Wrexham clinched a dramatic stoppage-time victory over Barnsley Town at STōK Cae Ras, thanks to Ollie Rathbone’s 93rd-minute winner. The win places Wrexham second in the table, just two points behind leaders Wycombe Wanderers. Despite the victory, concerns arose over the team’s goalkeeper situation.

Callum Burton, who was filling in for the injured Arthur Okonkwo, was forced off in the 23rd minute because of a suspected thigh strain. Mark Howard stepped in and delivered a solid performance, including a key save to deny Barnsley’s Fabio Jalo. Speaking about the situation, manager Phil Parkinson didn’t sound optimistic about the injury. 

“Callum won’t be fit for the weekend,” Parkinson confirmed, adding, “It looks like a thigh strain and we won’t know more until the scan comes in around lunchtime tomorrow. We’re really disappointed for Callum because he has been brilliant since he’s come into the side.” The Wrexham manager was also full of praise for Mark Howard, who rose to the occasion. 

“I want to give a special mention to Mark; what a great example he has set for all of our young players and players that aren’t in the team,” said Parkinson, “He’s trained well every day, he’s so professional and he has been preparing for the moment if it came, and it did. He took it brilliantly; his distribution was good, and he made one really good save.”

Losing a $260,000 market-value goalkeeper like Callum Burton is a significant blow for Wrexham, particularly for a League One team. Especially considering that before Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over the Welsh club, they used to play non-league football. With Okonkwo still sidelined with a broken wrist, Howard is expected to start in the upcoming trip to Burton Albion.

With both the first-choice and second-choice goalkeepers now injured, Ryan Reynolds may have to dig deep into his pockets during the January transfer window. The Hollywood star might also consider using some of his ‘Deadpool’ money to secure a loan move if both the players don’t recover till then. However, goalkeeper woes are not the only challenge Wrexham are currently facing. 

Wrexham’s hopes for Europe put on hold by FA

Earlier this year, a proposal was put forward to allow four Welsh clubs (Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham, and Newport County) to play in the Welsh League Cup, as a way to represent Wales in European club competition if they were to win. Recently, the FA announced that they would have the final say in the matter over a sub-committee, as per the Daily Mail. 

For Wrexham, qualifying for Europe would have been much easier through the Welsh League Cup, as winning it would mean qualification for the UEFA Conference League. The FA believes this would give the Welsh clubs an unfair advantage over English clubs playing in the same league, as they would be entering a less competitive league. 

With growing concerns over squad depth and a potential end to their European dreams, it will take some time for Reynolds and co. to achieve their ambitions. However, with their current trajectory, we wouldn’t be surprised if they make it into the EFL Championship, securing yet another promotion.