Parkinson Details Wrexham’s Injury Setbacks, Including Steven Fletcher’s Knee Issue

Wrexham’s striker Steven Fletcher, who has netted nine goals in 47 matches for the club, is expected to be sidelined for a period of two to three weeks because of a knee injury. Manager Phil Parkinson confirmed that Arthur Okonkwo, Will Boyle, and Luke Bolton are also facing considerable time out of action, a revelation made prior to Wrexham’s League One fixture against Stockport County this Saturday. The head coach further indicated that Fletcher, who has not played since Wrexham’s 1-0 victory at Rotherham United on 19 October, is scheduled to consult a specialist, making his return to availability improbable before early December. Parkinson stated, “Fletch had to have an injection in his knee. It’s probably looking at two to three weeks for him.” Goalkeeper Okonkwo is slated for additional assessment by a specialist on Monday, following a broken wrist injury. Despite the injuries sustained by Boyle and Bolton during the midweek match at Port Vale, Parkinson expressed that he does not anticipate seeking additional defensive players during the January transfer window. He elaborated, “I think with those two (Boyle and Bolton) injuries, they’ll be back by January anyway so that wouldn’t make us move in that department in the transfer window.” Wrexham currently holds the third position in League One, trailing leaders Wycombe Wanderers by four points, as they prepare to compete against sixth-placed Stockport. Dave Challinor’s team is positioned just three places and four points behind Wrexham, with both clubs having ascended from League Two last season to now contend in the third tier. Parkinson remarked, “We’ve had some good battles against them over the last few years.” He continued, “Another full house, we’ve been to some great stadiums so far this season – Charlton with 24,000, Birmingham nearly at capacity, Bolton the same.” Parkinson added, “It’s another one of those days where it’s going to be packed with a great atmosphere.” He concluded, “We’ve got to look to enjoy that again because we’ve worked hard to get to these types of games at this level.”