Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson happy to take a point against Leyton Orient

Posted Sunday, September 29, 2024 by PA

Phil Parkinson was satisfied with the point although his side lost their place at the top of Sky Bet League One following a 0-0 draw at Leyton Orient.

The O’s should have scored within two minutes of the start, but Charlie Kelman steered his shot wide and thereafter the Wrexham boss saw his side were forced to dig deep defensively for the first hour before they raised their game.

They could have plundered all three points but for their opponent’s good fortune when, in an amazing moment of play, Elliott Lee, Paul Mullin and Steven Fletcher all failed to apply the finishing touch when inside the goal area.

“You never devalue a point on your travels, Orient have had a really good run but we stayed in there,” Parkinson stated.

“We didn’t get the control we would have liked until we made the change on 60 minutes when I felt that George Evans gave us that extra plus that we were crying out for.

“And then in that last 25 or 30 minutes, I thought that we were the team that was going to go on and win the game. A couple of chances fell to us but we couldn’t quite get that finishing touch to it.

“But it can be tough when you go away from home and it’s about making sure that you get back up the road with something.

“I think having the quality of the two strikers, Steve Fletcher and Paul Mullin, gave us a lift when they came on. They were excellent and the other substitutes we used worked tirelessly for us as well.

“All the lads that came off the bench gave us a huge lift today.”

Orient manager Richie Wellens criticised his substitutes for their ineffectiveness.

“I thought first half we dominated the game and we should have been 3-0 up without actually being crisp and really good,” he said.

“We were good for 20 minutes of the second half and then we were forced into a few changes. Towards the end of the game if there was one team who were going to win, it was probably Wrexham.

“We stopped passing the ball, we kept playing long and made it into a scrappy game which suits them but we should have been out of sight.

“I’m a bit disappointed, but it’s a clean sheet against a good team. Mullin was a threat when he nearly got on a ricochet in our box, but other than that I don’t think our goalkeeper had a save to make.

“We need more impact from our substitutes. Once again, I don’t think it was good enough from our bench.

“We need our front players to be more energetic but if we take the gilt-edge chances then it becomes very different.”