MY ACCOUNT
Phil Parkinson is focused on ending 15 years of hurt on Saturday as Wrexham look to seal their long-awaited return to the Football League.
Victory over play-off chasing Boreham Wood at the Racecourse Ground would secure the National League title and a return to League Two for the first time since 2008.
For all the international attention that has come since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought the club in late 2020, go back to 2011 and an unpaid tax bill of £200,000 led to a winding-up petition.
Promotion would be a reward for those that kept Wrexham alive.
Parkinson, 55, said: “There’s been 15 years of pain in the town and the club.
“The club has had so many tough times and we’ve had supporters who followed home and away through all those tough periods.
“I totally understand what it means to everybody. There are supporters who have been incredibly loyal and passionate behind the club.
“The whole town and area has got behind the club and it would be very special if we could finish the job.”
Parkinson has previously earned promotions at Colchester, Bolton and Bradford. He also guided the Bantams to the 2013 League Cup final while they were still in League Two.
But he claims promotion with Wrexham would be “right up there” among his achievements “because of the importance of getting a team back into the league”.
Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Yeovil put the league leaders on the brink of a promotion that has appeared theirs for the taking since a 3-2 win over nearest rivals Notts County on April 10.
The excitement is obvious in Wrexham, with players mobbed by fans seeking autographs and selfies as they arrived for a gym session after training on Thursday morning.
Parkinson is trying to keep things “normal” for his players in the build-up to Saturday’s game but admits life at a National League club boasting their own Disney+ series is anything but.
He added: “They’ve coped really well. They’ve enjoyed it.
“We’re a very unusual National League club with an incredible spotlight on every single game.”
