Wrexham

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There's a big game in the Championship play-off race as Watford host Wrexham on Tuesday night (19:45 GMT).

The Hornets are 10th and now eight points adrift of the sixth-placed Red Dragons after a run of one win in four, going down 3-1 at Stoke on Saturday.

Phil Parkinson's men bounced back from a home defeat to Hull City with a 2-0 win over Swansea on Friday night and know a win would take them above the Tigers on goal difference and into fifth for the first-time this season.

It would also open a six-point cushion to the play-off chasing pack with just eight games to come after their trip to Vicarage Road.

• Three of the past five Football League meetings between Watford (W1) and Wrexham (W1) have been drawn, including the reverse fixture in December (2-2), with Ollie Rathbone netting a 92nd minute equaliser for the Welsh side.

• Wrexham have won on only one of their previous 10 Football League trips to Watford (D2 L7); a 2-1 victory in March 1975.

• Watford have lost three of their past five league games at Vicarage Road (W1 D1), as many defeats as in their previous 20 matches (W11 D6).

• After failing to win their final eight away league matches in 2025 (D5 L3), Wrexham have won five of their six away league games so far in 2026 (D1).

• Wrexham's Josh Windass has scored in his past two league games against Watford, netting at Vicarage Road for Sheffield Wednesday in May last season and in December in the reverse fixture.

Image source, Rex Features

Nathan Broadhead says he is "proud" to be at Wrexham as the Red Dragons remain in the hunt to secure a play-off spot.

The Wales international netted his eighth goal of the season for the club as they beat Swansea City 2-0 at Stok Cae Ras to keep their top six Championship hopes firmly in their own hands.

And having already had a taste of top-flight action with former club Ipswich Town, Broadhead is now targeting a return to the Premier League during his time with Phil Parkinson's side.

"It just shows where the club's going. I'm proud to be here," he said.

"I think winning every game and getting Wrexham into the Premier League would be amazing, but it's just the process really that I'm enjoying."

Broadhead admits playing in the Premier League is a tough prospect.

"It is tough." he added. "But you know, them nights against Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, bringing that to the stadium would be amazing.

"I believe that if we get there, we could stay up. With the fans and everything, especially with the new stand going up, the atmosphere, I think Premier League teams will struggle [at Stok Cae Ras].

"We can't count our chickens as they say, but I'm here for four years and hopefully one day that would be the dream."

Following his side's matches at Watford and Sheffield United, Broadhead's focus will switch to Wales' World Cup play-off campaign.

The 27-year-old scoredd against North Macedonia on his most recent international appearance for Craig Bellamy's side - who face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the semi-finals at Cardiff City Stadium on 26 March.

The 17-cap attacker is now bidding to play a part under Bellamy as Wales look to secure their place at a second consecutive World Cup.

"I'm happy to do anything for the country really. But the main thing is to win both of them games and I'd be proud to get Wales to the World Cup. That would be amazing," he said.

And on his hopes of a club and country double over the coming months, Broadhead said: "I haven't done it yet, but I'm on track. That's the aim.

"It's a fairy tale, isn't it? But I just want to stay grounded and see what God says."

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Wrexham's home Championship fixture with Southampton will kick-off at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday, 7 April.

The contest at Stok Cae Ras was originally due to take place on Monday, 6 April but has been rescheduled due to the Saints' progress in the FA Cup.

Southampton - who came from behind to win the reverse fixture 2-1 on the opening day of the campaign - are currently seventh, three points adrift of Phil Parkinson's side with nine games of the regular season remaining.

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Phil Parkinson wants his Wrexham side to get back on the "front foot" against Swansea City having been blunt in attack for long periods in their defeat by Hull City.

The Red Dragons finished strongly against the Tigers but were ultimately beaten 2-1 at Stok Cae Ras on Tuesday having conceded either side of half-time.

Players were given the day off following the midweek loss, and Parkinson hopes that will benefit his squad as they prepare for a third game in just seven days when the Swans visit north Wales on Friday (20:00 GMT).

"When the games come thick and fast, sometimes we come in the next day but I think in this particular period it was right to give everybody a break and come back in and review the game together, which we've done," said the Wrexham manager.

"There's areas we could do better. I don't want to give too much away because it helps the opposition, what we've been working on this morning.

"The first 20 minutes (against Hull) I thought we did OK actually. We just didn't threaten enough.

"I like it when we're really on the front foot with our pressing and dynamic with the ball and look like we're going to create opportunities. That's what we've got to get back to."

Vitor Matos' Swans side came from behind to win the reverse fixture 2-1 at Swansea.com Stadium on 19 December, with Adam Idah scoring a late winner after an error of Arthur Okonkwo.

But, since Christmas, only Millwall have claimed more points per game than Wrexham in the Championship.

And Parkinson hopes his team can respond to the Hull setback in the same way they bounced back from their loss to Swansea three months ago.

"It was a bizarre way to lose a game [at Swansea], wasn't it? I think we can't hide away from that. But we've responded really well," Parkinson said.

