Wrexham deny Wolves top spot as O'Brien strikes late

Lewis O'Brien's first goal of the season salvaged a 1-1 draw for Wrexham against Wolves at the Racecourse, a result that kept the visitors off the top of the SkyBet Championship, Sky Sports Football reported.

The point meant Wolves, who had gone into the fixture second in the table behind Middlesbrough, missed the chance to leapfrog into first place.

That opportunity instead went to Stoke, who moved top of the division after a 2-1 comeback win at Portsmouth, according to the Guardian's Championship roundup via the Press Association.

Portsmouth had led through Tyrese Shade's bending finish after six minutes, but goals from Jack McGlynn and Ben Wilmot turned the game around and extended Stoke's run to five successive away victories.

Wrexham's draw came after manager Phil Parkinson had called on his players to reproduce the mentality they showed in a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in midweek, a result that had eased some of the pressure on him following just one win in his previous five league games.

"You've got to be on it like that every game," Parkinson said before kick-off, speaking to Yahoo Sports. "It's a consistency level and it's the certain kind of non-negotiables of the way we want to play."

He added that the Middlesbrough performance had lifted the mood around the club. "They were back in place on Wednesday night, I think the lads enjoyed the game, listening to the supporters and speaking to people over the last couple of days," Parkinson said. "There was a real buzz back around the ground well done for that, but we go again."

Saturday's meeting with Wolves also doubled as a personal landmark for Parkinson, who took charge of his 150th Wrexham home fixture having first joined the club back in July 2021, a spell in which he has recorded 101 wins, 30 draws and 18 defeats.

He had made clear beforehand that he wanted the occasion marked with victory. "I want to mark it with a win," he said. "I said to the lads that, you know, if we put in the same kind of effort, togetherness, tactical understanding of the game plan required, we'll give ourselves a good chance."

Parkinson was again without several key attacking options. Callum O'Hare remained sidelined by an ankle injury that has kept him out of the last two matches, while forwards Josh Windass and Nathan Broadhead and left-back Liberato Cacace were also unavailable.

Despite those absences, O'Brien's goal ensured Wrexham took something from a game against a Wolves side chasing top spot, denying them the chance to overtake Middlesbrough on the night Stoke moved above both clubs instead.