Wrexham striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson made his debut on Sunday afternoon but it was something of a nightmare start given the 1-0 defeat to Harrogate Town.
Wrexham were drawn against Harrogate Town in the FA Cup first round and Phil Parkinson would have been forgiven for rolling his eyes in frustration.
Harrogate were a tough nut to crack last season, holding Wrexham to a pair of draws; first 2-2 away from home and then a 0-0 draw at the STōK Cae Ras.
Simon Weaver’s side are an awkward proposition and they proved that against Wrexham on Sunday afternoon.
Jack Muldoon’s first-half goal was enough for Harrogate to claim the victory and send Wrexham out of the FA Cup.
Wrexham huffed and puffed but couldn’t find the equaliser, leading to BBC pundit Kevin Ratcliffe criticising the Wrexham display.
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson on ‘contagious’ Wrexham atmosphere
Wrexham fans were left frustrated with Paul Mullin’s finishing on Sunday and drawing a blank against the League Two side will be a concern.
Modou Faal was praised by Phil Parkinson for offering a threat off the bench and he did have the ball in the net, but it was ruled out for offside.
Wrexham’s strikers didn’t quite hit top form against Harrogate but Parkinson will at least be pleased to have given a debut to Jon Dadi Bodvarsson.
The Icelandic striker recently joined on a free transfer, arriving to bolster Parkinson’s options with Wrexham’s Jack Marriott out injured for four months and Steven Fletcher picking up a knee problem.
Bodvarsson came off the bench at Harrogate and flashed one shot over the bar as Wrexham chased a leveller.
The former Bolton Wanderers ace has now told Wrexham’s official YouTube channel that he is enjoying his time at the club so far.
Bodvarsson noted that the standards around Wrexham are ‘really high’ with players and staff all buying into the same goal.
Bodvarsson finds that energy ‘contagious’ and feels that Wrexham is ultimately a ‘nice environment’ to be around right now.
“The first thing I noticed when I came here, obviously Wrexham Football Club, throughout the years now, has been really on the rise and I can see the standards are really high, not just from coaches but the players as well,” said Bodvarsson.
“Everybody has a certain goal to achieve and everybody is hungry. It’s contagious as a player and I’m just really enjoying it at the moment, it’s really a nice environment to be in,” he added.
Bodvarsson chances to come
Bodvarsson was named on the bench at Harrogate but came on for his debut in the second half as Wrexham chased a goal.
It was interesting to see that Bodvarsson was given the nod off the bench before Modou Faal.
Faal joined Wrexham on transfer deadline day and has been settling in over the last two months, whereas Bodvarsson hasn’t played a game since the end of last season.
Parkinson turned to Bodvarsson though and that suggests that he may well be in line for starting action sooner than expected.
Bodvarsson isn’t fully match sharp yet and that may take some time, but the experienced striker is looking to prove that he can be relied upon whilst matching the standards Wrexham are setting in training.
A start against Mansfield Town this weekend may be a little too soon but the chances will come for Bodvarsson, especially as the festive period approaches.
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