Phil Parkinson says depth of Championship justifies expanding play-offs

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has welcomed the prospect of an expanded play-off system in the Championship, insisting there is no shortage of Premier League potential in the division.

Moves are afoot to increase the promotion shootout from four to six teams from next season, with the issue set to be decided at an extraordinary general meeting next month.

Reports suggest there is some wariness from the Premier League over a possible dilution in quality but Parkinson, whose sixth-placed side face third-placed Ipswich in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday, has no such concerns.

“It’s so competitive, just look at this division, it’s incredible,” he said.

“It’s the tightness and competitiveness of the division, there’s so many teams in contention and we’re one of them.

“There are teams who have (gone up) and established themselves as Premier League teams. Look at Sunderland for instance, they’ve spent the money from the TV revenue wisely, they’ve got themselves in a great position and it shows it can be done.

“Looking at the Championship there’s a lot of potentially huge clubs in this division – probably, in terms of support, bigger than some teams that are in there (the Premier League) at the moment.”

Parkinson has no worries about cup commitments distracting from the ultimate aim of winning promotion and is eager to steer the Welsh club into the fifth round for the first time since 1996-97.

“It is a distraction but I think it’s a welcome one,” he said.

“We speak about the magic of the FA Cup so when the games come I want us to enjoy it. I want us to go out there with real positivity about our performance.”