Wrexham forward Sam Smith’s unlucky run continues as he loses the PFA Championship Fans POTM to Alan Browne, after returning to a substitute role under Phil Parkinson.
With a couple of positive injury updates arriving, Wrexham has begun FA Cup preparations in full swing. While an aspect of it involves moving ahead of the defeat to Millwall last weekend, it won’t be easy for the fans to forget the unusual scenes that game saw.
Clearly, Millwall won the game by punishing Wrexham in the moments that mattered the most. But an own goal from Max Cleworth and a couple of sitters fired off target by in-form Sam Smith were surprising.
Now, a post-game backing from Phil Parkinson on Cleworth’s record appearance must have helped his confidence. On the other side, everything feels unravelling for Sam Smith in the moment.
Having been dropped on the back of a match-winner against Sheffield Wednesday, Smith missed a couple of chances in his cameo appearance against Millwall. If that wasn’t enough, he has taken another toll as he lost the PFA Championship Fans’ Player of the Month award for January.
Despite being among the favourites to bag the PFA POTM, Smith couldn’t edge past Boro’s Alan Browne in fans’ support. PFA hailed Browne as the January POTM, announcing: “I know what I want. Alan Browne is your PFA Championship Fans’ Player of the Month”
Sam Smith loses the PFA POTM to Alan Browne
Looking back at the Nominees for the award, Sam Smith was competing against Ben Brereton, Alan Browne, Azor Matusiwa, Oli McBurnie and Kenny McLean for the PFA Championship Fans POTM.
A look at their comparative January displays reads:
Ben Brereton(CF): 2Goals + 3Assists in Derby’s 4 Wins and 1 Draw (6 games)
Alan Browne(CM): 3 Goals + 1 Assist in Boro’s 5 Wins (6 games)
Azor Matusiwa(DM): 5 solid midfield performances in Ipswich’s 3 wins and 1 Draw (5 games)
Oli McBurnie(CF): 2 Goals + 2 Assists in Hull’s 4 Wins (5 games)
Kenny McLean(DM): 1 Assist in Norwich’s 4 Wins (6 games)
Sam Smith(CF): 4 Goals in 4 Starts in Wrexham’s 4 Wins and 1 Draw (6 games)
Clearly, Sam Smith leads the metric in goals and could’ve been a possible winner as per the PFA POTM’s attacker winner trend. However, Alan Browne got the edge for his goal contributions coming from the midfield position in a nearly impeccable streak for Middlesbrough.
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With 6 wins out of their last 6 games, Boro are running for the league title, and Alan Browne has been one of the biggest pillars of their success. While Sam Smith might’ve influenced Wrexham’s January form more, he was limited to only 4 starts coming in a stop-gap manner.
Though the fans judged the nominees on their January displays, Smith’s shaky ground played a role. With him being the only backup option among other absolute starter nominees, Smith’s chances of winning the award got compromised.
Is there any room for Sam Smith in Wrexham’s starting XI?
Whenever put upfront, Smith has instilled confidence to complement Kieffer Moore perfectly with his mobile & fast game style. The same was evident in the final minutes against Millwall, where he came close to scoring opportunities but lacked the finishing touch to steal the show.
At the same time, Phil Parkinson’s verdict on Sam Smith & Kieffer Moore has been clear. For Parky, it’s been a binary choice for the starting spot between the two, with no clause for both to be in the starting XI together.
Here, Davis Keillor-Dunn’s entry in the pecking order further hurts Sam Smith. Having handed the Wrexham returnee his Championship debut against Millwall, Parky has shown confidence in Keillor-Dunn being crucial for his plans ahead.
Factoring in all this, it’s now or never for Sam Smith’s Wrexham future. If not given chances in the next games, the 27-year-old could be slipping down to the 3rd choice role in Parky’s pecking order.
In this aspect, the upcoming game against Ipswich comes with a crucial opportunity for Smith. So far, Big Kieff’s involvement has been minimal in Cup games for Wrexham. With a set of crucial Championship fixtures ahead, this trend may continue and hand over a starting slot for Smith in the FA Cup.
Also, Nathan Broadhead’s injury can offer an inaugural Wrexham start for Keillor-Dunn in his return spell. This offers a one-on-one contest between Smith and Keillor-Dunn, with both putting in their best to help Wrexham advance in the FA Cup.
For Sam Smith, a solid performance is non-negotiable if the forward wishes not to lose his second-choice role in Parky’s pecking order. It remains to be seen if Smith manages to do so, or Keillor-Dunn further builds on the former’s unlucky run.
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