Phil Parkinson could not hide his frustration after Wrexham suffered a 2-1 defeat against Birmingham City at the STōK Cae Ras on Friday night, describing the goals his side conceded as among the softest of his entire five-year spell in charge.
Wrexham entered the Championship encounter searching for their first league victory of the new campaign following successive 1-1 draws against Cardiff City and Watford. Still, Birmingham defender Phil Neumann's brace punished the hosts' poor defending.
Neumann opened the scoring from Alex Cochrane's corner before Callum Doyle brought Wrexham level after the interval, converting following an excellent Lewis O'Brien delivery.
However, Wrexham's momentum quickly disappeared when Neumann was allowed to score his second from the second phase of a Birmingham long throw.
Parkinson was particularly angered by the manner in which both goals were scored."In all my time here, I think those two are the softest goals we have conceded, and we have got to give ourselves a chance and defend the box better than we have done tonight.
Discussing Birmingham's opener, Parkinson added:“The first one, two of their players could have scored. That is unacceptable.”
Parkinson said his half-time message centred on playing with greater belief and conviction, while demanding more bodies inside the penalty area and greater willingness to shoot when opportunities presented themselves.
Asked whether Wrexham could be busy before the window closes, Parkinson offered a one-word response: “possibly.”
He was also questioned about reports linking Wrexham with Lyon attacker Pavel Šulc but refused to be drawn into discussing individual targets, insisting his immediate focus remained on processing the Birmingham performance.
Wrexham now have just two points from their opening three Championship matches and remain without a victory in all competitions this season.
Parkinson knows there can be little time for his players to dwell on the disappointment. Their next match arrives at Millwall on Wednesday, and his message ahead of the trip to The Den was emphatic: Wrexham must respond with greater responsibility, aggression and belief.
As Parkinson put it, they have to come out “hard and fighting” at Millwall.
Millwall and Wrexham have met 28 times competitively, with the Welsh club holding a historical advantage:
10 Wrexham victories, 11 draws and seven Millwall wins.
The first league meetings came during the 1960/61 Fourth Division season.
The sides regularly crossed paths during the 1960s before meeting again throughout the 1970s, 1980s and late 1990s.
After more than two decades apart, they renewed their rivalry in the 2025/26 Championship. Remarkably, both away teams won 2-0: Wrexham triumphed at The Den before Millwall returned the favour at the STōK Cae Ras.
Phil Parkinson would love a repeat of last season on Wednesday night.
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