Welcome to Wrexham…Weekly—a weekly dose of the Welsh club that has a unique connection to Philadelphia, even though it’s over 3,000 miles away. Whether you’re a local Red Dragons supporter or an intrigued observer, this is the place for you.

Now, let’s get into it.

League Two Table

League Two Table as of March 14

Wrexham news and highlights

• James McClean was shown his 10th yellow card of the season, landing him a two-game suspension.
• Wrexham announced the first leg of their three-stop Wrex Coast Tour will be on July 24, in Santa Clara, California, against Chelsea. Wrexham AFC Women will also make their first trip to the US.

Feature of the week: Wrexham save a point as others drop 

After a dominating 3-1 victory over Morecambe on March 9, Wrexham returned home for what was expected to be an easy three-point pickup against mid-table Harrogate Town on March 12. However, despite having 62% possession and firing 16 shots (compared to Harrogate’s three), the Red Dragons were unable to break the draw. 

Overall, the team looked sharp but failed to find the back of the net as they failed to create space through the game’s first 80 minutes, limiting scoring opportunities.

(Un)luck of the Irish

Despite leaving two points on the table, perhaps the bigger blow for promotion-chasing Wrexham was the 73’ yellow card — his 10th this campaign — for James McClean. He’ll now be punished with a two-game suspension. Adding salt to the wound, yellow card season totals were to reset after the match.

McClean has registered two goals and two assists in the six games since moving to midfield, where he’s played a crucial role in Wrexham’s scheme.

Poor Results from Table Leaders

Despite walking away from the Harrogate match with only a point, league leaders Mansfield Town suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of inconsistent Tranmere, who now sit in 16th. This leaves first place still within grasp, with only two points separating first and second as both Mansfield Town and Wrexham sit at 37 games.

Additionally, MK Dons were leapfrogged as they lost to relegation-battling Grimsby Town, dropping them to fifth place. 

While Wrexham has their eyes set on their second-straight league championship, some extra buffering at the top of the table could better ensure automatic promotion for the Red Dragons. Finding themselves in a playoff battle to secure promotion is something they’d like to avoid.

If Wrexham can pull out about 18 points from their final nine matches, they should be safely within the automatic promotion window and perhaps crowned league champions. Despite this week’s hiccup, Wrexham has been dominant at home and has five games at the Racecourse remaining. Not to mention away matches against Grimsby Town, Doncaster, and Colchester — currently ranked 21st, 19th, and 23rd, respectively, in the 24-team League Two table.

All this to say that yes, they should have won against Harrogate and yes, the McClean suspension could cause some headaches for manager Phil Parkinson, but the current table and upcoming matches are in Wrexham’s favor. 

What’s ahead for Wrexham

Wrexham’s schedule eases up for the remainder of March, returning to a once-per-week match schedule. This should provide some added recovery time coming down the final stretch. 

Wrexham is back at the Racecourse on Saturday, March 16, against Tranmere — who has the league’s second-worst road tally with a mere 12 points on 19 matches played. But the squad has punched above its weight at times this season and is coming off a major victory over league leaders Mansfield Town. Could the absence of McClean set the tone for another Tranmere spoil? Likely not, but anything is possible in the beautiful game.