Phil Parkinson hails Wrexham mental strength after comeback win

Phil Parkinson praised Wrexham’s character as they came from behind to stun Salford with a 3-2 victory.

The travelling Ammies raced to an early 2-0 lead thanks to Matt Smith’s ninth goal of the season and a Matty Lund strike.

An accurate Elliot Lee header halved Salford’s lead shortly before the interval and ignited an unlikely fightback.

Wrexham left it late to pull off a miraculous comeback with two substitutes proving to be the hosts’ heroes.

Steven Fletcher levelled with a simple tap-in and Jordan Davies notched the winner a matter of seconds after the restart.

“We’re so pleased with the win,” said boss Phil Parkinson, whose side stretched their unbeaten run to five games.

“It’s another great example about what the club’s about; the character and strength of mentality in the group shone through and we never ever give in.

“At half-time, I felt if we upped the quality in our play and decision-making that we’d have a great chance to go on and win the game.

“We had all the best chances and we felt if we got it to 2-2 then the momentum would be with us and we’d go and win the game.

“I owe a special mention to the subs because we needed a lift of tempo, energy and a bit of freshness, and they really gave us it.

“We put them under so much pressure in that second period and there was a spell where you thought whether the goal was coming.

“We had some unbelievable chances and once it got to 2-2, the whole stadium lifted and it felt like there was only one winner.

“The teams which are ultimately successful are the ones with strong squads because you’re going to have injuries and suspensions throughout the season.

“You’ve got to have a squad capable of dealing with that and you can never knock us in terms of the work ethic and desire of the team.”

It was a bitter ending to the afternoon for Neil Wood’s outfit, who let a fourth successive league victory slip through their grasps.

Brutal

“We weren’t good enough, that’s the brutal honesty of it,” said the Salford boss.

“We didn’t keep the ball well enough, we weren’t sharp enough and two naive mistakes cost us the game.

“It’s really poor from our point of view; they’re schoolboy goals to concede and the minimum is that we leave here with a point.

“It’s very disappointing to lose the game and we should be able to withstand the pressure.

“We’ve got a major chance to make it 3-1 and that has to be a goal; it’s criminal to miss a chance like that and that was a massive turning point in the game.

“It would’ve taken the sting out of it and given us the chance to get back in control of the game.

“We showed a big lack of quality and a naivety to our play, so it’s a big learning curve.

“We just need players back and the squad is light as it is and it shows; we’ve got two first-team players on the bench.

“You almost don’t want to put our B team lads into that situation because it is sink or swim and a difficult environment to put them in.

“They could make three or four subs that are quality first-team players who can make an impact and that’s the difference.

“But our lads are giving their best and that’s all that I can ask for.”