Wrexham Boss Phil Parkinson is looking to use his wider squad for their upcoming two matches, as reported by the Leader.
The Red Dragons’ next two fixtures both come in cup competitions, with a weekend visit to Mansfield in the FA Cup followed by welcoming Port Vale to the Racecourse Ground in the EFL Trophy next Tuesday.
Cup competitions offer managers a great chance to give fringe players playing time as well as the chance to really prove themself and that is exactly what Parkinson is wanting to do over the next two fixtures. Looking ahead to these two games, it is highly likely that we see a much-changed side in both competitions, with Parkinson wanting to mitigate any potential injury risks to his usual starting eleven.
This is particularly significant, with the League Two newcomers having quite the injury list at the minute. No less than five players are expected to be out of action through injury for those matches, including defender Eoghan O’Connell and veteran Steven Fletcher.
Speaking on the injuries to his squad, Parkinson said: “It is frustrating with the injuries we have got but we have got players we have added to the squad”. In more positive news, the 55-year-old did hint at a return for Andy Canon who he listed ‘as available’ and Anthony Forde who is expected to get some game-time in these games now back in full training after recovering from a minor injury.
Fans will be hoping that the squad can translate their league form over to these cup matches, with the side currently sat third in the League Two table, and unbeaten in eight. Last season’s FA Cup run was somewhat of a historic one for Wrexham, making it to the fourth round before losing to Sheffield United in a replay. A run like that would be very much welcomed, but they do face a tough Mansfield side who will be looking to bounce back from their Carabao Cup defeat against Port Vale in the week.
Wrexham are set to face the same side in the EFL Trophy next Tuesday, however we can expect a much-changed side, through the words in Parkinson’s interview but also due to they fact that the Welsh outfit have already qualified for the knockout stages.
It would come as no surprise to see a stronger side put out by Parkinson for the weekend clash against Mansfield, with the EFL Trophy game very much one to give the younger players and those on the outskirts a run-out. This was highlighted in the interview, with the Wrexham boss adding, “We have got two cup games and then Gillingham in the league so all the squad is going to be utilised in those three games.”
That being said, Parkinson will have this unbeaten run in the back of his mind so it’ll be interesting to see both of the lineups in the coming games.
Writer’s View
Say what you want about the EFL Trophy, but at the very least it gives a wider breadth of players the chance for some minutes at the professional level. Wrexham’s visit to Mansfield on Saturday could be one of the potential ties of the round with both teams towards the top of the table in League Two. I’d expect both managers to field fairly strong line-ups, with next Tuesday’s EFL Trophy matches giving ample time for their key players to recover.
