"Absolute wally" - Wrexham's James McClean takes aim at "embarrassing" Tranmere player | OneFootball

Wrexham's automatic promotion hopes hang in the balance after dropping more points in their latest League Two encounter.

The Red Dragons were condemned to their third home defeat of the season on Saturday afternoon, with Luke Norris' early strike earning Tranmere Rovers all three points at the StoK Cae Ras.

It served as yet another blow to finishing in the top three this season, as a win would have lifted them above Stockport County and into second. However, Phil Parkinson's side were to remain in third, and with MK Dons' 3-1 victory over Crewe Alexandra are now in the perilous position of dropping out of the automatic promotion places as the final few weeks of the season draw closer.

James McClean responds to Tranmere Rovers celebration

Following the final whistle in North Wales, tempers appeared to flare at full-time between the two sets of players, with a number of Wrexham players unhappy with the way in which Tranmere were celebrating their victory.

The visitors' players, supporters and staff took to the pitch and celebrated wildly, having beaten their local rivals to move up into 14th place in the league.

However, Wrexham's James McClean was clearly unhappy with the celebrations directed towards the home supporters, taking aim at substitute Jean Belehouan, who celebrated passionately in front of the travelling Rovers fans.

The former Republic of Ireland international was not involved in the contest, having picked up his 10th yellow card in their draw with Harrogate Town, meaning a two-game suspension needed to be served.

And McClean had to watch on from the stands for the defeat, but criticised the former Manchester United and Sheffield United man for his celebrations, having watched the action unfold from the substitutes bench.

James McClean's lack of discipline has hurt Wrexham

While knowing the character and player you are signing, there is no denying the importance McClean has to the Wrexham side.

McClean has played at the highest level and won more than 100 caps for Republic of Ireland, and he's shown no sign of slowing down since arriving at The Racecourse and has done a good job in three different positions for Wrexham - left wing-back, in attack and more recently in midfield.

His versatility has been a huge part of Wrexham's success this season, and he has also captained the side this term, showcasing his leadership qualities on the pitch and was a player who was badly missed against Tranmere.

He completes his suspension at Grimsby Town on Saturday and will have a big part to play in the remaining fixtures should the Red Dragons complete back-to-back promotions this term.

Parkinson's side will be hoping to put themselves firmly among the top two in their remaining eight fixtures this season, knowing they must beat the sides around them to stand a chance of reaching League One next season.

Having previously mentioned, they travel to Blundell Park to take on Grimsby this weekend, but face arguably their toughest fixture over the Easter weekend, welcoming league leaders, Mansfield Town, to North Wales on Good Friday.

Their following four fixtures will see them take on four sides currently in the bottom half of the division in Doncaster Rovers, Colchester United, Crawley Town and Forest Green Rovers.

But their final two games of the season see them take on both Crewe and Stockport. Both of those games could be crucial as to whether they secure promotion automatically, or have to earn it through the play-offs.