Wrexham's Phil Parkinson Critiques Team's Passiveness Against Burnley

Phil Parkinson did not try to dress it up. Wrexham are unbeaten in three, but the manager walked away from a 1-1 draw with Burnley knowing his side are still short of where they need to be.

Jacques Ekomie’s second-half header salvaged a point at the Racecourse, dragging the Red Dragons level after they had fallen behind to the Championship’s bottom club. The goal kept the mini-run going – three games without defeat – but the wait for a first home win of the season goes on.

Parkinson arrived at this one on the back of a statement 3-0 victory at Millwall and a disciplined 0-0 at Swansea, performances built on control without the ball. This time, that platform slipped.

"There are things we can do better," he said, bluntly. The manager had watched Burnley tweak their approach and felt his own team failed to react quickly enough.

Without possession, Wrexham never quite found their structure. The press, which had suffocated Millwall and Swansea, lacked bite. Lines dropped. Gaps opened.

"Without the ball, tactically we didn't get it quite right," Parkinson admitted. Burnley’s adjustments asked different questions and Wrexham did not answer them early on. "They changed a couple of things and we were also a bit passive in terms of the way we pressed as well."

The contrast with the previous two outings irritated him. At Swansea and Millwall, Wrexham had restricted both opponents to “hardly a shot on goal”. Against Burnley, the spaces appeared between the units, and the visitors played in them.

"Against Burnley there was just a bit too much space in areas and we need to look at that," he said. The defensive line often sagged, inviting pressure rather than squeezing it. "We got caught 10 to 15 yards too deep at times."

That depth gave Burnley room to breathe and, for a spell, to dictate. The Racecourse crowd felt it. So did the home bench.

The correction came at the break. Parkinson and his staff reset the press, pushed the line higher and demanded more aggression out of possession. The response was immediate.

"At half-time we rectified that and the pressing was loads better," he said. The energy shifted, Wrexham stepped onto Burnley, and the reward arrived when Ekomie climbed to head them level.

A point, then. A comeback, too. But for Parkinson, this was less about the unbeaten run and more about the details that still need sharpening if Wrexham are to turn draws at the Racecourse into the wins their ambitions demand.