Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has confirmed a "long-term injury blow" to Lewis Brunt as the Red Dragons continue to struggle following a dreadful start to the 2025-26 season. Brunt has already undergone surgery after he injured his thigh during the 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough last Saturday and is staring at a lengthy rehabilitation before he regains match fitness.
League Cup dream shattered
Brunt was forced to sit out Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat to Cardiff City in the League Cup, which marked the latest chapter in a spiralling campaign for Wrexham. The midweek clash at The Racecourse Ground was meant to be a night of history as it provided them a chance to reach the League Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1978. Instead, it ended in heartbreak and disappointment. A much-changed Wrexham side fell flat against a fired-up Cardiff team. The visitors took control early on through Yousef Salech’s opener, before former Manchester City striker Kieffer Moore briefly lifted home spirits by levelling the score. But it was Will Fish’s volley that sealed Cardiff’s 2-1 win and bragging rights in their first meeting with Wrexham in 21 years. The final whistle was met with boos and jeers from frustrated supporters, with their anger compounded by another lifeless performance. Their performance in the league has also been ordinary. The Championship newcomers, who climbed from the National League to England’s second tier in just three seasons, are now 16th in the table, having managed just three wins in 12 games.
AdvertisementParkinson forced to stretch squad
As if things weren’t bad enough, Parkinson has also confirmed that Brunt is facing a long spell on the sidelines.
"It's not good with Brunty," he said before the Cardiff game. "He had a scan and he's going to see a specialist. It is a long-term injury; the actual time-scale on that we won't know until he's seen the specialist. We have got problems in a few areas of the team, we're a little bit stretched at the moment, but we'll deal with those and also protect a few of the lads who have been carrying knocks in these last two league games."
The manager had to put a lot of thought into picking his starting XI for the League Cup tie, as Parkinson added: "In any situation like this, you have got to balance the team selection out. Not putting players at risk who have played a lot of minutes and after a Wednesday-Saturday game, we have probably got to get some freshness on the pitch. We have got a big game on Friday [against Coventry]. That's what we've done successfully so far in this competition."
Later, Brunt himself took to social media to deliver an update on his condition, posting: "Gutted. Surgery successful, back soon ❤️”.
Getty Images SportPressure mounting after League Cup exit
Under mounting pressure after the Cardiff loss, Parkinson cut a frustrated figure in his post-match interview. He admitted his team were “off the pace” and lacked aggression in the first half.
"We were off the pace in the first half," he said. "That’s probably an understatement. We didn’t close down with enough aggression or intent, and made it too easy for them. Then second half I thought the changes got us back in the game, and I felt we could go on and win the game but we probably didn’t produce the right decisions at the right time in that top third of the pitch. We’re hugely disappointed. We knew it was an important night for us, the supporters."
Parkinson didn’t shy away from criticism either, even directing some of it at himself.
"We’ve had lots of praise over the years and we’ll take the criticism, myself included, for going out the cup tonight," he said. "We made a lot of changes and I’m sure everybody will be analysing that, like myself, but I did it for the reasons I thought were the right ones with the schedule we’ve got coming up."
Getty Images SportLampard's Sky Blues to inflict more pain?
There will be no respite for the Red Dragons as they return to league duty on Friday night, hosting table-toppers Coventry City, who are managed by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. Needless to say, it will be a daunting assignment for a side short on form, confidence, and fitness. A 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough last weekend offered a brief glimpse of resilience, but with Brunt injured and other key players struggling for rhythm, Wrexham face a fight to keep their season from unravelling entirely. Pressure is ramping up on Parkinson, and he must deliver against a team who are yet to lose in the division.