Why Parkinson wants to move on from ‘Hollywood derby’ talk

Before Friday’s high-profile Championship game at the Stok Cae Ras, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson stressed that it was crucial not to concentrate on a rumored rivalry with Birmingham City.

The game has been dubbed the “Hollywood derby” because Tom Brady, an NFL legend, owns Wrexham and Ryan Reynolds, both co-owned by the two.

Last year, both teams, the subjects of separate documentaries, were automatically promoted from League One.

We shouldn’t have made too much of reference to the rivalry from the previous year, Parkinson said.

“We played two competitive games against them last year, and the crowd was so focused on the outcome.

Wrexham have lost just once in six league games and are 15th, while Birmingham have one win in their last five.

If we’re honest, the run has been good, Parkerson continued, “we’ve been on a good run for a while.”

“Consistenty is obviously important, and I believe our game is starting to exhibit consistency.”

Wrexham had won their first three points at home against Derby County last Saturday when Lewis O’Brien equaled it with Ben Brereton Diaz’s strike.

“We obviously won the EFL Cup against Reading and prevailed on penalties against Hull,” Parkinson said.

“Derby, the game was there for us, really, and we didn’t take advantage of it,” he said.

“But it’s just about performance level,” says the team, who played a lot of Derby, and what they need to do well.