Sport

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson: ‘Let’s not get too despondent’

08 Sep 2026 3 minute read

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson. Credit: Nick Potts/PA Wire.

Nation.Cymru staff

Wrexham were frustrated as their wait for a home win continued, their season yet to spark as they target another run at a play-off spot.

“Let’s not get too despondent,” boss Phil Parkinson said, after the 1-1 draw at the Racecourse. “Burnley were in the Premier League last year, and they’ve had a bad start to the season but they’ve got some very good players.

“As much as we want to win it, I think the second-half performance was a lot better and I don’t want to be too down about drawing against Burnley…

“Respect the point. We’d have loved it to be three…I thought the game was there for us to go and win it, I really did, and we just kind of got a bit scruffy in terms of our possession, gave the ball away a bit cheaply at times.

“But it’s not a lack of effort. The lads gave us a lot over these last three games.”

Burnley boss Nicky Hayen meanwhile has backed Jamie Vardy to be a vital source of goals for Burnley as they bid to turn around their season after a winless start continued in the draw at Wrexham.

The 39-year-old Vardy, signed as a free agent over the weekend, served a one-match ban at the Racecourse Ground and watched on as Zeki Amdouni fired Burnley in front before Jacques Ekomie levelled.

It left Burnley still in the bottom three with only three points from six matches, but Hayen believes Vardy can help lift them up the table.

“First of all it’s goals, that’s why we brought him in and what is really important is he’s an experienced player but also an intelligent player,” he said.

“How we play, we create spaces and the goal we scored with Zeki, with Jamie he has such intelligent runs that he doesn’t need a lot of chances before he scores goals. In his career that’s what he had.

“This will be an add-on for our team but also our offensive players can learn a lot from him about movements on the ball and off the ball.”

Burnley’s Zeki Amdouni (centre) attempts a shot on goal during the Sky Bet Championship match at The Racecourse Ground, Wrexham. Credit: Dave Thompson/PA Wire.

Amdouni’s 26th-minute strike – his first goal for the club in two years following a loan spell and a lengthy injury – came against the run of play as he finished first-time from Largie Ramazani’s excellent pass.

But Burnley could not hold on as Wrexham finished on top after Ekomie’s equaliser.

“Especially the first half, I think we played a really good first half, with a really great goal,” Hayen said. “We found our solutions, a lot of movement, a lot of courage. So I’m really satisfied with the first half, but of course (the match) lasts 95 minutes.

“The second half was decent but not so good as the first half. We conceded a goal and it became more open. They could score a second one, we could score a second one so you could win this game, you could lose this game and a point is a fair result.”

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