Phil Parkinson has been hit with yet another injury headache after it was confirmed that Wrexham midfielder George Evans has damaged his ankle ligaments.
The 29-year-old was forced off the pitch just shy of halftime in The Red Dragons’ defeat against Stevenage. He has been a rotation option for a large part of this season, starting one of the five League One matches he has featured in.
Evans joined from Millwall last season, and featured 32 times in Wrexham’s campaign which saw them gain back-to-back promotions by finishing in 2nd place in League Two. Phil Parkinson confirmed his injury in the pre-match press conference as the Welsh side prepare to face Northampton Town.
He said (Quotes via Wrexham Leader): “George’s injury looks a serious one which is a shame for him.
“He had a bit of a disjointed start to the season and just got himself back in good shape ready to compete for his place.
“It was an innocuous incident, the lad has almost fallen on him and we really feel for George. It looks like he is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.”
It is the second straight ankle ligament injury the club has faced, with Max Cleworth also being ruled out of action for the foreseeable future. The 22-year-old has had a brilliant start to the season, with a man-of-the-match performance against Crawley Town with a goal and assist as well as contributing two further goals against Peterborough United and Wycombe Wanderers.
He was brought off just minutes before the end of the draw to Leyton Orient, and former Bradford City boss Parkinson provided an update on his condition, adding: “George’s is a lot more serious than Max.
“We are just waiting for the swelling to go down with Max before we can give a definitive timescale on when he will be back.”
Wrexham head into the game against The Cobblers after a superb start to life in the third tier and are currently second place behind runaway leaders Birmingham City. They will be seeking to bounce back from the loss against Stevenage against a Northampton side that have won just once in their last five games.
Writer’s View
It is a blow to lose George Evans after finally being able to get some regular game time in the Wrexham squad. Losing the midfielder does leave them somewhat short in the position, with Oliver Rathbone still recovering from a thigh injury which will likely limit his involvement against Northampton Town. Parkinson still has Andy Cannon, Elliot Lee, George Dobson and James Jones to rely on, so it is not at a critical point.
Wrexham have settled extremely nicely into League One and two of the others promoted from the fourth tier have too. Stockport County have continued the good times under Dave Challinor and Mansfield Town have surprised many with their performances to be in third ahead of this weekend’s action. In a season where it was expected that the three relegated from the Championship would blow everyone else away, it seems that so far the League Two sides have been the better additions.
