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EFL Wrexham managed a late equaliser against Blackburn Rovers Kate Mc Shane/Getty Images If reminders were needed as to how fast time goes in football, Wrexham rescuing a late point against former Premier League champions Blackburn Rovers, almost four years to the day since losing 2-0 at home to Yeovil Town, was surely it. Defeat against Yeovil left the Welsh club seventh in the National League and Phil Parkinson under serious pressure, which was confirmed the following year when the first series of Welcome to Wrexham aired. Advertisement In fact, such was the depth of the deliberations at the time over the future of a manager who had only been in the job for less than five months, Rob Mc Elhenney (now Mac) even sought the counsel of Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie. “Don’t be afraid to keep a great coach, ” was among the nuggets of advice captured in the episode ‘Sack the Gaffer? ’ The advice was followed. Wrexham kept Parkinson and the rest, as they say, is history. A similar sense of patience to that shown in Parkinson’s first year was always going to be required in the Championship, both in the boardroom and the stands. Thirteen new signings had been made in the summer window, including five after the season had got underway. Gelling such a substantial intake into a functioning team is rarely easy. And so it proved in those early weeks, as defensive mishaps and poor decision-making brought three defeats from the first five games. There were also 11 goals conceded in those five matches, the highest tally in the division. Since then, though, things have come together nicely, even allowing for how long it took Wrexham to hit their stride against a well-drilled Blackburn side. Blackburn’s game plan of hitting their hosts on the break looked to have paid off until Max Cleworth’s stoppage-time equaliser. His first goal at this level means Parkinson’s side have now lost just once in 13 outings. They sit ninth in the table. All eyes are now focused on the three-point gap that exists to the play-offs, rather than the cushion to the relegation zone, which is three times as big. This in itself speaks volumes for how well Wrexham have adapted to life at a level they last graced in 1982 — as does the form table from mid-September onwards. It shows Wrexham have now taken 22 points from a possible 39. The bedrock to this recent form, which includes emerging unbeaten from a testing November and being the only side this season to defeat runaway leaders Coventry City, has been a stingy defence. Advertisement Parkinson’s side have conceded just 10 goals across those 13 outings, one less than both Coventry and fourth-placed Stoke City. This is quite the contrast to those early weeks when Danny Ward and Arthur Okonkwo were bombarded by a colossal 85 shots. It’s no surprise the pair had to pick the ball out of the net 11 times. The nadir came at home to Queens Park Rangers on September 13, when the 3-1 losing margin was kind to the hosts after the back line had been led a merry dance by Richard Kone, Roman Burrell and Koki Saito. Dom Hyam being drafted into the starting XI the following week for the 3-2 win at Norwich City proved a turning point. The former Blackburn man’s calm and composed manner helped bring about the defensive transformation that has since propelled Wrexham up the table. He’s also helped bring the best out of others, with goalkeeper Okonkwo revealing after the goalless draw at Portsmouth how much his own performances have benefited from having such a good talker in the team. “I feel we are building as a team, ” says Parkinson. “It’s great to be up and around it (the play-offs). Can we keep chipping away? Can we get into January in a challenging position? ” The answer to both those questions seems to be ‘yes’. Certainly, the manner in which a draw was rescued on Saturday points towards this new-look Wrexham possessing the same character and desire that helped propel the club through the divisions at breakneck speed. It was easy to see why Blackburn arrived at the STo K Cae Ras boasting the joint-second-best away record in the division, with a 4-5-1 set-up without the ball quickly morphing into a marauding wave of gold shirts once in possession. Andri Gudjohnsen’s 13th-minute opener was just reward for their endeavours before Wrexham belatedly launched a fightback that could have brought a leveller long before Cleworth diverted Nathan Broadhead’s effort into the net on 95 minutes. Advertisement It felt fitting that the 23-year-old should rescue the point that took Wrexham up to their highest position of the season. No one quite symbolises the club’s spectacular rise like an academy product handed his league debut as a teenager in Parkinson’s first league game against Solihull Moors in August 2021. Another 133 league appearances have followed for a defender who admits the step up to the Championship has been the biggest of the club’s three consecutive promotions. “This is the most punishing level, ” says Cleworth, the club’s only ever-present this term. “Every team has two, three, four really good attackers. Ones that can create something out of nothing. “The step up has been the one that has come with the most intensity. It has challenged me the most. But, from my point of view and the club as a whole, it’s one we are really enjoying. ” As for Wrexham’s prospects, Cleworth adds: “I don’t see why we can’t be right up there. As a team, it probably took a little bit of time to gel. That happens when you have the number of changes we had in the summer, with players leaving and the new lads coming in. “It is hard to gel straight away. But I certainly think we are doing that now. The Championship is infamous for anyone beating anyone. If you can be consistent, you can see yourself fly up the league. “I don’t think we should put any restrictions on ourselves. Hopefully, on the back of a few more runs, we can be fighting for promotion. ” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle