Wrexham's Draw Against Burnley: Performance Reflections
Phil Parkinson admitted Wrexham are still short of their best after being forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to bottom‑of‑the‑table Burnley.
The Racecourse crowd arrived expecting a statement win. They got a scrap instead.
Burnley, propping up the Championship at kick-off, struck first and asked questions Wrexham had answered comfortably in their last two outings. This time, though, the Red Dragons needed a second-half response, Jacques Ekomie rising to head them level and salvage a point.
The draw keeps Wrexham unbeaten in three, but the wait for a first home victory of the season goes on.
Parkinson did not try to dress it up.
"There are things we can do better," he said, reflecting on a night that followed a 3-0 win at Millwall and a goalless draw at Swansea. Those two away performances had been built on control, organisation and a ruthless grip without the ball. Against Burnley, that edge slipped.
Without possession, Wrexham looked looser than usual, and Parkinson was quick to pinpoint why. Burnley tweaked their shape, dragged Wrexham around, and for long spells in the first half the hosts allowed them to.
"Without the ball, tactically we didn't get it quite right," Parkinson admitted. Burnley’s adjustments caused problems, but so did Wrexham’s own approach. The press lacked bite, the lines dropped too deep, and the visitors found too many pockets to play in.
"They changed a couple of things and we were also a bit passive in terms of the way we pressed as well," he said. That combination opened doors Burnley were rarely afforded by Millwall or Swansea.
In those previous games, Wrexham had smothered their opponents, giving up barely a sight of goal. This time, the spaces appeared. Gaps between midfield and defence. Runners not tracked. Second balls not snapped up with the usual aggression.
"Against Burnley there was just a bit too much space in areas and we need to look at that," Parkinson said. The issue was as much about mindset as mechanics. Wrexham dropped off, retreated when they should have stepped in, and the visitors took advantage.
"We got caught 10 to 15 yards too deep at times," he added. That small but costly shift in territory changed the feel of the game and allowed Burnley to build.
The response came at the interval. Parkinson and his staff reset the structure, pushed the team higher, and demanded a more assertive press. The difference after the break was obvious: Wrexham squeezed up, duels were contested on the front foot, and Burnley’s comfort on the ball evaporated.
"At half-time we rectified that and the pressing was loads better," Parkinson said, and the improvement eventually brought its reward. Ekomie’s header turned a nervous night into a salvage operation completed, if not a job fully done.
Unbeaten in three, yet still chasing that first home win. For a club with Wrexham’s ambitions, that tension between progress and frustration will not disappear quietly.
