Don Goodman believes Wrexham can still mount a top-eight Championship challenge after describing their opening eight league games of the 2026/27 season as “middle of the road”, with Phil Parkinson’s side sitting 14th on 10 points heading into the October international break.
The former striker’s assessment is measured rather than gloomy. Wrexham have won two, drawn four and lost two, scoring nine goals and conceding 12, and Goodman sees enough in the squad to believe a stronger run can move them towards the division’s upper reaches.
There is also a useful reminder in last season’s numbers. Wrexham had the same 10-point return after eight Championship matches in 2025/26 before recovering to finish seventh, so their present position offers little reason for sweeping conclusions this early.
Don Goodman believes Wrexham can challenge for the top eight
Speaking to the North Wales Chronicle, Goodman summed up Wrexham’s opening spell without dressing it up.
“They haven’t been too bad, but they haven’t been great either.”
He described the start as “middle of the road”, but his wider verdict was more encouraging. Goodman believes a top-eight finish remains within reach, an assessment given extra weight by what Parkinson’s team managed last season after beginning with precisely the same points total at this stage.
The route to 10 points has been different. Wrexham opened the previous campaign with three wins, one draw and four defeats, whereas this time they have been harder to beat, recording two victories and four draws alongside two losses.
Phil Parkinson has credit after Wrexham’s remarkable rise
Goodman also pointed to the standing Parkinson has earned at the STōK Cae Ras. Three promotions have transformed Wrexham’s position in the football pyramid, and last season’s seventh-place Championship finish raised the bar again.
That success inevitably changes expectations. Goodman’s point is not that pressure is suddenly mounting on the manager, but that Wrexham are now judged against the standards they have established themselves rather than merely against the scale of their climb.
Recent results underline why the opening weeks are difficult to categorise. Wrexham drew 1-1 with Cardiff City and lost 2-1 to Birmingham City, but a 3-0 victory at Millwall and a 2-1 home win over Southampton showed what this side can produce, even with the 6-0 defeat at West Ham United also sitting on the early-season record.
Wrexham recruitment is beginning to look different
Another strand of Goodman’s assessment concerns the squad itself. He believes Wrexham are adding younger, quicker and more athletic players, with Issa Kaboré, Danny Imray and Jacques Ekomie among the examples highlighted.
That evolution is particularly interesting following Steve Nickson’s appointment as Sporting Director. His arrival gives Wrexham a dedicated figure overseeing the football operation at a point when the demands of competing near the top end of the Championship continue to grow.
Derby County and West Bromwich Albion await after the international break. Wrexham have already shown last season how little an eight-game snapshot can reveal, and Goodman’s top-eight verdict gives Parkinson’s players a clear benchmark as the campaign begins to take shape.
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