Harambee Stars Defender Left on the Bench as English Side Ease Pressure With Big Win

Harambee Stars defender Zak Vyner was left on the bench as his side Wrexham recorded their first win in the English Championship following a 3-0 thrashing of Millwall on Wednesday.

Vyner, who was among those named in the Kenya squad for the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Tuesday, paid the price for his error against Birmingham City last weekend as manager Phil Parkinson dropped him to the bench.

With pressure building on Wrexham following their huge spending and no win in their opening three matches, Parkinson rang the changes in a bid to get a tune out of the players and Vyner was among those missing from the starting XI, having played 90 minutes in all games prior to Wednesday’s contest.

Parkinson got the response he was looking for as the Welsh side delivered a commanding performance in south London, compounding a difficult week for Alex Neil's Millwall, who have now conceded eight goals in two games following a heavy defeat at Southampton on Saturday.

Wrexham took the lead in a closely contested first half through a Zak Sturge own goal. The visitors then took control after the interval, with superb finishes from Kieffer Moore and Jacques Ekomie sealing the comprehensive win.

While Millwall were hampered by a significant injury list, Wrexham made short work of the task, a victory that lifts them into the top half of the Championship table and marks their largest winning margin since their promotion to the second-tier last year.

"I am pleased to get the first win of the season," Parkinson stated after the game. "I felt it was deserved. I am pleased with the response after getting beaten by Birmingham. In reality, we probably should have had more points than we’ve got, but you’ve got to respond and I felt like we did."

After that flawless performance, Vyner has a battle on his hands to win back his place in the team as Parkinson would not like to tinker with a winning team and he must now convince his manager that the bad spell is behind him to regain his spot.