Phil Parkinson has hinted at one Wrexham defensive change vs Charlton Athletic. It makes sense in the long term.
Moving forward, Charlton Athletic are the new Championship opponents for Wrexham. The Reds inflicted a 1-0 defeat upon the Addicks back in November when Charlton Athletic were coincidentally sixth in the league table.
Currently, Phil Parkinson’s men enjoy that position and rival boss Nathan Jones will be hoping to settle the scores when Wrexham tour his side on the weekend. No doubt, Jones will be expected to throw more digs at Wrexham similar to his ‘circus’ comment in 2025.
Since then, the Reds have smashed his Charlton Athletic squad twice with scores of 3-0 and 1-0 within the past ten months. So, scoring won’t be an issue for Wrexham this Saturday too. Atleast fans can take this belief for granted.
However, Charlton Athletic’s one-month long unbeaten streak comes as a surprise. More so, because the Addicks snatched late points in the 1-1 Southampton and West Brom draws this month. Their 1-0 winner against Stoke City also came late in the game.
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All these recent results urge Wrexham to remain extra cautious of Nathan Jones men during the closing phases of the game. Thankfully, Phil Parkinson seems to have a defensive plan ready for this.
Phil Parkinson hints one defensive change vs Charlton Athletic
For the majority of 2026, Phil Parkinson has stuck to Dom Hyam, Max Cleworth and Callum Doyle’s pairing in the three man defence. At Charlton Athletic, the Reds boss has hinted at a change that makes sense in the long term.
In his own words, the BBC quoted Phil Parkinson saying: “Zak’s fine. It’s been good in a way that we’ve been doing well. It’s given the time to get his toe completely right. He’s training again today.”
By admitting Zak Vyner has recovered properly, Parkinson has left a hint that the 28-year-old will be used more against Charlton Athletic than in the Ipswich Town and Portsmouth clashes. Who knows, maybe Zak Vyner gets to start vs Charlton Athletic?
2 reasons why Zak Vyner should start against Charlton Athletic
Max Cleworth has been Wrexham’s worst defender in February. There’s no two ways around it. Honestly, his goal at Portsmouth followed by a solid defending in the second half was a brilliant performance. Full credit to him for that, but one good game doesn’t hide his countless mistakes in February.
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Against Charlton Athletic, one casual slip-up from Cleworth can deny Wrexham 2 points or even 3 on the night. Hence, it’s better to trust Zak Vyner in his place and let the young Englishman catch a break to regain his good old rhythm.
March is already packed with 4 Championship games within 11 days so it would be better if Cleworth approached that phase with his past mistakes long behind him.
Secondly, Wrexham legend Mickey Thomas urged the club to get the FA Cup Chelsea tie off their minds. That won’t appease the Reds fanbase but Phil Parkinson can takeaway one aspect from it. Rotate players without weakening the starting lineup too much at Chelsea.
Zak Vyner as a starting defender is a perfect example of trying out different players who are at the same level as regular starters. And that plan can work well only if Vyner gets comfortable playing at the heart of the Reds defence.
This Charlton Athletic game is the only competitive preparation available to him and Parkinson should ensure Vyner makes the most of it.
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- Wrexham man was unlucky against Ipswich Town (he can start at Charlton Athletic)
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