Wrexham found a way by being resilient as a group – Phil Parkinson

Phil Parkinson believes Wrexham deserved their dramatic late winner in the 1-0 victory against Barnsley as a reward for being resilient in a tight encounter.

Ollie Rathbone snatched the three points for the Dragons in stoppage time after the spoils looked like they were going to be shared.

Wrexham narrowed the gap to League One leaders Wycombe to two points and Parkinson said: “Barnsley were resolute, they put the ball into areas and tried to pin us back as a team, so the games are hard and they’re going to be because teams have got respect for what we’ve done here over the last few years.

“But we found a way by being resilient as a group, doing all the horrible things in football you’ve got to do – blocking shots, winning headers in our own box when it really mattered – and we deserved to get that moment at the end.

“They are powerful at set plays and I thought the way we defended set plays and dealt with that style of play was outstanding.

“We said to the lads before the game – and reiterated at half-time – that the type of game it was, it would be just a moment to separate the teams and could we be the team which produces it and we did that with an unbelievable goal.

“Ollie Rathbone has capped off an outstanding performance from him with a brilliant goal.”

Barnsley boss Darrell Clarke expressed his disappointment at being on the wrong side of a tight encounter he felt they did not look like losing.

He said: “We didn’t look in danger of losing the game. I didn’t think we were as aggressive enough at getting forward.

“It was tightly contested, two good teams having a very competitive game. It looked like a 0-0 or a 1-0 to one team and we’re just disappointed with their goal – to score a 25-yarder that beats us with his weaker foot. It’s a real kick in the teeth but we can’t become victims.

“We dive in at the top end of the pitch, gets beaten too easily, then we haven’t covered the midfield area and we haven’t closed down the shot well enough, so from our perspective we’ve got to do a lot better, but it’s probably a one-in-50 shot that goes in from that range with a weaker foot.

“Sometimes things go like that for you in football, we have to make sure that we stay strong and stay together.”