Wrexham AFC: Phil Parkinson left "raging" after incident in Cambridge United draw - rivals point out the "irony" | OneFootball

Phil Parkinson was left fuming by the decision to award Cambridge United a penalty.

Wrexham AFC's head coach, Phil Parkinson, was left frustrated by the decision to award Cambridge United a penalty in their 2-2 draw with the U’s, describing it as "one of the worst penalty decisions I’ve seen."

Facing the side sitting 23rd in League One, the Red Dragons struggled to take control of the game. Despite George Dobson’s opener, they went into the break level after Liam Bennett struck just before half-time.

The controversy arose shortly after the restart when a long ball found Ryan Loft, who brought it down before appearing to be pulled back by Lewis Brunt. Admittedly, his fall was theatrical, but that didn’t concern Josh Stokes, who coolly converted from the spot.

Sam Smith responded just minutes later with a delightful header, and Parkinson’s side thought they had snatched victory with a late goal - only for the linesman to rule that the ball had gone out of play before curling back in from the corner.

The result left Wrexham frustrated, as they missed the chance to extend their advantage over promotion rivals Wycombe Wanderers, who also dropped points at home against a struggling Shrewsbury Town side.

Phil Parkinson perturbed by refereeing decisions

Speaking after the game, the Wrexham head coach couldn't hide his frustrations.

"That penalty decision is one of the worst penalty decisions I've seen," he told Matt Ramsay.

"To disallow the goal at the end is completely bizarre. No way he can be sure that’s gone out.

"But the penalty decision is just incredible. The ref couldn’t wait to give them things tonight."

He further expressed his frustration to BBC Sport Wales, stating: "To say I’m raging is one of the biggest understatements in my 1000 games."

Supporters react to Wrexham incident

Many supporters of other clubs have argued that Wrexham have been benefiting from favourable decisions in recent weeks, with an incident involving Jay Rodriguez at Exeter City particularly prominent in discussions over the weekend.

So, for many, the Red Dragons had been given a taste of their own medicine, and they took to social media to share their thoughts.

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Whether it was simply frustration over the decisions or an attempt to deflect blame from what was a poor performance remains unclear.

The Red Dragons have six games left to secure automatic promotion, but faltering displays against lower-ranked sides could allow the likes of Wycombe and Charlton Athletic back into the race.

Their remaining fixtures are largely against teams in the lower half of the table, and they will be hoping to have secured a third successive promotion before facing the Addicks in their penultimate game.