Gary Johnson’s men travel to North Wales tomorrow, as they take on much-fancied Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground.
Having taken a point on the road at Wealdstone last weekend, United will be looking to secure another positive result on Saturday, as they take on a Wrexham side picked by many pundits as one of the favourites for EFL promotion this term.
Who’s the Boss?
Phil Parkinson arrived at Wrexham in July 2021, and was instantly charged with turning the Club’s Hollywood ambitions into a Football League reality.
With his playing career seeing him make over 500 league appearances during fifteen years in the colours of Bury and Reading, it was with Colchester United that Parkinson cut his managerial teeth in 2003, with his first promotion coming three years later, as he led the Us to the second tier of English football for the first time in their history.
Despite that notable success, a switch to Hull City followed swiftly after, where he was unable to replicate those heroics during an ill-fated six month spell at the KC stadium. It wasn’t until two years later that Phil returned to the dugout, with a two-year stint at Charlton Athletic his next destination.
Although he was unable to lift Athletic out of League One, spells and Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers saw a return to previous glories for Parkinson, with both clubs tasting promotion under his tenure, before a year at Sunderland preceded his first job at National League level.
How have they been doing?
Following last year’s league and Trophy near-miss, Wrexham have done their best to put those painful memories behind them during the opening weeks of the 2022/23 campaign, with the side currently riding high in 2nd place, just one point behind current leaders, Chesterfield.
Boasting the joint-highest scoring record, along with best goal-difference, only the league-leading Spireites have managed to down their colours thus far (2-0), with their four previous home encounters ending in four wins, with fourteen goals scored, and just three conceded in reply.
Player to Watch
With a whole host on big-hitters to choose from, striker Paul Mullin is probably one of the most obvious choices, with his seven goals in nine outings so far this season marking him out as the principle threat to United’s goal on Saturday.
Having missed both of the Torquay encounters last term through suspension, former Morecambe, Tranmere and Cambridge frontman Mullin will be looking to put a rare blank weekend behind him tomorrow, following the goalless draw at Southend last time out.
Played for Both
Former Tottenham youngster Kevin Dearden made nearly a century of appearances apiece for both of tomorrow’s opponents, tasting success with both clubs – winning the 2001 FAW Premier Cup with the Welsh side, before moving to Plainmoor shortly after. There he would go on to become a firm favourite with the Yellow Army, with 23 of his appearances helping Leroy Rosenior’s men clinch automatic promotion to League One in 2003/04.
The following campaign was unfortunately one of disappointment for Kevin however, who was restricted to making just six appearances before retiring prior to the end of the season. That wasn’t before Dearden produced one more goalkeeping masterclass though, as his heroics clinched the final clean sheet of his career in November 2004 – against his former club, Wrexham.
Previous Encounter
Wrexham 1 – 1 Torquay United, 30 October 2021, National League
All eyes were on the home boardroom – rather than on the Racecourse Ground pitch – twelve months ago, as Wrexham’s much-lauded owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took in a home match in North Wales for the very first time.
It certainly looked like the action unfolding in front of them was following the script early on, as an early opener from Harry Lennon saw The Red Dragons strike first in front of vociferous full-house.
However, Johnson’s men held firm, and after playing their way back into proceedings, they eventually secured a share of the spoils, with Welshman Connor Lemonheigh-Evans heading The Gulls level with six minutes remaining.
Vanarama National League | Wrexham v Torquay United | 24/09/22 3pm KO
Ticketing information is available here, with live commentary of the match also available via TUFC Radio here.