Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has already masterminded a win over Chelsea during his career with the Premier League side set for a FA Cup fifth-round visit to the Racecourse
Phil Parkinson snubs a handshake from Jose Mourinho will managing Bradford
Phil Parkinson snubs a handshake from Jose Mourinho will managing Bradford(Image: Paul Gilham/Getty)
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Wrexham are dreaming of a historic FA Cup giant-killing after being handed a mouth-watering home tie against Chelsea in the fifth round.
The clash has sent waves of excitement through the city following Monday night's draw. The Red Dragons secured their place in the hat after a 1-0 win over Championship rivals Ipswich Town, courtesy of a 34th-minute Josh Windass strike.
All eyes now turn to the Racecourse for the weekend of March 7/8, with a date and time to be confirmed in due course. But while Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac will grab the headlines, the man with the plan sits in the dugout.
Phil Parkinson knows exactly how to dismantle the Blues. In January 2015, the Wrexham boss was at the helm of Bradford City when he orchestrated a monumental 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge after trailing 2-0.
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Chelsea were heavy favourites that day as goals from Ramires and Gary Cahill earned a commanding lead. However, Jon Stead pulled one back before the break, paving the way for a stunning second-half turnaround with strikes from Felipe Morais, Andy Halliday and Mark Yeates.
However, it was a telling act in the final minutes that revealed Parkinson's inner steel. As the clock ticked down, legendary Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho approached the Bradford dugout to offer his congratulations.
Bradford City's Mark Yeates celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal of the match against Chelsea
Bradford secured a famous victory by dumping Chelsea out of the FA Cup in 2015(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea via Getty)
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With three-and-a-half minutes still to play, a laser-focused Parkinson refused to be distracted and declined his handshake. He said at the time: "He (Mourinho) came over to shake hands but at that point there was still three-and-a-half minutes left and I wasn't getting drawn into that.
"You know that if Chelsea got one back even at that late stage, and with their world-class players on the pitch, they could easily have got a second. We wanted to concentrate on what we had to do and see the game through."
That elite mentality has since lifted Wrexham from the National League to the Championship. Reflecting on that 2015 victory in a 2023 interview with The Athletic, Parkinson recalled seeing Mourinho realise the tide had turned.
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He said: "Jose Mourinho had been sat down but then he stood in the technical area with this look in his eyes, as if to say he knew the game was running away from him.
"As a manager, you can sense it. You see the opposition start quicker and be more aggressive. And you know exactly how hard it can be to turn that back on within one half of football, even a team as good as that Chelsea one."
He added: "Everything just clicked for us against Chelsea. Even in the first half when we were two goals behind, we had played really well. We got a goal back just before half-time and the belief just went from there. It was everything that makes the cup so magical."
Parkinson's intuition will be vital when Liam Rosenior's Chelsea visit the Racecourse. While the Blues arrive as favourites, they face a manager who has mastered an upset against them before.
Despite the 2015 snub, Mourinho later visited the Bradford dressing room in a gesture Parkinson called a "real touch of class." Wrexham fans will hope for a similar post-match visit, provided Parkinson finishes the job on the touchline first.