Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson is urging his squad to tune out the rising noise around promotion and zero in on the final hurdle after a pivotal 2-1 victory at Blackpool in League One.
Goals from James McClean and Ollie Rathbone saw the Dragons claim all three points at Bloomfield Road, with Rob Apter’s late goal not enough to deny them the win.
The result propelled Wrexham back into second place in the table, moving them two points clear of Wycombe Wanderers with just two matches remaining.
The victory also came with a boost off the pitch, as co-owner Rob McElhenney delivered a stirring address to the team on the eve of the match — a gesture Parkinson believes helped fuel the performance.
"I've always said that it's a team effort," said Parkinson.
"The chairman Rob was with us yesterday and did a great talk with the lads about what his feelings were in this situation, and our lads love that."
The Hollywood actor wasn’t just present behind the scenes. McElhenney joined the travelling Wrexham faithful in the away end, celebrating what may prove to be one of the season’s defining results.
Still, Parkinson is determined to keep emotions in check. With two games to go — including a massive home clash against Charlton Athletic — he says the job is far from finished.
“There was a bit of negativity, I would imagine, after we didn’t win last week. But now it’s the other way, people would be starting to think we’ve done the job now,” Parkinson said.
“I said to the lads ‘we’re blocking everything out, and concentrating on what we need to do in the dressing room, starting with tomorrow.’
“We’re all in training tomorrow, and we’re going to be ready for next Saturday.
“We can only control one thing and it’s our mindset. And it’s now going to be completely about keeping our feet on the floor, and we’re going to come out fighting to finish this season off strongly.”
READ MORE: James McClean Is The Leading Man As Hollywood-Fuelled Wrexham Eye History
Parkinson praised his team’s composure both on and off the ball in what was a high-stakes encounter against a strong Blackpool side led by Steve Bruce.
“I thought we were very accomplished in everything we did without the ball,” he said.
“Blackpool are an excellent side. They’ve got some really good players. Steve Bruce has got them playing brilliantly and they’ve been on a good run.
“In possession, I thought we were very good today, we were really positive. We found the spaces, which with their 4-4-2 kind of inevitably appear.”
Bruce, for his part, was honest in defeat, crediting Wrexham’s performance while lamenting his own side’s failure to match the standard.
“There was a blatant foul for the first goal…but if we’re being brutally honest, the better team won today. We’ll have to hold our hands up to that,” said Bruce.
“Full credit to Wrexham, you can see why they’re on the cusp of going up. They were tough, resilient, strong in their defending and they’ve got a nice carrot on the stick of trying to get promotion again.”
READ MORE: Phil Parkinson Insists Wrexham Are Ready To Snuff Out The Gas On The Way To Promotion
He added: “I thought all over the pitch that we didn’t play well enough. We didn’t fight for the second balls, we give it away too often, it was a struggle for us against a really good side.”
Blackpool also suffered from the absence of key player Sonny Carey due to injury, which Bruce admitted was a blow. “He’s been playing very well over the last few months; he’s been arguably our best player,” Bruce said.
With the win behind them, Parkinson now turns his focus to Saturday’s high-stakes showdown against Charlton at the Stok Cae Ras — and he wants the fans to play their part.
“I want more of the same next week from the supporters at home. I've got to be honest with you, I want that place bouncing - these lads deserve it," said Parkinson.
“We’ve come a long, long way this season. We've shaken off a lot of big clubs in this division. We need everybody in the ground to create an atmosphere and get the Racecourse bouncing to help the team as much as we can.”
Following the Charlton match, Wrexham’s season wraps up with a trip to Lincoln City on May 3.
