Parkinson Prioritizes Protection for ‘Outstanding’ James

Phil Parkinson has indicated the necessity to “protect” midfielder Matty James, following his strong initial performances for Wrexham. James became a part of Wrexham in October, having been without a club since his departure from Bristol City in the summer. He secured his initial league start for the Dragons during their significant win against Exeter City last weekend, participating for 89 minutes, and maintained his spot for the midweek victory over Lincoln City. Parkinson conceded that Wrexham’s personnel had to “think long and hard” about deploying James on Tuesday, given his limited match experience since his departure from Ashton Gate. However, the Wrexham manager believed their choice was correct after the former Leicester City player again performed well, playing 72 minutes against the Imps. “He said he felt OK and it was a huge performance from him – I thought he was outstanding,” Parkinson stated. “We knew we’d have to bring him off because we don’t want to get him injured – we need to protect him.” He added, “But I thought his contribution was really good. He got stronger in the second half, he was dictating the game for us, not just with the ball but without it.” Wrexham will have no fixture this weekend, following their early elimination from the FA Cup. This break allows James an opportunity to rest before the team resumes League One play with a home match against Barnsley next Tuesday.