Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson admitted that the defeat to Bradford "hurts" as Ryan Reynolds’ side see promotion hopes hit.
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Wrexham downed 1-0 by BradfordThird successive league defeat in a rowParksinon's men drop to fifth spot in League Two GettyWHAT HAPPENED?
In a dramatic League Two encounter, Bradford City's Andy Cook emerged as the hero, scoring a late winner after having a penalty saved by Wrexham's goalkeeper, Arthur Okonkwo. The match ended in despair for Wrexham, who suffered their third consecutive league defeat, dashing their hopes of climbing closer to the automatic promotion places.
AdvertisementWHAT PHIL PARKINSON SAID
Speaking after the match, Parkinson said: "Yeah, it hurts. Dominated the game thoroughly, the first half in particular. I thought we were excellent. We did everything we set out to do against the 3-4-3 system. Moved the ball well and got into some great positions. But just couldn't find the moment and the way we played probably justified us coming in a goal if not two ahead.
"In the second half, I think we were still the better team and the team that most looked like scoring. But we didn't produce the real quality from crossing or getting into better positions when the ball came into the box. The lads have given everything today. We know that we are in a period when it is not going our way but today they have given everything and today we just couldn't find the moment to unlock the door. No lack of effort today."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Paul Mullin was an anonymous figure against Bradford as the striker failed to record a single shot on target all afternoon. He struggled to get going and failed to breach the defence with goalkeeper Sam Walker proving to be a formidable obstacle.
However, Parkinson was not ready to blame any of his players and added: "Football is all about putting the ball in the back of the net and it's very rare for us at home, probably one other time, where we haven't scored. When you had a few defeats, you kind of know things are going to go against you. But I can't fault the lads for the way they have gone about business in training this week. We'd have loved to win the game. One moment before the end proved decisive."
GettyWHAT NEXT?
The defeat will undoubtedly be a bitter pill to swallow for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's Wrexham side, who now face an uphill battle to revive their promotion hopes. With attention turning to their upcoming fixture against Sutton United, who currently find themselves in the relegation zone, Wrexham will be eager to bounce back and secure a vital win to reignite their promotion aspirations.
It seemed that Parkinson was already making plans for the next fixture as he said: "We are pleased that we can take the pitch again on Tuesday night. We have got to take the pain of losing. We haven't had it much. We haven't been on a run where it's not gone our way. We've had so much go our way but a the moment things are against us – some of it is our own making. But today it just wouldn't fall for us when we really needed it to. There are areas where we can be better and on another day we could have won the game comfortably."
