Following a ten day break, United return to action on Saturday as Wrexham head to Plainmoor to face Gary Johnson’s side.
With the Welsh side currently handily placed in 6th position, The Gulls have been in impressive form themselves over the past two months, meaning that this weekend’s clash has all the ingredients required to make up an engrossing encounter.
Who’s the Boss?
Phil Parkinson took over the reigns in North Wales last July, signing a 12 month rolling contract, and has so far chalked up a record of thirteen wins, seven draws and five defeats during his spell at the helm, the latest being a 1-1 draw against Maidenhead United at the Racecourse last Saturday.
Parkinson’s playing career spanned over 500 games for Bury and Reading, whilst his managerial spells have seen him take in the likes of Colchester, Hull, Charlton, Bradford – where he led the League Two club to the 2013 League Cup Final – and Bolton, whom he steered to promotion back to the Championship in his first season in charge.
Player to watch
Jordan Davies came through the youth ranks at Wrexham ,and after a loan spell at Bangor City in 2016/17, he was snapped up by Brighton and went on to play a major part in the Seagulls’ U23 team being promoted to the PL2, as well as making 6 appearances in the EFL Trophy.
Upon his release by Brighton, Davies returned to the Racecourse, signing a 2-year deal ahead of the 2020/21 season. The midfielder was voted the Dragons Young Player of the Year at the end of last term, and has since signed an extension to his contract until June 2025. Davies is the club’s second highest goal-scorer so far, with ten goals in his 26 league and cup appearances.
Played for both
Scott Boden came to prominence at Chesterfield in 2008, where during a five year stay he made over 100 appearances for Club, prior to being released in 2013. After his departure from the Spireites, Boden went on to play for Macclesfield, Halifax, Newport and even a spell in Scotland for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, before joining Wrexham for the 2017/18 season.
After making over 30 appearances for the Dragons that season, the forward moved on to Gateshead for their 2018/19 campaign, before a return to the Chesterfield in the summer of 2019 saw him register another 23 goals for them in a two season stay.
It was in February 2021 that Scott came to the attention of United, with his 6 goals in 18 games helping The Gulls reach last season’s Promotion Final, before moving on once again, with Boreham Wood his destination for 2021/22.
Previous encounter
Torquay United 3 – 1 Wrexham, Saturday 5th December 2020, National League
With last season’s game seeing fans welcomed back into Plainmoor for the first time since the start of the pandemic – albeit in a socially distanced manner – Gary Johnson’s side turned on the style in front of their adoring Yellow Army to secure a clinical 3-1 success.
Ben Whitfield gave United the perfect start, and that lead was soon doubled by skipper Asa Hall from the penalty spot. The deficit was almost immediately reduced by Theo Vassell though, and the fans had to wait until deep into the second-half for Connor Lemonheigh-Evans to put clear daylight between the two sides once again.