Wrexham Coach Heaps Praise on Zak Vyner After Edging Collins Sichenje as Charlton Boss Fumes at Missed Chances

Wrexham coach Phil Parkinson was delighted at how his players saw off the game during their 1-0 win over Charlton Athletic in the English Championship on Saturday.

Kenyan defender Zak Vyner of Wrexham faced off with countryman Collins Sichenje in the contest with both coming on as substitutes but it was the former who was celebrating a win.

Wrexham broke the deadlock after 30 minutes through Ollie Rathbone, just days after penning a contract extension until the summer of 2028.

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However, sixth-placed Wrexham had to withstand pressure from the home team and goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo had to make key saves to keep his team in the game as Wrexham picked up 16 points from a possible 18 on the road to leave them firmly in the race for a Premier League promotion slot.

Parkinson was relieved at how his team managed the game and came out with all three points when they looked to have dropped two or all given how Charlton attacked.

“There were some key moments in the game. Brilliant blocks by (Issa) Kabore and (George) Dobson – then a brilliant finish from Ollie,” he said as quoted by North Wales Pioneer.

“Arthur made a save from their first shot on target – but what a save it was. We know Carey is lethal from those situations. He has hit it low and hard, through legs, and Arthur has produced a match-winning save.

“The way we defended the box today was exceptional. We knew, coming here, that it would be about first contacts from set-plays and general play.

“Think of how many times the ball came into the box today and it came back out with a Wrexham head on it or reacting to the second ball.”

Parkinson reserved praise for his substitutes, who included Vyner for coming on and seeing out the game.

“Broady (Nathan Broadhead) did well to skip past the lad marking him and Rathbone has done what he has done so many times for us. He is so calm in those situations. It is a really good finish,” he added.

“We had some gilt-edged chances in the second half and when you don’t take them it creates a bit of pressure. But we saw it through well today. When you put players of the presence of Dan Scarr and Zak Vyner on then it helped the rest of the team.”

Meanwhile, Charlton coach Nathan Jones blasted his players for throwing away the game when they should have won by a bigger margin to ease their relegation fears.

“I am really disappointed because if I knew we would get that level of performance, I would have taken it before kick off. I thought it was excellent, we moved the ball well, created enough chances we were just not clinical," he told the club's media.

“They [Wrexham] were clinical with their one bit of quality and we were not. It should have been two or three up at halftime and we continued and should have extended that and that is the difference.

“Bezza's chance is unbelievable, I expect him to score that, because that is the player he is. Harry Clarke's chance is gilt-edged. Their keeper makes an unbelievable save at the end. The stats said we only had 12 shots -- I couldn't believe that.”

Defeat leaves Charlton in 18th position with 41 points from 335 games in the 24-team league while Wrexham are sixth with 57 points.