"There was just a 20-minute period [against Hull] where we were frustrated with how we played.

"But in the bigger scheme of things, I think the lads have shown a great consistency, both individually and collectively, and we're looking to get back to that on Friday."

Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

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Wrexham's 2-1 defeat to Hull City ended a four-game unbeaten run in the Championship and dented hopes of a fourth successive promotion.

But forward Davis Keillor-Dunn, who made just his second appearance since rejoining the Welsh club in February, felt the Red Dragons were beaten by a high-quality opponent.

"They're a really good side. They're up there for a reason," he said.

"You've got to be so well drilled in this league. We chucked everything at them and they kept everything out."

Nathan Broadhead's 76th-minute strike offered hope of a comeback after Hull took a 2-0 lead at Stok Cae Ras, but the Tigers held on to boost their promotion prospects.

Keillor-Dunn said defeat left him "a little bit gutted", but stressed that Wrexham deserve credit for winning three of their past four league games and going toe-to-toe with Club World Cup Champions Chelsea in the FA Cup last Saturday.

"We got one back and tried to get two. The boys have put so much into the last two games," he said.

"Sometimes you just have to give Hull credit, they held on and made it compact at the back."

With an all-Welsh contest against Swansea City coming on Friday, Keillor-Dunn says Wrexham remain in positive mood.

"I came to the club in January and I've got nothing but amazing things to say about this place," he said.

"We're going into every game thinking we can win the game, which is a massive, massive trait to have as a football team.

"We're going to rest up for the rest of the week and go again. The boys are unbelievable professionals in there and they'll be doing the right things to get themselves fit and ready for Friday."

Luke Hemmings
BBC Sport Wales

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Former Wrexham winger Waynne Phillips says the Red Dragons simply "weren't good enough" in their defeat to Hull City on Tuesday night, insisting a strong response is now essential.

Wrexham fell two goals behind just after the hour mark, with Welsh international Lewis Koumas extending the Tigers' lead.

But speaking to BBC Radio Cymru on Tuesday evening, Phillips believes the damage was done long before the second goal.

"Put simply, too many of them weren't good enough on the night," he said.

"We could see that from the first 10 to 20 minutes. The passing wasn't good enough, and we don't see that very often with Wrexham."

Nathan Broadhead did offer Wrexham late hope, scoring his sixth of the season in a finish reminiscent of Alejandro Garnacho's goal for Chelsea against the Welsh side on Saturday.

"The goal in the second half gave them a little bit of hope," said Phillips.

"But over the 95 minutes I don't think they deserved a point or anything else out of the game."

Despite the setback, Phil Parkinson's team remain firmly in the play-off positions, three points clear of Derby County and just six behind their opponents Hull.

Fellow Welsh side, Swansea City have surged into contention as well, and victory in Friday's all-Welsh clash (13 March, 2000 GMT) could move the Swans to within two points of Wrexham.

Phillips, however, expects a reaction in the derby from his former side: "That's what they do, when they lose games, they respond," he said.

"It's not going to be easy, just like the nine games that follow the Swansea match. But what a game it is to look forward to."

"Swansea had a great result at Portsmouth, and we saw how strong Portsmouth were here a few weeks ago. But I hope Wrexham will be able to respond after losing tonight."

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Davis Keillor-Dunn says he is "buzzing" after making only his second Wrexham appearance during Tuesday's Championship defeat to Hull City.

The 28-year-old forward has had to be patient since joining the Red Dragons from Barnsley on transfer deadline day in January.

Keillor Dunn played 20 minutes off the bench against the Tigers as Wrexham tried in vain to avoid a defeat to their promotion rivals at the Stok Cae Ras.

His only other involvement since signing for Wrexham was an 18-minute substitute appearance in the 2-0 home defeat to Millwall on 7 February.

"I'm buzzing to get on and get a few more minutes for the team," said Keillor-Dunn, who scored 16 goals in 34 appearances for Barnsley this season before returning to the club where he made six appearances in 2020.

"It was nice to get a couple of strikes on goal and a couple of touches in and around the box. That was a positive for me.

"The fixtures are coming so thick and fast at the moment, and that's a player's dream when you're trying to get minutes."

With Wales striker Kieffer Moore out injured, Keillor-Dunn will hope there's scope for more game time in Friday's Championship derby against Welsh rivals Swansea City at the Cae Ras.

Wrexham will aim to bounce back from the Hull defeat while the Swans will look to complete the double over Phil Parkinson's team having won the December match in Swansea 2-1.

"A little Welsh derby....if you can't get up for them, you can't get up for anything can you," said Keillor-Dunn.

"It'll be a packed-out stadium. These are the ones you want to play in.

"We're gutted about the Hull result, but we've still got a great opportunity ahead of us this season.

"We've got 10 games to go and we're strapping right in!"

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Phil Parkinson has urged his Wrexham players to close the gap to the sides above them in the Championship as opposed to looking over their shoulders at the chasing pack over the remainder of their play-off run-in.

