By David Williams

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson admitted he was left frustrated by his team’s inability to eat into Birmingham City’s five-point lead over the Dragons at the top of League One.

Parkinson watched his team go 1-0 up at home to the leaders, but Birmingham struck back to claim a 1-1 draw, which leaves Wrexham back in third place in the table.

Both clubs remain firmly in the hunt in the League One promotion race, with Birmingham retaining a five-point cushion over Wrexham and two-point lead over second-placed Wycombe.

Reflecting on the encounter, Parkinson praised his team’s spirit but was disappointed by their inability to capitalise on dominant periods.

“I thought we started really well and got a fantastic goal,” Parkinson said.

“Always disappointed to concede, and we could have done better with their goal. It probably knocked us a bit.

“But I thought we responded terrifically well in the second half, and we’ve had a lot of games like that where we’ve pinned teams in, and the goal has come. But it didn’t quite fall for us tonight.

“In terms of what we ask from the lads – desire, commitment, and energy – we got all that.”

WREXHAM VS. BIRMINGHAM CITY: THE HIGH CHEEKBONE CLASSICO

This fixture just means more – and not just because Ryan and Rob have a chance to beat Tom Brady at sports pic.twitter.com/8OUbT2fadc

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) January 23, 2025

Birmingham boss Chris Davies, on the other hand, was pleased with Blues’ resilience, particularly in the first half.

“Mixed emotions,” he admitted. “I thought first half we were very good despite conceding the goal, and we responded to that.

“We were very calm, got control of the game again, and scored a good goal from a set piece. I liked the look of us in that half. I thought we were very threatening and gave them very little.

“Second half we had some moments, but we didn’t have the same control I’d like us to have. And in the end, we ground it out and fought hard to get the point, and we’ll take that.”

The much-anticipated clash saw Wrexham take an early lead through a sublime curling effort by Oli Rathbone in the ninth minute, a strike that sent the packed Racecourse Ground into raptures.

Rathbone seized on a loose ball, advancing before unleashing a precise shot from outside the area that nestled in the bottom corner.

However, Birmingham hit back just nine minutes later.

“We’ve had a good week on the training pitch and we’ve put it into practise today”

Wrexham’s Phil Parkinson on his relationship with the players at the club over the last week ❤️ pic.twitter.com/R5j5oDsjOP

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 23, 2025

Lyndon Dykes rose to meet a deep corner, heading the ball back across goal before it took a deflection off George Dobson to beat Wrexham goalkeeper Mark Howard.

The match, billed as the “Hollywood Derby” due to the involvement of celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney (Wrexham), and Tom Brady (Birmingham), lived up to its billing as an engrossing contest.

But despite the electric atmosphere, neither side managed to find the decisive moment.

Wrexham, unbeaten at home this season, piled on the pressure in the second half.

Substitutes Paul Mullin and Steven Fletcher injected energy into the attack, with Mullin forcing a save and Fletcher narrowly missing a diving header from a dangerous James McClean cross.

Birmingham goalkeeper Ryan Allsop was instrumental in keeping the visitors in the game, producing crucial stops, including a spectacular save to deny McClean’s header at the near post.

Birmingham had their opportunities as well, with Christoph Klarer failing to connect from a corner and Taylor Gardner-Hickman firing wide late on.

The draw means Birmingham, now on 57 points, maintain their five-point lead over third-placed Wrexham, who sit on 52 points.

Birmingham also have a game in hand over both Wrexham and Wycombe, who occupy second place with 56 points.
For Davies, the point was another step toward their promotion push.

“We’ve fought hard to get the point, and we’ll take that,” he reiterated.

Meanwhile, Parkinson reflected on what might have been: “On the performance, we probably deserved all three points, but we’ve got to be pleased with the manner in which we went about our business.”