Phil Parkinson feels draw with Harrogate puts Wrexham step closer to promotion

Posted Wednesday, March 13, 2024 by PA

Phil Parkinson believes Wrexham’s point in the goalless draw against Harrogate puts the Dragons a step closer on the road to League Two promotion.

The hosts were unable to break down the Sulphurites, one of the division’s best away sides this season, but the point saw Wrexham rise to second while Harrogate remain 14th.

Though Parkinson felt his side were unable to create the key moment to clinch a winner, he believes the point puts them a step closer to being in League One next season.

Parkinson said: “I think we did a lot of things right, I think we dominated the game, I thought our crossing was not at the standards it needed to be to create enough chances but we still had enough moments to have won the game.

“I thought the lads gave everything. There was nothing left out there tonight, but we just couldn’t find that killer moment to open the game up.

“We know Harrogate away from home have done well all season. They sit in, they disrupt, they make it difficult, we’ve had it before in the National League and they worked hard, you’ve got to give them credit for that, but really it was a game on the balance of play we should have won comfortably.

“It’s another point on where we want to get to. It’s not the worst point in the world and we move forward to the weekend. As I’ve said many times, if you can’t win it, don’t get beat and we’ve got a point.”

Harrogate’s Simon Weaver was full of praise for his side’s performance and believes if they can replicate their impressive away form at home next season, they will be “in business”.

Weaver said: “I thought the lads were absolutely superb. It was about getting a point from the game, finding a way and the lads remained organised and they just worked their socks off.

“They were relentless and we had to do a lot of defending second half. I thought first half there was nothing in it, and we competed well and played some really good football, but then as you get closer to the finishing line, you want to protect and we did. We protected our goal ever so well and restricted them to very few chances.

“They had a lot of territory, balls into the box, but we were clinical with our defending.

“Really the blip’s just been at home and we’ve got to solve that, it’s as simple as that. It’s the responsibility for all of us, mostly for me, making sure that next season our home form mirrors the away form of this season. If we do that, we’re really in business.”