Phil Parkinson pleased with controlled performance as Wrexham ease past Exeter

Boss Phil Parkinson was glad to see Wrexham return to winning ways in style as their 3-0 victory over Exeter saw them climb back into League One’s automatic promotion spots.

Headers from Max Cleworth, Ollie Palmer and Ollie Rathbone ensured victory at the Racecourse and meant the hosts leapfrogged Birmingham following their loss to Shrewsbury.

The win followed Wrexham’s defeat to Stockport last weekend and Parkinson believes the manner of the victory was as important as the three points.

He said: “It was important, I think everybody could sense we got back to a more consistent level of performance across the 90 minutes.

“We had real control and I think that was very important for us to get back at it and put in a performance like we’d done earlier in the season.

“I’m very pleased. I thought it was a really strong performance from us. Exeter are a difficult team to break down, they’ve only conceded 10 goals this season.

“I thought we played some great football, got the control we looked for in the game with Matty James and Rathbone in the middle of the pitch and Elliot (Lee) changing his position gave us a different dynamic. All in all it’s great to get back to winning ways.

“I thought from our set plays we looked such a threat. I thought the second goal was as good a goal as we’ve scored.”

Exeter boss Gary Caldwell lamented his side’s first-half showing but was also critical of the officials for disallowing Caleb Watts’ goal before half-time for offside.

He said: “It’s always disappointing to lose the game and I’m disappointed to lose it in a way we showed the threat Wrexham have from corners and crosses.

“They scored from two corners and a cross so we knew the threat they had and we didn’t deal with it.

“I thought we started the game well but throughout the first half I felt we didn’t win enough duels, we weren’t aggressive enough, we didn’t run enough and I thought we were outmuscled in that initial period.

“We gave them goals that we knew they can score, they are very dangerous from those opportunities but we didn’t control the game as well as we would have liked.

“We scored a brilliant goal just before half-time that for some reason the linesman gives it offside.

“I heard a statement I’ve never heard in my life where the referee didn’t know, so he gave them the decision and when you’re here at this stadium, you’re going to need big decisions to go your way and they didn’t in that first half.”