Wrexham’s hopes of securing promotion from the Championship to the Premier League have taken a hit after it was confirmed key midfielder Ben Sheaf has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury. Phil Parkinson’s side are currently sitting in sixth place in the Championship table and will be hoping to secure a place in the play-offs at the end of the campaign.
Sheaf injured in Wrexham thriller
Sheaf picked up the injury during Saturday’s thrilling 5-3 win for Wrexham over fellow Championship promotion hopefuls Ipswich. The midfielder was forced off early in the second half as Parkinson’s side came back from 3-2 down to take all three points in a dramatic game at the STōK Cae Ras. The result saw the Red Dragons move back into the promotion play-off places in the Championship and left Parkinson purring afterwards.
He told reporters: “I thought Kieffer [Moore] was back to his best today, I thought he was unplayable, particularly in the first half and Josh [Windass] does what he does, he produces big moments. I said to the lads at half time, ‘don’t let the goal affect us at 2-2’.
“I think we were unlucky not to be ahead, and then lo and behold the centre-half smashes one in to make it 3-2. I think a lesser group of players could have started to let a bit of fatigue creep into them mentally, but we didn’t. We responded brilliantly and that’s a great effort from the lads and the subs obviously impacted it when we needed them the most. All in all, the team effort today was right up there.”
‘It’s a real blow’ – Parkinson confirms injury
Parkinson has now confirmed the injury setback and shared his disappointment at the news. He told reporters: “Ben’s not looking good, and it’s a real blow for us. As much as there was an excitement after winning from myself and the staff’s point of view, I always had that in the back of my mind. I didn’t feel it was going to be good news, and he sees a specialist tonight in London, but the initial prognosis is it’s a ten-week injury. He damaged his medial ligament and Ben’s really unlucky because it was just a blocked tackle and he just opened up his knee. But things happen like that in football and injuries are part and parcel for the individual and for the squad as a whole, and we move on. Ben will get the best possible treatment and come back strong but from our point of view, it’s opportunities for other players.”
Wrexham will be aiming to continue their incredible rise up the divisions and all the way to the promised land of the Premier League. CEO Michael Williamson is in no doubt that it would be a unique achievement for the Welsh side.
“There is no road map for this. To go from the National League all the way to the Premier League in successive promotions is something that no other club in the history of English soccer has done,” he told ESPN.
“When we were in League One I said to Rob and Ryan, ‘Hey, let’s try to get the Championship as quickly as possible because otherwise you risk getting stuck in League One.’ They bought into that. We invested in a squad and were able to get that promotion. We were sprinting all of last season off the pitch, and around all the other areas of the organization, and we’re sprinting to be able to survive in the Championship to build to a level where we could survive in a Championship.
“Ultimately, if we get to the Premier League, we are sprinting again to be ready to be Premier League-ready.”
What next for Wrexham?
Wrexham are back in action on Tuesday against Portsmouth in the Championship and then face Charlton. After that, the Welsh side switch focus to a glamour tie in the FA Cup as they host Premier League giants Chelsea in the fifth round of the competition.
