Phil Parkinson has demanded an immediate reaction from his Wrexham A.F.C. side after a damaging late collapse at home to West Bromwich Albion. The Dragons lost 2-1 at The Racecourse on Tuesday, conceding twice in the final 11 minutes to throw away a lead given to them by Kieffer Moore.

Parkinson expressed clear frustration with the manner of the defeat. "I'm sure we'll take criticism for the defeat. That's inevitable and we totally accept that," the manager said. He pointed to a failure to control the game after taking the lead as a key issue, stating the team was in a strong position before conceding what he described as two poor goals from moments where they could have done better in build-up play.

Moore's stunning strike in vain

Wrexham's goal was a moment of individual brilliance from Kieffer Moore. The 34-year-old Wales international unleashed a powerful 25-yard drive in the 64th minute, scoring his fourth goal of the season. Oliver Rathbone provided the assist for the strike. Parkinson later substituted Moore, a decision he linked to protecting the forward after he played a full 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Derby County just three days earlier.

"Goals like that deserve to be part of a winning performance," Parkinson added, lamenting that the spectacular effort was ultimately wasted.

Late goals cost key points

Instead of securing back-to-back home wins for the first time since February, Wrexham capitulated. Isaac Price equalised for West Brom in the 79th minute, before substitute Aune Heggebo completed the turnaround with an 84th-minute winner. The result gave the visitors their first league victory in four matches and left Wrexham reflecting on a costly stumble.

The defeat leaves Wrexham 16th in the Championship table with 11 points from their opening 10 games. Their recent form reads one win, two draws and two losses from the last five outings.

Focus turns to Preston test

Attention now shifts to a critical home fixture against Preston North End this Saturday. Preston currently sit bottom of the Championship, making it a prime opportunity for Wrexham to bounce back. Parkinson emphasised the need to learn quickly from the West Brom setback and prepare for the challenge.

He said the players, whom he called a very honest group, needed to be picked up and made ready to go again. The manager confirmed the team would review the match to identify areas for improvement ahead of the Preston clash. Wrexham's next match is at The Racecourse against Preston on Saturday, 17 October. Check our fixtures page for the full schedule.

First reported at BBC Sport Football