Despite coming back from two goals down to salvage a 2–2 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Friday, Wrexham will rue the dropped points as the EFL Championship playoffs loom large.
The Red Dragons returned from the international break completely flat in the opening 45 minutes at The Hawthorns. George Dobson was credited with an own goal after deflecting a free kick into the back of his own net before a careless foul from Issa Kaboré gifted the hosts a penalty, which Josh Maja converted.
Phil Parkinson’s men rallied in the second half through a Josh Windass strike and a cheeky back-heel finish from Dobson to bring the score level, but there was not another goal to be had in the game. The visitors were forced to take home one point against a team just above the drop zone.
With only six games left in the season, the disappointing draw could come back to haunt Wrexham in their Premier League pursuit.
Wrexham Standings After 40 Games in the EFL Championship
Wrexham are within reach of their Premier League dreams. | Joe Dent/PUFC/Peterborough United/Getty Images
Place
Team
Points
Games Played
1
Coventry
80
39
2
Millwall
72
40
3
Middlesbrough
71
40
4
Ipswich Town
69
38
5
Hull City
67
40
6
Wrexham
64
40
7
Southampton
63
39
With automatic promotion largely out of reach for Wrexham, the club is focused on a top-six finish to secure a spot in the Championship playoffs. Salvaging a point against West Brom propelled the Red Dragons back into sixth place, with 64 points through 40 games.
They might not hold the position for long, though. Southampton are just one point behind with a game in hand. Should the Saints secure a victory in that match, they would trump Wrexham to take possession of the final playoff spot.
The good news for Parkinson’s men is that they would still be within reach of not only sixth place, but fifth as well. Hull City are just three points ahead of Wrexham, which means one poor result could leave the door open for the Welsh outfit to strike.
Wrexham’s Next Five Games
Wrexham have a tough stretch of fixtures on the horizon. | Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Opponent
Date
Competition
Southampton (H)
April 7
Championship
Birmingham City (A)
April 12
Championship
Stoke City (H)
April 18
Championship
Oxford United (A)
April 21
Championship
Coventry City (A)
April 25
Championship
It’s anything but an easy end to the season for Wrexham. Next up is a tricky bout with Southampton, which could ultimately be for sixth place. Dropped points to the Saints could prove a devastating blow for the Red Dragons’ playoff dreams.
Matches against the cities of Birmingham and Stoke provide a bit of a reprieve on paper, but both clubs already took points off Parkinson’s men this season. Wrexham only managed a 1–1 draw with the Blues and then suffered a 1–0 defeat to Stoke in back-to-back matches in October.
Relegation-battling Oxford United should be no trouble to get past, leaving the Red Dragons without much hassle before a trip to the league-leaders. The Welsh outfit already stunned Coventry City in October, but could lightning strike twice?
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