Wrexham boldly compared to Sir Alex Ferguson's Man Utd after late Wigan victory
Wrexham have made a habit of scoring late goals in recent games and Phil Parkinson has praised his side's mentality
Wrexham ended 2024 in a dramatic fashion after a late strike by Steven Fletcher handed them a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic.
The Red Dragons took the lead via a deflected effort from Ryan Barnett on the hour mark in a tightly-fought contest at the Racecourse Ground on Sunday afternoon.
The Latics looked to have earned a share of the spoils with around ten minutes left when Manchester United loanee Joe Hugill headed a cross past Mark Howard.
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That was until former Premier League forward Fletcher fired home in stoppage time as Wrexham rose to second in League One.
It was the second game in a row that the veteran striker has saved Phil Parkinson's side from dropping points at home after his 88th-minute penalty on Boxing Day helped them secure victory over Blackpool.
The manager hailed his team's mentality after the final whistle, comparing their habit of grabbing late winners with that of Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Speaking to the media after the match, Parkinson said: “In terms of sticking to the job and showing character, strength and personality, I think all that was high. It's difficult to keep producing performances.
“If you look at the other results around the country, Birmingham and Huddersfield failed to get back-to-back wins at home so it's an amazing win for us against a good team.
“The mentality of the group is so strong, and it showed again today
“I was watching the Sir Alex documentary yesterday, and Manchester United go right to the wire.
“We've got that mentality here - we go to the end. We always believe we can get a goal and Fletch has produced a real quality strike for us to win the game.”
Wrexham are now back in the automatic promotion places after other results went their way yesterday.
Parkinson believes the unity between the club and its supporters has helped to achieve that position.
He said: “The crowd were great again. They lifted us right to the end, and that's so important.
“This club is about togetherness and it's as simple as that. That's what's brought us our success over the last few years.
“It's about the passion, the togetherness of the players in the team and the ones not in the team.
“Every member of staff and every supporter who comes into the ground has got to play their part, and they really helped the lads today.”
Wrexham are currently on course for a third successive promotion entering 2025.
Parkinson declared himself happy with his team's start to life in League One and has backed them to up their game further in the second half of the season.
It comes as key players like Arthur Okonkwo and Jack Marriott are nearing a return from injury.
He said: “We've got to be pleased with the league position and there's more to come, I do believe that.
“We've got Arthur ready to start training harder in the next few days and Jack Marriott’s back on the grass.
“We're pleased, and we're going to keep working, keep our feet firmly on the ground and make sure the preparation is as professional as it can be for each and every game.”