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Don’t Sweat and Have Fun, Phil Parkinson Tells Play-Off Chasing Wrexham

Phil Parkinson the Wrexham manager. Pic. Alamy

Phil Parkinson the Wrexham manager. Pic. Alamy

Phil Parkinson has urged his Wrexham players to embrace the pressure and “enjoy” the decisive final stretch of the season.

The manager’s call for calm comes as their Championship play-off push goes down to the wire.

Wrexham head into Tuesday night’s trip to Oxford United knowing they are firmly in contention, sitting seventh and just two points behind Hull City in the final play-off place.

With three games remaining, Parkinson has framed the run-in as an opportunity for his Red Dragons rather than a burden.

"I think it's great to be involved at this end of the table," said Parkinson.

"You look at some of the games over the weekend, the pressure of the games down the bottom and how tough those matches are, and it's great not be in that situation and where we are.

"We've got to enjoy this and continue from the weekend."

READ MORE: Danny Ward Insists Revived Wrexham are Ready to Push for Play-Offs Again

Having already described the final fixtures as “three cup finals”, Parkinson’s message to his squad is clear - relish the moment and build on the momentum of the 2-0 win over Stoke City, coupled with Hull’s slip against Birmingham City.

The numbers underline why belief is high in the Wrexham camp. They are unbeaten in their last 13 Football League meetings with Oxford (W10 D3), matching their longest ever run against a single opponent, and have won each of their last four away league games at the Kassam Stadium.

Yet Parkinson is wary of complacency, particularly against a side fighting for survival.

"I think their recent record is decent in terms of they've had some good home wins and as we've said many times the difference in standard between the top and the bottom is very tight so you certainly can't underestimate any team."

READ MORE: Wrexham’s Premier League Party Could be Postponed . . . Not Cancelled

Oxford, currently 22nd and five points from safety, are battling to avoid an immediate drop to League One and could be relegated as early as Wednesday if results go against them.

Despite that precarious position, their recent home form offers encouragement, with Matt Bloomfield’s side unbeaten in their last five at the Kassam (W3 D2) — as many wins as they managed in their previous 16 matches combined.

READ MORE: Scarr Tissue . . . Latest Defeat Means Wrexham Have to be Perfect, Says Dan

Club captain Cameron Brannagan insists the fight is far from over, despite their 1-0 defeat at Derby County last weekend.

"We have to brush ourselves down and go again," insisted Brannagan.

"We have a big game Tuesday, three games left and we want to go and try and win every single one of them.

"There's nine points to play for and we want to take every single point. The fans got behind us the whole game and didn't stop even at the end.

"I'm sure the Kassam is going to be rocking on Tuesday and we're going to need every single one of them - it's another massive game."

Wrexham failed to score in their last road outing at Birmingham, but have only once this season gone consecutive away league games without finding the net. 

Another response will be needed if they are to maintain their push.

The Championship picture is crowded, with just one point separating 10th and 16th in the table and with the race for both promotion and survival still wide open, every result carries added weight.

For Wrexham, though, the equation is simple - match their recent performance levels and keep applying pressure on those above them.

Three games remain - three chances to turn a strong season into something even more memorable.

 

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