Wrexham Secures First Championship Win Under Phil Parkinson

Phil Parkinson walked into The Den under scrutiny. He walked out with his first Championship win of the season and a performance his former captain called “pretty much perfect”.

Wrexham, winless and leaky in four games across all competitions, thrashed last season’s beaten play-off semi-finalists Millwall 3-0 on their own patch. A statement scoreline. A statement display.

And, according to Ben Tozer, a pointed answer to the manager’s critics.

Pressure, questions – and a ruthless response

The questions had been building. No victories, no clean sheets, a step up to the Championship starting with a stumble. Ex-Wales striker Iwan Roberts even suggested Parkinson was “probably under pressure for the first time” since taking the Wrexham job in 2021.

Tozer, who made 136 appearances and helped deliver back-to-back promotions under Parkinson, saw something very different in south London.

“Parkinson has been questioned after their start,” he told BBC Radio Wales. “But he will have known there was a response coming from the team and he made the right changes – bringing back [Max] Cleworth and [Josh] Windass – to get that response.”

The pressure finally told. Just not on Parkinson.

Millwall’s home crowd turned on their own side early as Wrexham seized control. Three goals. A clean sheet. Not a single shot on target conceded. At The Den, of all places.

Tactical tweaks and total control

For Tozer, this was classic Parkinson: doubts swirling outside, clarity inside.

“Parkinson has often been questioned, but he always comes up with the answers,” he said.

The selection calls underlined that. Cleworth’s return at the back and Windass’ inclusion gave Wrexham a sharper edge in both boxes, and the team responded with a performance built on organisation and aggression without the ball.

“They controlled the game, even at three-nil,” Tozer added, highlighting not just the scoreline but the grip Wrexham kept on proceedings. The substitutes only reinforced that dominance, maintaining the press, the running, the energy.

“The players coming off the bench kept the intensity and energy levels high,” he said. No easing off. No letting Millwall breathe.

For a side accused of looking vulnerable and open in the early weeks, this was the hard-nosed away display their manager has built a career on. Three goals at one end, nothing allowed at the other.

A “perfect away performance,” Tozer called it. On this evidence, the debate around Phil Parkinson has shifted – and so, perhaps, has Wrexham’s Championship trajectory.