Wrexham AFC: Phil Parkinson outlines pride in achievement Stockport could not match | OneFootball

Wrexham AFC successfully secured a second-place finish in League Two by beating champions Stockport County 2-1 at the weekend.

There was a lot of antagonism towards the Hollywood-owned Red Dragons from the Hatters ahead of the game.

The flames were stoked after a video was shared on social media of County fans and players singing an expletive-laden chant about their rivals after confirming their title win just over a week earlier.

Their supporters then paid for a plane to fly over the Racecourse shortly before kick off with a message boasting about pipping Wrexham to top spot.

A banner was also unfurled in the away end displaying a mocked-up image of the club's owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney wearing Stockport shirts, along with the caption: "You have only come to see the champions."

However, it was the home side who had the last laugh on Saturday as second-half goals from Ollie Palmer and former Hatters' youth player Andy Cannon saw them come from behind to seal victory.

It came after Connor Lemonheigh-Evans initially gave Dave Challinor's side the lead with a tidy finish just before the half-hour mark.

Speaking after the match, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson spoke of his delight after his team marked an achievement which their opponents could not match.

Parkinson hails Wrexham's unrivalled home form

The foundations for Wrexham's back-to-back promotions have been laid on a highly impressive record at the Racecourse.

The club's historic stadium has been a fortress again this season, as Parkinson's side finished top of the League Two home form table with 54 points, compared to Stockport in second with 50.

The Red Dragons also scored more than any other team on home soil, with fans witnessing 62 goals. The nearest team was Notts County with 51 goals.

Wrexham recorded their highest home attendance figure of the season on Saturday as 12,562 people crammed into the Racecourse to watch them beat the Hatters.

Parkinson said after the match that he was pleased for supporters that the season had ended on a high.

Speaking to the club’s official media channel, he said: “It was important that we finished the season well. We spoke last week about rewarding our away travelling army, and we’ve got a very proud record here at the Racecourse too.

“We wanted to finish off the season in style against a very good side and were able to do that with an excellent second half display.”

Away form sets Stockport apart in title race

Wrexham's magnificent home record is something which Parkinson and his players should rightly be proud of.

However, it was ultimately Stockport's superior away form which set them apart in the race for the title.

As per Soccer Stats, Challinor's side were top of the away form table after racking up a total of 42 points on the road, including 12 wins, six draws and five defeats. They also scored 48 goals on their travels.

By contrast, the Red Dragons were fourth in the same table with 34 points and a record of nine wins, seven draws and seven defeats, scoring only 27 goals.

The extent of Wrexham's away woes has been overstated at times this season.

Indeed, talisman Paul Mullin voiced his frustration at the club's fans after they sang ironic chants about their away form during a 2-1 win at Colchester United in early April.

Despite the striker's complaints, it's still an area where Wrexham could stand to improve heading into League One next season.

Wrexham, Stockport battle could reignite next term

Whether Wrexham and Stockport can replicate their recent successes at a higher level remains to be seen.

Both Parkinson and Challinor are likely to be well-backed over the summer, but with plenty of other established clubs vying to get out of League One, it won't be easy.

The competitive rivalry between the Red Dragons and the Hatters has played out over the course of two separate seasons now.

It started after Stockport beat Wrexham to the National League title during 2021/22, with the North Wales side later suffering the heartbreak of defeat to Grimsby Town in the play-off semi-finals.

Finishing second was nowhere near as painful for them this term, if at all, due to there being three automatic promotion places on offer.

But the needle between the two clubs was still very much in evidence on Saturday when Stockport's star man Paddy Madden stepped off the team coach before the match, blasting out 'We Are The Champions' by Queen from a boombox as he passed Wrexham fans.

There's no doubt it's a tie which supporters of both sides will look out for with keen interest when the fixtures for next season are released.