Annoyingly, it feels like Wrexham have lived up to their billing so far this season.
Not only do they sit in the impressive height of 6th over two thirds into the Championship season, but their scorelines have consistently caught the eye. I write this after a 5-3 triumph at home to Ipswich, the second 5-3 fans at the Racecourse Ground have been treated to in 2 months, following a Boxing day dispatch of Sheffield United of the same score. They’ve not been dull away from home either - an incredible injury time double sealed a brilliant 3-2 win from behind at QPR just a month ago. Parkinson’s Wrexham have certainly entertained.
Wrexham have conceded 44 goals after 33 games this season, the same number as Oxford, who sit second bottom. They’ve made up for this with an impressive 51 goals scored, only bettered by automatic promotion contestants Coventry and Ipswich. This combination is symbolic of the entertainment that they’ve brought to the championship this season.
Interestingly though, one team has matched Wrexham in also scoring 51 in only 32 games, whilst also conceding even more than Parkinson’s defense. Somehow still, this team sits one place above them at time of writing.
Hull City have conceded 46 goals in only 32 games, but occupy 5th place. Many of their games have followed similar templates to the aforementioned ‘thrillers’ Wrexham have enjoyed. Already, Jakirović’s men have won 3 Championship games exactly 3-2, and lost 2 by the same scoreline. Perhaps, suffering from poorer publicity, the vitality of Hull’s season seems to have gone under the radar in comparison to Wrexham’s.
At this stage of the season, only Coventry’s matches have featured more total goals than Wrexham and Hull’s but the Sky Blues’ figure is greatly dominated by goals scored (68), owing partially to a few significant thrashings early in the season. Whilst watching them put 7 past QPR in August would certainly have been engaging in quite a gruesome way, it can’t have been the same as the textbook ‘thrillers’ frequently on show at the Racecourse or the MKM. So, the data would suggest Wrexham and Hull have been the most entertaining teams this season, but how do they stack up historically? Are these two teams true anomalies in the Championship, or has the media attention on Wrexham’s maiden season in the league overamplified their spectacle?
Wrexham’s games have featured 95 goals in 33 games this season, whilst Hull’s supporters have witnessed 97 in 32 games. At this rate, these numbers will have grown to a projected 132.4 and 139.4 respectively after 46 games. In short, these numbers are high, but in no way unprecedented. Last season, 2 teams hit exactly 139 total goals: Norwich and Plymouth. Plymouth conceded 88 goals, finished 23rd, and were likely only really entertaining for away fans at Home Park. However, Norwich finished 13th, scoring 71 and conceding 68. The minor difference in scored compared to conceded would mirror the 2 ‘entertaining’ subjects of this season. Whilst goal totals often eclipse 132, it is rare for them to be so close together. Swansea in 2023 and QPR in 2020 are the only other examples of teams who eclipsed 132 goals in total, whilst having a difference of less than 10 between goals scored and conceded. Hull and Wrexham are both on track to fulfill both of these requirements. In terms of this statistic, the teams are on track for rare but not unheard of seasons.
What is more surprising though, is how well it is working this year. In seasons gone by, teams both scoring and conceding high volumes of goals almost exclusively resided in mid-table. None of my named examples finished higher than 10th (Swansea in 2023). In fact, since the foundation of the Championship in 2004, only Reading (2017) have made the play-offs whilst surpassing 132 goals in total in their games AND having an (absolute) goal difference of less than 10. Reading scored 68 and conceded 64, and somehow finished 3rd. It’s perhaps ironic that their season ended in a nil-nil draw.
This leads onto a simpler statistic, as Reading’s 64 conceded is the joint-most any team has ever made the play-offs whilst conceding. If Hull are to continue at their current rate, and concede 66 goals this season (and still finish in the top 6), it would make history in the Championship. Wrexham’s marginally better defense could see them only concede 61 goals this season, missing out on the bizarre record.
Of course, this is all only theoretical. But perhaps, the real Hollywood is really Kingston-upon-Hull.