Wrexham end their opening block of 2026-27 Championship fixtures with a tough test against Southampton at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday ( ). The Red Dragons' encouraging run of form was emphatically ended as they were thrashed 6-0 by West Ham United last time out. Prior to that drubbing, Phil Parkinson's men had collected five of the nine points on offer from their matches against Millwall, Swansea City and Burnley - keeping two clean sheets in that run.
Despite the club's remarkable success over recent years, setbacks are nothing new to Wrexham and Parkinson. Their aim now is to respond in a positive manner, something history shows they have an impressive knack of doing. Can Wrexham boss Parkinson bounce back again?
With just one win from their opening eight matches across all competitions, it has been far from the perfect start. But Wrexham's current total of seven points is just one fewer than they had at the same stage last season. So it's worth looking at the specific data from this season to have a clearer idea of the issues Parkinson and his staff will be seeking to address.
Only four sides have scored fewer than the seven league goals Wrexham have managed so far this term. They are currently under performing their expected goals (XG) tally by -1.03. It is in stark contrast to last season when they outperformed their XG by 12.21, the highest over performance of any side in the second tier.
Wrexham's total of 78 shots is the fourth-lowest in the division so far this season too. There are also some defensive concerns, as there were in 2025-26. The Red Dragons have conceded 11 goals from an XG of just 8.41, with only four teams having a worse goals conceded versus XG record than Wrexham's figure of 2.59.
That said, their 377 recoveries made is more than any other team, and typifies the fight the players are demonstrating amid what has largely been a frustrating start to the campaign. Wrexham's hefty squad overhaul in the summer of 2025 played a key role in the club's slow start to the campaign last time out as players took time to gel. As was the case early on last term, it seems as though Parkinson is still searching to find his best combinations, particularly in the back three and midfield.
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