Phil Parkinson admits Wrexham have been hit hard by injuries ahead of Preston clash

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has admitted his squad has been struggling with injuries as he prepares his side for Saturday’s Championship meeting with Preston North End at the Racecourse Ground.

The Red Dragons head into the fixture looking to bounce back from Tuesday’s disappointing 2-1 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion, with seven key players currently unavailable.

Parkinson faces a difficult task as he attempts to maintain Wrexham’s defensive solidity while finding ways to make his team more dangerous in attack. However, the manager insists he is ready to find solutions despite the limited options at his disposal.

“You’re never going to get a full quota to select from, you’re going to have injuries, but I think we’ve been hit hard,” Parkinson said.

The Wrexham boss acknowledged that the current injury situation has been particularly challenging compared with previous periods during his time at the club.

“I don’t want to keep going on about it, but we’ve been hit harder than we probably have at any other time since I’ve been here,” he added.

Despite the setbacks, Parkinson remains determined to help his players adapt and deliver the performances required to get Wrexham back on track.

He explained that the priority is to find the right balance between improving their attacking threat and protecting the defensive structure that has helped the team compete.

“It’s finding the formula with the group of players we’ve got available to make us more effective while keeping that defensive strength,” he explained.

“Any game of football at any level, managers are striving for that balance. Can we threaten more without making sure we’re too open on the transition?”

Wrexham are not expected to receive a significant injury boost before the Preston encounter, although Parkinson has left the door open for possible changes to his starting lineup.

“There’s probably not as much scope as we had previously,” he admitted.

“But we’ll look at everybody and pick the team which we feel is right to get a result at the weekend.”

With important players still sidelined, Parkinson will be hoping his available options can respond positively and help Wrexham return to winning ways against a Preston side currently bottom of the Championship table.