The Red Dragons currently sit sixth but will move above Hull City into fifth if they can beat the Tigers at Stok Cae Ras tonight (19:45 GMT).

"With Hull, they've had some strange games," Parkinson said.

"If you look at Saturday, they had the chances to beat Millwall. Then you look at the Derby game where they won, it could have easily gone the other way.

"The Portsmouth game where they won, it could have gone the other way. They give up chances but they do create.

"But I said to the lads this morning that this is our chance tomorrow to reel a club back into the pack.

"We're going to go all out to achieve that and it's one almighty effort needed."

The contest with Sergej Jakirović's side will be the second of three games Wrexham play at home in a seven-day spell - with Swansea City heading to north Wales on Friday night (20:00 GMT).

And with both sides pushing for a top six place, Parkinson says his players are fully aware of the importance of the fixture against Hull.

"It's just a really exciting night for us," added the Wrexham manager.

"It's about the crowd turning up again, but I'm sure they will.

"I was having breakfast today around the lads and I could hear the talk from the lads about the focus being right on tomorrow night."

Midfielder George Dobson will miss the visit of Hull due to suspension.

Parkinson also confirmed Wrexham are monitoring the fitness of right wing-back Issa Kabore after he sat out the Chelsea fixture with a minor issue.

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Phil Parkinson believes Callum Doyle can "keep building his reputation" as the defender's improvement at Wrexham continues.

The 22-year-old produced an eye-catching display in the Red Dragons' 4-2 FA Cup fifth round defeat by Chelsea on Saturday.

Doyle - a permanent signing from Manchester City in the summer - scored his third goal and claimed his third assist of the campaign against Liam Rosenior's Premier League side.

It further typified his growing influence in north Wales.

Having started just six of the first 18 Championship matches Wrexham played following his move to Stok Cae Ras, the defender has gone on to start 18 successive games across all competitions.

"Doyley's obviously a talented player," Parkinson said.

"He's creating goals and scoring goals from left side centre-back and he's got better.

"Since he's been here he's really bought into what we've asked him to do.

"He's a very good player and he knows he's got to keep his focus every minute of every game and keep building his reputation and let his football do the talking."

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Striker Sam Smith says Wrexham must take their FA Cup performance against Chelsea into Tuesday's Championship game against promotion rivals Hull at the Stok Cae Ras (19:45 GMT).

For a big chunk of Saturday's first half Smith would have dreamed he was going to be Wrexham's fifth-round giant-killing hero, as he opened the scoring to shock the Premier League stars on a "special" night in north Wales.

But Chelsea equalised just before half-time and overcame another Wrexham goal from defender Callum Doyle as their Champions League quality shone though with a 4-2 extra time win.

"Credit to the staff, the players and everyone involved at the club - it was one of the best atmospheres I've known at the ground, 100 per cent," said Smith.

"I really hope everyone can be here again on Tuesday and go again."

Wrexham will be bidding to leapfrog Hull into fifth place on their return to league action.

"It was disappointing to lose to Chelsea but we've got to make sure we take that performance into Tuesday and the last 11 games, and see the positives," added the 28-year-old former Reading striker.

Smith's 18th-minute goal was his sixth in 12 league and cup appearances in 2026.

It was route-one stuff - a long ball over the top from Doyle, followed by a clever run from Smith that exploited Chelsea's high defensive line and a clinical near-post finish.

"It's something we work on," said Smith.

"[Callum] has got an outrageous left foot and I knew I'd cause them problems.

"As soon as Callum looked up, I thought I was in.

"My touch was good and the keeper was back-tracking. I hit it early and to score and hear the atmosphere afterwards...it was a special few minutes."

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It's a big game in the Championship play-off race as Wrexham return to league action after their FA Cup exploits to host Hull City on Tuesday night (19:45 GMT).

Hours before the Red Dragons took Chelsea to extra-time before exiting the FA Cup in the fifth round on Saturday, the Tigers were a touch unfortunate to go down 3-1 at home to Millwall in another top-six battle.

It means City are fifth, three points ahead of Wrexham, who now have a game in hand, with seventh-placed Derby leading the play-off chasing pack a further three points adrift.

A home win would see Wrexham into the top-five for the first time this season and a win for either team could apply pressure to fourth-placed Ipswich, who visit Stoke the same evening.

• Wrexham are unbeaten in their past 10 home league games against Hull (W7 D3), with this the first time they're hosting the Tigers since a 2-2 draw in League One in October 2004.

• Following their 2-0 win in December, Hull are looking to complete the league double over Wrexham for the first time since 1948-49.

• Wrexham have won nine of their past 13 league games (D2 L2), though both defeats in that run came in home games.

• Hull City have lost just one of their past nine away league games (W7 D1), though it did come at Ipswich Town last time out on the road.

• Wrexham's Josh Windass has scored three goals in his seven league appearances against Hull. His sides have won all three games in which he scored, but lost all four in which he didn't.