Wrexham threw away a 2-0 lead to only muster a 2-2 draw against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday afternoon.
Phil Parkinson is no fool; the Wrexham boss absolutely knew that the Championship would be a major step up in quality.
Wrexham have now made 10 signings to cope with that increase in quality, but the results haven’t come through just yet.
Saturday saw Wrexham draw 2-2 with Sheffield Wednesday, despite taking a 2-0 lead into the half-time break.
Wrexham ran out of steam in the second half and saw goals from Barry Bannan and Bailey Cadamarteri salvage a point for Wednesday.
Parkinson’s day could have been completely ruined late on, but Danny Ward produced a crucial save to deny Charlie McNeill in stoppage time.
Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty ImagesPhil Parkinson praises Wrexham’s Kieffer Moore
Wrexham’s 2-0 lead was established by two fine finishes from Kieffer Moore.
The Welshman showed his predatory instincts inside the box to put Wrexham 1-0 up, before emergency Wednesday signing Ethan Horvath handed him a second.
That should have been enough for Wrexham to kick on and see out the victory, but it wasn’t to be for the Red Dragons.
Parkinson has still paid tribute to Moore, though, highlighting the striker’s ‘magnificent’ performance in the Wrexham attack.
Wrexham snapped up Moore from Sheffield United over the summer, bringing the giant forward to the STōK Cae Ras as Parkinson’s new target man.
Moore was outstanding against Southampton on the opening day of the season and battled through the pain barrier to play against West Bromwich Albion last week.
Now off the mark with two goals against Wednesday, Moore has earned praise from Parkinson on Wrexham’s official YouTube channel.
Parkinson suggested that Moore has been ‘great’ for Wrexham so far, and his first 45 minutes against Wednesday were as good as you can see from a Championship forward.
Parkinson added that Moore suffered a twisted ankle, which impacted his second-half display on Saturday, but he has done enough to impress the Wrexham boss.
“He’s been great so far, hasn’t he?” said Parkinson.
“Against Southampton, he was unplayable, and then today, he was magnificent. In the first half, he could have scored more and had some good moments.
“He twisted his ankle, at half time he was struggling a little bit. With hindsight, should we have brought him off? He wanted to stay on. I don’t think he’s made it too much worse by staying on, but clearly, he wasn’t the same in that second period.
“But, listen, his all-round display in that first 45 minutes is as good as any striker you’ll see at this level,” he added.
Kieffer Moore must be rested against Preston North End
There is no let-up for Wrexham right now, as Parkinson’s side are straight back into action on Tuesday night.
Wrexham take on Preston North End in the Carabao Cup, with a place in the third round up for grabs.
Parkinson will look to freshen up his squad, and he would be wise to leave Moore out of the side.
Moore picked up an injury at Southampton, fought through the pain against West Brom and then picked up an ankle knock against Sheffield Wednesday.
The veteran forward needs some time to rest up before Wrexham head to Millwall next weekend, and that could pave the way for Ollie Palmer to start at Deepdale.
Sam Smith and Ryan Hardie are also chasing minutes in the Wrexham side, so there is little need to risk Moore again on Tuesday night.