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Displaying a banner as a tribute to the opposing team’s manager did not go down well with all the home fans, despite the general respect afforded to Phil Parkinson for his success with the club a decade ago (reaching a League Cup Final as a League Two side, promotion to League One, winning away at Chelsea in the cup etc.). You can’t please everyone. 

Parkinson is now at Wrexham, and this was their first visit to Valley Parade since their return to the Football League. The Wrexham story is now a global media story, thanks to Hollywood owners and Disney+ documentary series. As a North Walian, Wrexham were effectively my local team growing up (although as the crow flies, my actual team, Everton, were a bit closer to where I grew up, with just the inconvenience of the Dee and Mersey estuaries in the way) so I have always followed their results.  I am now sufficiently immersed in my currently adopted city of Bradford for me to be absolutely clear that it was the Bantams I was cheering on today though. However, I wasn’t prepared for the anti-Welsh slurs that were mass chanted by the City fans, so didn’t really feel comfortable with that aspect of the match experience.

It was a good game though, with City mainly on top but Wrexham having enough quality to convert a chance when it came, as it did mid way through the second half. A late equaliser for City was the least they deserved. 1-1 the final score.