As Welcome To Wrexham reaches second season climax, a drama-free win in League Two was ideal
Welcome To Wrexham’s eagerly awaited season two finale hits the screens this week.
If the rest of its second series is anything to go by, an episode simply titled Up The Town? is likely to be a cracker as we reach the climax of a thrilling title race that will go down as an all-time classic.
Those supporters who lived and breathed every second of last season’s titanic National League title tussle between Wrexham and Notts County will tune in knowing the result. But, that’s unlikely to prevent the myriad of emotions experienced six months ago once again bubbling to the surface, meaning there will be tears as well as cheers in households from Llangollen to Los Angeles.
With that in mind, it seemed sensible for Wrexham to dial down the drama on the home front in their final League Twofixture before the documentary series’ second season denouement airs on Tuesday evening in the U.S. and the following day in the UK.
That would mean no repeat of the on-field histrionics that had seen precious points rescued at the death over the past three months by the sort of full-on attacking approach those involved in the charge of the Light Brigade may have found a tad reckless.
Nor could there be a repeat of putting fans through the emotional rollercoaster. Such have been the demands placed on those in the stands these past couple of years, co-owner Ryan Reynolds took to Instagram after last month’s 2-1 nail-biting win over bottom club Sutton United to post the message, “Handing out heart attacks since 1864”.
For once, Phil Parkinson’s side obliged yesterday via a comfortable 2-0 home victory against Gillingham that was never in doubt from the moment Ollie Palmeropened the scoring with 57 seconds played. This was a game that is unlikely to feature in series three of Welcome To Wrexham, but it was very much the sort of match that makes possible those wild celebrations at the end of the club’s 2022-23 campaign.
As co-owner Rob McElhenney watched from the Mold Road Stand, Wrexham’s controlled display was a million miles from the seat-of-the-pants fare that has characterised much of 2023-24 at the world’s oldest international football ground.
With George Evansin commanding form at the base of the midfield, the hosts enjoyed such dominance that goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwowas barely tested despite Gillingham boasting potent attacking talents such as former Wales international Jonny Williams, Connor Mahoney and Macauley Bonne.
No wonder Parkinson was full of smiles afterwards.
“Our concentration levels were good,” he says. “We’ve spoken about that a lot, not just this season. Before kick-off, I was watching Wolves and Tottenham (in the Premier League’s lunchtime game on the TV). Tottenham were 1-0 up with minutes to go but ended up losing the game (2-1).
“There is always a lesson about the need to keep doing your job right to the end. I felt we did that very well.”
Any neutral fortunate enough to secure a ticket for the Racecourse’s ninth home league game since returning to the EFLmay have questioned Wrexham’s reputation as the season’s great entertainers.
Sure, the hosts were capable of some lovely, incisive football at times, particularly down their left in the second half when Lee, Evans and Jacob Mendylinked up beautifully. But there was still precious little of the chaotic thrills and spills expected from a team with the unusual double of having not only scored more goals on home soil than any other team in the EFL’s three divisions (27) this season but also conceded the most (19).
Nothing wrong with that, of course. Not with this routine victory nudging Wrexham up a further place to second in the table. A few more wins like this and it might well be a very happy New Year once again in north Wales.
“The perfect scenario is a win with a clean sheet,” adds Parkinson, whose only home defeat this season was a 5-3 hammering by MK Dons on the opening weekend. “Though we take the wins however they come, whether that is a late goal after bringing the subs on or it is a game where we looked in control like against Gillingham.”
Only once before at the Racecourse over these opening months had Wrexham enjoyed a similar level of control to Saturday. That came in September’s 3-0 win over Grimsby Town, prompting supporters to wonder on the post-match stroll back into town whether the early-season trait of making life unnecessarily hard for themselves might just have been banished.
It hadn’t.
Since then, Wrexham have needed a stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a 3-3 home draw against Crewe Alexandra after being reduced to 10 men in the first half, triumphed 3-2 against Salford City after being behind on 88 minutes and then left it late again to beat a Sutton United side (2-1) who had threatened to spring a shock of their own via a fine second-half display.
All three of those games will live long in the memory. As will the 5-5 draw with Swindon Town in August — Wrexham scored twice in stoppage time to rescue a point— and the 89th-minute goal by Lee to beat Doncaster Rovers 2-1 a week before that comfortable afternoon against Grimsby.
In total, Wrexham have scored nine times from the 85th minute onwards at the Racecourse this season. Those late, late shows have earned them a precious nine points. In the current table, that’s the difference between sitting second and 11th.
“We have left it late a few times,” admits Evans, signed from Millwall of the second-tier Championship just before the summer window closed. “That is a fantastic trait to have.”
That sort of approach, however, is rarely sustainable.
Eventually, Wrexham would have needed one of their famous comebacks but come up short in the attempt.
That’s why this win against Gillingham could be such an important step in the right direction for a team who, with one notable exception against current leaders Stockport Countyin September, have been in good form on the road with the eight games yielding 13 points and seeing just that one defeat.
The challenge for Parkinson and his players going forward is to maintain Saturday’s level of control.
For now, though, it’s all about the Welcome To Wrexham season finale and the chance to relive the highly charged evening from last April when 15 years of hurt were finally banished.
https://theathletic.com/5053905/2023/11/12/wrexham-gillingham-no-drama/
As Welcome To Wrexham reaches second season climax, a drama-free win in League Two was ideal
Welcome To Wrexham’s eagerly awaited season two finale hits the screens this week.
