What can Bristol Rovers, without a manager, anticipate from Wrexham this weekend?
Putting the search for a new manager aside, Bristol Rovers have a game on Saturday afternoon—and a significant one at that.
This Saturday, promotion contenders Wrexham will visit the Mem for a midday kickoff, while Rovers will start life without Matt Taylor after the 42-year-old’s dismissal was confirmed on Monday.
Since Dave Horseman and Lee Cattermole are now serving as temporary managers, it is unknown if a new manager will be in the home dugout on Saturday.
The North Wales team is now third in League One after a fantastic start to life in the third division after back-to-back promotions, making it one of the more difficult games on the calendar regardless of who leads the Gas.
Given Wrexham’s international appeal and the Hollywood ownership of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, there will undoubtedly be more outside interest on the game, but what can we really anticipate from Phil Parkinson’s team this weekend?
Before Saturday’s match, Bristol Live met with our colleague Liam Randall, an audience sports writer covering Wrexham, to get the inside scoop on everything Red Dragons.
The majority of Wrexham supporters believe that the team has overperformed thus far this season. The team has a lot of anticipation because of its Hollywood owners, but most fans would have been content with a mid-table finish before August. Being in the top three is incredibly fulfilling for Wrexham, who haven’t played in League One for nearly 20 years.
The opening day victory over Wycombe was highly enjoyable after all those years in the wilderness, as was defeating local rivals Shrewsbury 3-0 at the Racecourse in September.
Losing 3-1 to Birmingham at St Andrew’s in front of the television cameras served as a sobering reminder that Wrexham is not the dominant team in this division. It was also somewhat depressing to lose to Harrogate in the FA Cup.
If there has been a significant change this season, it is that as the weeks have progressed, goals have become more elusive. Paul Mullin’s inability to find the net as frequently following a back procedure in the summer could be one explanation for that. However, defenses appear to be more stringent overall, which is a significant shift.
Ryan Barnett has been one of Wrexham’s standout performers in League One and provides a real attacking threat down the right flank. Defender Lewis Brunt has established himself as another star man in recent weeks after joining from Leicester City in the summer. Elliot Lee is still an important component in providing goals and assists when he’s on form.
Phil Parkinson will undoubtedly keep the new manager bounce in the back of his mind. But when it comes to keeping his guys focused and blocking out extraneous noise, he excels.