Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Wrexham have the joint-eighth best home record in the Championship this season; Middlesbrough have the joint-second best away record in the division
ByIan MitchelmoreBBC Sport Wales- Published31 minutes ago
Wrexham will designate a member of their coaching staff to monitoring developments and results elsewhere as Phil Parkinson's side bid to clinch a spot in the Championship play-offs on the final day of the regular season.
The Red Dragons host Middlesbrough at Stok Cae Ras on Saturday (12:30 BST) and hold a slender advantage both Hull City and Derby County in the race for the top six.
The Tigers host Norwich City in their final game of the campaign while the Rams take on Sheffield United at Pride Park - with the outcome of both games set to play a part in Wrexham's fortunes.
"We'll designate someone in particular on the bench who will be keeping a check on the results," Parkinson said.
"I've done that before on the last day or the last couple of week dramas when the results are important.
"As much as the crowd can give an indication, I'll always have someone alongside me who's monitoring the situation and making sure that we've got the information we need."
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Leaving big guns in their wake
Wrexham director Shaun Harvey has already stated the 2025-26 season will be viewed as a success for the club - regardless of whether or not they gain promotion to the Premier League.
And Parkinson feels his side, who have already achieved their highest-ever league finish, can take huge pride from finishing above clubs such as Leicester City, Birmingham City and Watford in the second tier this season.
"When we look back, the integration of new players, players adapting to a new division, all those things, we've left a lot of very good clubs behind us this season," he said.
"There's teams like Leicester that are falling out of the division who could easily have been a top six team.
"There's Watford, there's Birmingham and lots of clubs who by right would expect to be where we are, so we're very proud of that but equally, and I can't stress this enough, we're not letting that detract from how hungry we are to go that next step on Saturday."
Wrexham have been no strangers to high-pressure situations since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac took control of the club in February 2021.
Having suffered an agonising 5-4 National League play-off semi-final loss to Grimsby Town at the end of their first full season at the club, Wrexham have gone on to achieve three successive promotions under Parkinson.
The experienced manager says overcoming the initial hurdle of getting the club back into the Football League was comfortably the most pressure he has felt during his tenure as manager of the club so far.
"It's surprising really because I think the most pressured game period I've had here was the National League year," he said.
"The club been stuck in that division for so long and I think these lads who lived through that with us coming to the final stages of that season, that was intense.
"Everybody knew for the club going forward, the next documentary series, the progression, the new stand and everything, we had to get out of that division."
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Having ended their 15-year exile from the Football League in 2023, the Welsh side have remained on an upward trajectory.
And Parkinson was keen to praise co-chairmen Reynolds and Mac for the support they have given the club to help them achieve their success.
Parkinson added: "I think in the subsequent years the owners have been brilliant with myself and the staff.
"They're happy to build slowly and what we did was a bonus in League Two, a bonus last year in League One.
"There's never been that pressure from Rob and Ryan to say 'you have to do this' or 'you've got to do that'. They're appreciative of where we've taken the club together.
"Everybody's played the part in getting this club onto the brink of the play-offs."
Wrexham are set to be boosted by the return of Ben Sheaf for the visit of Kim Hellberg's side.
The midfielder has been sidelined since damaging medial ligaments during his side's 5-3 win against Ipswich Town in north Wales on 21 February.
Liberato Cacace - who was listed among the substitutes for Sunday's 3-1 loss to champions Coventry City - will again be available for the crunch contest with Boro this weekend.
Winter window signing Zak Vyner remains sidelined with a groin injury.