If the rest of its second series is anything to go by, an episode simply titled Up The Town? is likely to be a cracker as we reach the climax of a thrilling title race that will go down as an all-time classic.
Those supporters who lived and breathed every second of last season’s titanic National League title tussle between Wrexham and Notts County will tune in knowing the result. But, that’s unlikely to prevent the myriad of emotions experienced six months ago once again bubbling to the surface, meaning there will be tears as well as cheers in households from Llangollen to Los Angeles.
With that in mind, it seemed sensible for Wrexham to dial down the drama on the home front in their final League Twofixture before the documentary series’ second season denouement airs on Tuesday evening in the U.S. and the following day in the UK.
That would mean no repeat of the on-field histrionics that had seen precious points rescued at the death over the past three months by the sort of full-on attacking approach those involved in the charge of the Light Brigade may have found a tad reckless.
Nor could there be a repeat of putting fans through the emotional rollercoaster. Such have been the demands placed on those in the stands these past couple of years, co-owner Ryan Reynolds took to Instagram after last month’s 2-1 nail-biting win over bottom club Sutton United to post the message, “Handing out heart attacks since 1864”.
For once, Phil Parkinson’s side obliged yesterday via a comfortable 2-0 home victory against Gillingham that was never in doubt from the moment Ollie Palmeropened the scoring with 57 seconds played. This was a game that is unlikely to feature in series three of Welcome To Wrexham, but it was very much the sort of match that makes possible those wild celebrations at the end of the club’s 2022-23 campaign.
As co-owner Rob McElhenney watched from the Mold Road Stand, Wrexham’s controlled display was a million miles from the seat-of-the-pants fare that has characterised much of 2023-24 at the world’s oldest international football ground.
With George Evansin commanding form at the base of the midfield, the hosts enjoyed such dominance that goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwowas barely tested despite Gillingham boasting potent attacking talents such as former Wales international Jonny Williams, Connor Mahoney and Macauley Bonne.
No wonder Parkinson was full of smiles afterwards.
“Our concentration levels were good,” he says. “We’ve spoken about that a lot, not just this season. Before kick-off, I was watching Wolves and Tottenham (in the Premier League’s lunchtime game on the TV). Tottenham were 1-0 up with minutes to go but ended up losing the game (2-1).
“There is always a lesson about the need to keep doing your job right to the end. I felt we did that very well.”
Any neutral fortunate enough to secure a ticket for the Racecourse’s ninth home league game since returning to the EFLmay have questioned Wrexham’s reputation as the season’s great entertainers.
Sure, the hosts were capable of some lovely, incisive football at times, particularly down their left in the second half when Lee, Evans and Jacob Mendylinked up beautifully. But there was still precious little of the chaotic thrills and spills expected from a team with the unusual double of having not only scored more goals on home soil than any other team in the EFL’s three divisions (27) this season but also conceded the most (19).
Nothing wrong with that, of course. Not with this routine victory nudging Wrexham up a further place to second in the table. A few more wins like this and it might well be a very happy New Year once again in north Wales.
“The perfect scenario is a win with a clean sheet,” adds Parkinson, whose only home defeat this season was a 5-3 hammering by MK Dons on the opening weekend. “Though we take the wins however they come, whether that is a late goal after bringing the subs on or it is a game where we looked in control like against Gillingham.”
Only once before at the Racecourse over these opening months had Wrexham enjoyed a similar level of control to Saturday. That came in September’s 3-0 win over Grimsby Town, prompting supporters to wonder on the post-match stroll back into town whether the early-season trait of making life unnecessarily hard for themselves might just have been banished.
It hadn’t.
Since then, Wrexham have needed a stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a 3-3 home draw against Crewe Alexandra after being reduced to 10 men in the first half, triumphed 3-2 against Salford City after being behind on 88 minutes and then left it late again to beat a Sutton United side (2-1) who had threatened to spring a shock of their own via a fine second-half display.
All three of those games will live long in the memory. As will the 5-5 draw with Swindon Town in August — Wrexham scored twice in stoppage time to rescue a point— and the 89th-minute goal by Lee to beat Doncaster Rovers 2-1 a week before that comfortable afternoon against Grimsby.
In total, Wrexham have scored nine times from the 85th minute onwards at the Racecourse this season. Those late, late shows have earned them a precious nine points. In the current table, that’s the difference between sitting second and 11th.
“We have left it late a few times,” admits Evans, signed from Millwall of the second-tier Championship just before the summer window closed. “That is a fantastic trait to have.”
That sort of approach, however, is rarely sustainable.
Eventually, Wrexham would have needed one of their famous comebacks but come up short in the attempt.
That’s why this win against Gillingham could be such an important step in the right direction for a team who, with one notable exception against current leaders Stockport Countyin September, have been in good form on the road with the eight games yielding 13 points and seeing just that one defeat.
The challenge for Parkinson and his players going forward is to maintain Saturday’s level of control.
For now, though, it’s all about the Welcome To Wrexham season finale and the chance to relive the highly charged evening from last April when 15 years of hurt were finally banished.
https://theathletic.com/5053905/2023/11/12/wrexham-gillingham-no-drama/
