Reading hit the road again this weekend with a trip down the M4 to take on Reading legend Phil Parkinson’s Wrexham. Join us as we take a look at the opposition.
Wrexham won promotion from League Two last season, finishing as runners-up, four points behind champions Stockport County. This ensured they secured back-to-back promotions, having won the National League the previous season after spending 15 seasons outside of the Football League.
The Red Dragons have had a similar start to the season as Reading, picking up one win and one draw so far. Their win came on the opening day of the season, beating Wycombe Wanderers in a thrilling 3-2 victory, before drawing 0-0 with Bolton Wanderers last weekend.
The two sides last faced each other over two decades ago, when both sides were playing in Division 2 back in 2001. The Royals claimed the bragging rights, winning 2-0 at the Madejski Stadium with goals from Nicky Forster and Darius Henderson and 0-2 at the Racecourse Ground with Forster scoring again before John Salako doubled Reading’s lead.
Phil Parkinson: Former Reading favourite Parkinson was appointed Wrexham manager in July 2021, taking over from Dean Keates.
Parky had an 18-year career as a player, starting as a trainee at Southampton before joining Bury, where he made his professional debut. He joined Reading in 1992 and went on to make 231 appearances for the Royals over the course of a decade, with many of those as captain.
He retired from playing in 2003 and walked straight into a managerial role at Colchester United, where he secured his first promotion as a manager in 2006. A short spell at Hull City followed, before Parkinson went on to join Charlton Athletic as Alan Pardew’s assistant. He became Charlton manager in 2008 and spent two years in charge before his sacking in January 2011.
Parkinson had his longest reign at Bradford City, who he managed between 2011 and 2016. Parky guided Bradford to a League Cup final in 2013 and promotion to League One via the playoffs in 2013.
He went on to manage Bolton Wanderers where he secured his third promotion as a manager, guiding Wanderers back to the Championship in 2017. A short spell at Sunderland followed before he joined Wrexham in 2021, securing two more promotions, winning the National League in 2023 and finishing runners-up in League Two last season.
Having been a leader on the pitch during his playing career, Parky has taken these skills into his managerial career and is a highly regarded, successful manager in the lower leagues.
Wrexham prepared for life in the third tier, signing seven new players on permanent deals this summer. They completed the free transfer signings of goalkeepers Arthur Okonkwo and Callum Burton and midfielder George Dobson.
They paid fees for four new players with defenders Lewis Brunt joining from Leicester City, Seb Revan signing from Aston Villa and Dan Scarr joining from Plymouth Argyle. They also completed the signing of midfielder Ollie Rathbone who signed from Rotherham United for a club-record fee.
Six players left the club on free transfers during the summer including defenders Ben Tozer and Jordan Tunnicliffe and midfielder Luke Young.
Star striker Paul Mullin is expected to continue to miss out as he recovers from spinal surgery over the summer. Wing back Jacob Mendy is also expected to miss out.
Predicted lineup
Okonkwo, O’Connor, O’Connell, Scarr, McClean, Revan, Lee, Dobson, Cannon, Palmer, Marriott
Elliott Lee: Midfielder Lee joined Wrexham in July 2022, signing on a free transfer after his release from Luton Town. He started his career at West Ham United and was a graduate from the Hammers academy.
He made his professional debut in 2013 before embarking on a number of loan moves, playing for the likes of Colchester United, Luton Town and Blackpool. Lee left West Ham in 2016, signing for Barnsley for an undisclosed fee.
Lee joined Luton Town a year later, where he stayed for five seasons, representing the Hatters 123 times, scoring 30 goals. He also had loan spells at Oxford United and Charlton before his release from Luton in 2022.
Lee has made 106 appearances for Wrexham since signing two years ago and has 30 goals to his name. The 29-year-old is the son of former Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee. He typically plays in the number 10 role and is a strong passer who is comfortable on the ball.
Arthur Okonkwo: Goalkeeper Okonkwo joined Wrexham on a permanent basis this summer, having spent last season on loan from Premier League Arsenal. He is a product of the Gunners' academy and played for both their under-18 and under-21 sides.
He made his professional debut in 2022 when on loan at Crewe Alexandra in League Two. A further loan spell followed in 2023 when Okonkwo joined Austrian side Sturm Graz, where he made 18 appearances.
Wrexham brought Okonkwo in on loan last summer as a replacement for Ben Foster, who retired following Wrexham’s promotion back to the Football League. He made 42 appearances for the Red Dragons, keeping 17 clean sheets, and rejoined the club on a permanent deal this summer following his release from Arsenal.
Okonkwo has represented England at under-16, under-17 and under-18 level. The 22-year-old is a strong shot-stopper who made a number of key saves against Bolton last weekend to help his side keep a clean sheet and claim a point on the road.
