Phil Parkinson’s post-match 3-1 claim says he badly missed injured Wrexham starter Matty James vs Bristol City during the 2-2 draw.
A day after the brilliant FA Cup draw against Chelsea, Wrexham has played out a frustrating 2-2 draw with Bristol City. There’s no doubt in it that away evenings are tough to handle in the Championship and the Reds won all 4 of them in 2026 until this Bristol City visit. Most likely, the team’s 2026 away record will stay unbeaten heading into March.
Very few other Championship sides can boast about this level of away rhythm this year. Still, falling down to a point all due to two worldie strikes by Bristol City hurts. Among them was an 89th minute 2-2 leveller that pegged back Wrexham outside of the top 6 places on goal difference.
An Ipswich Town contest also lies around the corner where Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna is determined to settle scores against Wrexham. Keeping all these challenges in mind, it’s hard not to lament Wrexham’s 2-2 draw tonight.
If not for the last-gasp Bristol City equaliser, Wrexham will have a 2 point cushion on closely-sitting rivals Derby County and Preston. That could have acted as a top 6 safety net to bail the Red Dragons off of a poor Ipswich Town result just in case.
Phil Parkinson’s 3-1 claim after 2-2 Bristol City draw
As expected, Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson isn’t a cheerful man at the moment. Infact, he sounded quite frustrated to throw away 2 deserving points on the table simply because the home side knew how to finish chances better when it mattered the most.
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The Red Dragons also got hold off a clinical opportunity to extend their 2-1 lead to 3-1 minutes before Bristol City’s Max Bird crushed Wrexham’s hearts. That chance fell to defensive midfielder George Dobson who completely lost his footing and couldn’t even direct a 1v1 shot on target.
In his own words, the Leader Live quoted Phil Parkinson reflecting on that moment: “They’re a good side and they put some good subs on but we got the goal back brilliantly and then we’ve had a chance to go and make it 3-1 and it’s game over, which really it should have been and the stadium should have been emptying.”
Phil Parkinson missed Matty James vs Bristol City
Phil Parkinson didn’t admit missing Matty James out loud while mourning the 2-2 Bristol City draw but it’s crystal clear to read between his frustration. Every Wrexham fan will agree that Matty James is miles ahead of George Dobson when it comes to finishing.
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Although midfielders don’t get many attempts to shoot from inside the box, it’s obvious that James would have buried the 3-1 chance in without fail. Talking about midfield duties, James again clears Dobson in winning possessions and blocking shooting angles from distance.
On Max Bird’s 2-2 goal, Dobson left him unmarked in the first place and then didn’t even attempt to jump or block his top-corner shot to preserve the 2-1 lead. Regardless of how good Dobson has filled in for James over the past 3 games, the brutal truth is his decision making isn’t on the same level as the 31-year-old James.
Before gearing up for the Ipswich Town FA Cup tie, Parkinson dropped a positive injury update on Matty James. He assured the box-to-box midfielder won’t stay out on the sidelines for longer. Nearly two full Championship games without him against Millwall and Bristol City, Wrexham appear to be losing the plot on their playoffs charge.
Fingers crossed, hopefully Matty James returns to the Wrexham starting lineup for the crunch Ipswich Town game.
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