Last Year
The most recent lesson in patience came last season, when Wrexham overcame a difficult Championship start to record the highest league finish in the club's 162-year history, narrowly missing out on the playoffs.
Wrexham won just two of their opening 10 matches and did not claim a home victory until their sixth attempt, though they currently sit just one point behind their tally from the same stage last year. A nine-match unbeaten run gave way to a five-game winless stretch before the Red Dragons embarked on an impressive four-match winning run, building momentum at a pivotal moment.
Even after damaging defeats to Southampton and Birmingham in April, promotion hopes appeared all but extinguished before two further wins thrust them back into the playoff picture heading into the final day. Though they finished just one point outside the playoffs, the fact they had clawed their way back into contention at all was quite extraordinary.
Parkinson will be hoping to guide his team along a similar trajectory in 2026–27, one that this time culminates in a top-six finish.