Phil Parkinson praises ‘exceptional’ defending as Wrexham win again

Phil Parkinson praised the tenacity of his Wrexham side as they maintained their fine away record in the Championship with a 1-0 success at Charlton.

The Red Dragons have taken 16 points from a possible 18 on the road to help fuel their hopes of a fourth successive promotion.

Oliver Rathbone, who signed a contract extension until the summer of 2028 earlier this week, scored the 30th-minute matchwinner.

But Wrexham, sixth in the league, had to withstand heavy pressure from the home team and goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo produced heroics to deny Sonny Carey a late leveller.

Wrexham boss Parkinson, now gearing up to face Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round next Saturday, said: “We showed incredible resilience today to get the win.

“There were some key moments in the game. Brilliant blocks by (Issa) Kabore and (George) Dobson – then a brilliant finish from Ollie.

“Arthur made a save from their first shot on target – but what a save it was. We know Carey is lethal from those situations. He has hit it low and hard, through legs, and Arthur has produced a match-winning save.

“The way we defended the box today was exceptional. We knew, coming here, that it would be about first contacts from set-plays and general play.

“Think of how many times the ball came into the box today and it came back out with a Wrexham head on it or reacting to the second ball.

“Broady (Nathan Broadhead) did well to skip past the lad marking him and Rathbone has done what he has done so many times for us. He is so calm in those situations. It is a really good finish.

“We had some gilt-edged chances in the second half and when you don’t take them it creates a bit of pressure. But we saw it through well today. When you put players of the presence of Dan Scarr and Zak Vyner on then it helped the rest of the team.”

It was a tale of missed chances for Charlton as Luke Berry and Harry Clarke failed to make the most of first-half opportunities – not even hitting the target.

The Addicks have not scored more than once in their last 12 home matches, with that lack of potency preventing them pulling clear of the relegation skirmish.

Addicks manager Nathan Jones said: “The level of performance was outstanding but how we haven’t scored three or four, I don’t know.

“It was a dominant performance – we were excellent in how we moved the ball. We limited them to just counter-attacks but good sides find a way to win games. They are clinical.

“They weren’t just half-chances – they were clear cut.

“Bezza’s chance is unbelievable, I expect him to score that, because that is the player he is.

“Harry Clarke’s chance is gilt-edged. Their keeper makes an unbelievable save at the end. The stats said we only had 12 shots – I couldn’t believe that.

“We scored more in midweek from three shots. Today, if we had been a tenth as clinical we would have won the game. That is the frustrating thing.

“You can say they defended the box well, but they haven’t. We have missed chances today.

“I want to be in here eulogising about a fantastic performance but I’m not – I’m kicking myself because we lost the game.”