Practice pays off as Wrexham progress on penalties in the Carabao Cup

Posted Wednesday, August 09, 2023 by PA

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson was delighted with his side’s clarity during the penalty shoot-out after beating Wigan in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

Charlie Hughes and Thelo Aasgaard both smashed their spot-kicks over the bar as the League One Latics crashed out of the competition.

It was Wrexham’s first success of the season after their return to the English Football League got under way with a 5-3 defeat to MK Dons on Saturday.

And Parkinson, whose run to the final of this competition with Bradford in 2013 included a shoot-out victory over a then Premier League Wigan, said: “We practised penalties and the instructions were clear – ‘don’t try and be clever’. The lads stuck to that.

“It would be great to have a cup run, but it was great to get our season up and running. We deservedly got through.

“We were hurting after the weekend because we don’t like losing and aren’t used to it.

“We had the better chances and we probably should have won it in normal time.

“It was really important to get going again as a team. It’s a nice boost for us after the weekend.”

The Latics barely created a clear-cut chance despite having the majority of possession.

Boss Shaun Maloney said: “We didn’t do enough to win the game.

“In fairness to Wrexham, they executed the penalties better than we did.

“I don’t think there was a hangover from Saturday, we just weren’t that aggressive. We had a lot of possession, but we struggled to break them down.

“We weren’t at the level. We don’t really take any positives from tonight, but it’s a lesson learned.

“We’ve got two young kids who have missed. They’ll have to remember the hurt and make sure it’s a different outcome when they next step up to take them.”