Wrexham must put Stoke on back foot from outset

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Phil Parkinson says Wrexham need to put Stoke City on the back foot from the outset when the two sides meet at Stok Cae Ras (15:00 BST).

The Red Dragons currently sit seventh in the Championship, four points adrift of the top six with just four matches remaining this season.

It means they are edging ever-closer to must-win territory as they bid to secure a play-off spot.

But having conceded first in each of their past five league games, Parkinson stressed the importance of starting strongly against Stoke.

"We've got to make sure that we're ready to get Stoke right on the back foot for minute one of the weekend," he said.

The Potters had been strong contenders for promotion earlier on in the campaign and were in the play-off places until early December.

But they have gradually fallen down the table and have lost five successive away Championship matches ahead of their trip to north Wales.

Parkinson was in attendance for Stoke's 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers at bet365 Stadium on Saturday.

Having watched Mark Robins' side in action, Parkinson deduced that Wrexham can expect a similar test to the one they faced when they lost 1-0 to the Potters on 18 October.

"Myself and Steve [Parkin, assistant coach] went down to watch them on Saturday, so we got a good picture of them again," added Parkinson.

"Similar to how they were when we played them last time, we know who the key players are, I think statistically they stand out for the team.

"So we know what they're all about. Of course they're like any team throughout the season, you can get in a good run and can quickly fall away.

"It's when you're on a bad run, you've got to halt it quickly and obviously when you're on a good run the key is to try and maintain that consistency.

"The teams which do that obviously are in and around the top six and there is a group of teams who are good on the day."