Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson makes intriguing Portsmouth admission after John Mousinho claims
Pompey drew 0-0 with Wrexham on Wednesday evening, which extended their run to five games without a win.
Phil Parkinson has admitted he ‘predicted’ that John Mousinho would make significant changes to his Pompey side for Wrexham’s visit to Fratton on Wednesday.
And the Red Dragon’s boss has also heaped praise on keeper Arthur Okonkwo, who came to the rescue to keep the Blues at bay throughout the clash.
It was another frustrating evening for Mousinho’s men, who could only pick up a point against the newly-promoted Welsh outfit despite dominating proceedings.
Although Pompey were unable to unlock the Wrexham’s defences, it was a much-improved display after Saturday’s 4-0 loss at the hands of Birmingham City.
And Parkinson has revealed Mousinho’s comments in the build-up to the fixture lead him to believe a new-look side could be expected for Wrexham’s visit.
Phil Parkinson’s intriguing Pompey admission
In an interview with the Red Dragons’ in-house media, the head coach said: ‘We probably had the biggest chance of the second half and we didn’t take it. It’s just that little bit of quality in that moment that we needed to display a bit more.
‘All in all, defensively we were really strong tonight. The back three headed everything, they covered round.
‘Pompey went very direct, they kind of changed how they played tonight from what I’d seen in previous weeks. It was almost like how they went back to playing last season, which was a high pressure game and a very direct style.
‘Did it catch us cold? Well, we half predicted it because of the response and the manager’s comments in the press leading into this game.
‘They use the crowd to really galvanise that energy level and I think a lesser side would’ve got beaten. It was a hard-earned point.
‘It’s always a difficult place to come Portsmouth in midweek. I thought first half after that period where we knew they'd come out with a response after the Birmingham game and they pressed aggressively.
‘At times we played through that and we had some good moments. In that second period we didn’t quite find that composure and that quality to get control in any part of the game.
‘We had to stand strong as a team and show the characteristics of the team to get a valuable point. The clean sheet and point away is never undervalued in my eyes.’
Phil Parkinson heaps praise on Wrexham ace
After a cagey first half, Pompey dominated proceedings after the break with Josh Murphy and Ibane Bowat denied by Okonkwo from close range.
And Parkinson has heaped praise on the 24-year-old for rescuing a well-earned point at Fratton.
‘Arthur is getting better all the time,’ the Wrexham boss added.
‘The keeper has been up through the divisions with us and had a bit of a slow start in pre-season for one or two reasons but he was magnificent tonight.’
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