Wrexham will have to wait to register their first win at the Stok Rae Cas this season after Birmingham City winger Patrick Roberts' 46th minute strike cancelled out George Dobson's 13th minute opener. The two teams had to settle for a draw in a game where the visitors dominated possession, which means that the Red Dragons have failed to win each of their last three Championship games.
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The game began with a cautious and disjointed tempo, as both teams struggled to find rhythm and to break into the opposing half. It took until the 10th minute for the first shot of the match, a strike from Birmingham's Patrick Roberts, though it was swiftly blocked.
Wrexham, however, grew into the game, and their efforts paid off in the 13th minute. Parkinson's side won a corner after Ben Sheaf's curling effort was parried away by the young James Beadle. From the subsequent corner, Max Cleworth rose highest to connect with the delivery, and then George Dobson provided the finish with his head from inside the six-yard box on his 50th appearance for Wrexham to fire his team into the lead.
Their lead could have been doubled shortly after. The excellent Beadle, though, made a crucial save in the 19th minute after Marc Leonard's misplaced pass around the Birmingham box was poached by an on-rushing Lewis O'Brien, who went low.
Not much action followed, as both teams struggled to penetrate the opponents' defence. However, Birmingham had a golden chance to head into the break with an equaliser. The energetic Issa Kabore, on loan from Manchester City, lost his balance in the box, leaving Demarai Gray with an open sight of goal in the 44th minute from close range. But he shot it over the bar.
Chris Davies' troops started the second half with a bang and left the hosts completely shell-shocked, as a poor clearance from Dobson deflected off Gray and fell into the path of Jay Stansfield, whose through ball perfectly found Roberts. The right winger didn't fluff his chance, slotting it past former Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo to put the visitors level on terms less than 30 seconds after the restart.
Birmingham continued to dominate possession as Wrexham fizzled out and struggled to win duels and second balls. Substitutions from Davies saw his side gain even greater hold of the game. Substitute Kyogo Furuhashi thought he had won the game for the Blues when he found the back of the net in the 84th minute, only for the assistant referee to put up his flag and signal for offside.
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Dobson put in an incredible shift from midfield, and Parkinson has the 27-year-old to thank for managing to come away with a point. The Harold Wood-born midfielder was always in the right place at the right, whether it be sweeping away danger on counter attacks, or scoring a goal. The Red Dragons managed four shots on target, of which Dobson had two. A monstrous performance that probably deserved a win.
THE BIG LOSER
Having scored three goals and delivered two assists, O'Brien had been responsible for most of the threat Wrexham created in the Championship so far. However, he cut a frustrating figure on Friday evening and was largely anonymous, failing to link with striker Kieffer Moore. The result perhaps could have been different had the Englishman involved himself more.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Parkinson and Co. will next face a tricky away trip to Stoke City on October 18, who find themselves in the top four. Although Wrexham are on a four-game unbeaten streak, they will quickly need to start converting the draws to wins if they are serious about making a push for promotion to the Premier League.