Despite what the scoreline might suggest, this was an entertaining draw in east London. Both sides had chances to take all three points.
Leyton Orient dominated the first half, with Brandon Cooper missing a gilt-edged opportunity, but Phil Parkinson’s Wrexham worked their way back into the game after the break and should have scored during an almighty goalmouth scramble. As it was, Steven Fletcher and Elliot Lee failed to convert.
The Athletic picks out the main post-match talking points and looks at what’s next for the Welsh club…
Can Wrexham make history with back-to-back-to-back promotions?
Big-spending Birmingham City might have snatched the top spot in League One, but Wrexham’s attempts to re-write the history books continue.
No club has gone from non-League football to England’s second tier — today known as the Championship — in just three seasons since the English Football League (EFL) was reorganised into a four-division pyramid in 1957.
In total, 60 clubs have been accepted into the EFL, either via the re-election system that ran until 1987 or the current promotion and relegation setup. Ten of those went on to win promotion from League Two (the fourth tier) at the first attempt, with Wrexham the most recent.
However, following that with a third successive promotion to reach the second tier has proved a step too far. Stevenage came closest after starting in non-League, via a sixth-place finish in 2011-12 that earned an ultimately unsuccessful tilt at the League One play-offs.
Wycombe Wanderers also finished sixth in 1994-95 only to fall victim to a reorganisation that resulted in only the champions being promoted that season and the teams who finished between second and fifth competing in the play-offs. Peterborough United achieved the highest finish of fifth in the old Third Division in 1961-62 after leaving the Midland League just two years earlier, but this was an era when only the top two went up.
Are Wrexham equipped to make history? Saturday suggested they could be as they recovered from a slow start against a lively Orient to claim a point that could easily have been three after a strong finish.
Mullin came off the bench for Wrexham (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Parkinson’s second-half substitutions — strike duo Paul Mullin and Steven Fletcher, plus George Evans, who added some much-needed control to midfield — underlined their strength in depth. The trio played their part in Wrexham’s improvement after the break.
With Max Cleworth suffering ankle ligament damage near the end and the midweek fixtures about to pick up, however, the squad will be tested.
Another encouraging aspect was how the visitors stood up to an early onslaught from Orient. Parkinson’s side displayed the resilience that separates promotion challengers from the rest.
Parkinson is leaving nothing to chance
Saturday’s hard-fought draw underlined the importance of preparation.
Parkinson made a 400-mile round trip on Tuesday evening to watch Leyton Orient host Peterborough, and did not return to his family home in West Yorkshire until the early hours.
Not every manager would have gone to such an effort in an era when laptops often rule the analysis world. Some would have delegated the task to another member of staff.
But Parkinson believes there is no substitute for first-hand experience, which explains why the manager also sent out assistant Steve Parkin and other members of the coaching team on a night when Huddersfield Town vs Blackpool and Wigan Athletic vs Stevenage were also taking place in League One.
Coincidentally, Saturday’s trip to Brisbane Road also offered Parkinson a chance to catch up with a mentor who helped drum home the need to do the hard yards and not take any shortcuts in preparation.
Parkinson at Brisbane Road on Saturday (Jess Hornby/Getty Images)
“Brian Owen was first-team coach and one of our scouts at Colchester when I was just starting out,” he told The Athletic. “Unfortunately, he’s been ill in hospital so I took the chance to call in and see him on my way to Orient.
“He’s a bit of a mentor to me and we’ve always kept in touch. As a young manager, Bill would talk about the importance of getting out and watching games. That’s never left me, even now when you can watch them all on video.
“When I told him I was on my way to Orient, his face lit up. It showed him I’d been listening all those years ago! We then had a long chat about the importance of preparation and how, as a staff, you’ve got to be out on the road when you get a chance.
“That’s why we were all out on Tuesday, ensuring our knowledge of teams and players went up a notch.”
Do we stay or do we go home?
Parkinson opted to restore Jack Marriott to the starting XI ahead of Mullin, but his big calls did not end with team selection. Off-field logistics are crucial as Wrexham face back-to-back long-distance away games within four days.
Should the squad stay down south in between the games at Orient and Stevenage on Tuesday to minimise travel? Or would the players be better served by returning north in between?
In the end, Parkinson opted to make the two trips. “We’re going home after Orient,” he says. “There’s always a case for staying down in a situation like this and I have done it in the past with teams. But having three days in a hotel can sometimes have a negative effect compared to getting the lads back with their families and allowing them a break.”
The Orient-Stevenage double-header is not the only time Wrexham will face a road-trip dilemma this season. The final weekend of March will bring a journey to Exeter City that is followed three days later by another lengthy ride to Cambridge United.
First up, however, is that midweek return east, to Stevenage’s Lamex Stadium, as Wrexham look to continue their impressive return to the third tier.
(Top photo: James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images)