Phil Parkinson hailed the “swagger” of his Wrexham side after substitute Kieffer Moore struck a stoppage-time winner to seal a 3-2 victory over Preston North End in the Carabao Cup.
Moore pounced in the second minute of added time after goalkeeper Jack Walton spilled Ryan Barnett’s cross, booking Wrexham’s place in the third round for the first time since the 1981-82 season.
The Dragons side had to show character to come from behind twice at Deepdale, with Lewis Dobbin and Liam Lindsay on target for Preston, either side of Ryan Hardie’s strike.
But 18-year-old Harry Ashfield grabbed a crucial second equaliser before Moore settled it late on.
For Parkinson, the manner of the win was just as important as the result.
“It’s about learning and we belong at this level. Okay, it’s a cup game, but they’re a very good Championship team,” he said.
“I want to see us play with that bit of swagger and accept that we belong on this stage and we have shown that tonight.”
The Wrexham boss also singled out academy product Ashfield, whose deflected finish set the stage for Moore’s dramatic winner.
“[He] deserves to be around the squad because he trains well every day with quality and he’s a great lad,” Parkinson said.
“He was up against Alfie Devine, who is valued at a lot of money, highly thought of young player, and I said ‘What a test for you tonight’ – and afterwards the press will be speaking about Harry Ashfield and not Alfie Devine.”
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Parkinson admitted his side had to dig deep after falling behind for a second time.
“I’m very pleased, it’s a good night for us. I thought first-half we got back in it quickly after they scored,” he said.
“I felt we lost our belief after their (second) goal. Second-half we played with a real belief and I felt we deservedly won the game.
“We had a lot of control with our play and I was very pleased with how we responded from the break to the end.”
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While Wrexham celebrated, Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom was left frustrated at his team’s inability to turn their dominance into victory.
“We’ve conceded three goals and Jack (Walton)’s not had a save tonight. We missed chances so I’m frustrated,” he admitted.
“The league’s the most important thing. [The cups] definitely hindered us last season, as much as we enjoyed the journey in both cup competitions.
“We’ve got to make sure that these cup-free weeks are used to our advantage for the league. We can look after bodies.”
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