Will Wrexham deprioritise the FA Cup with the play-offs in sight? Not likely | OneFootball

Wrexham’s bond with the FA Cup remains strong, and with Ipswich visiting on Friday there is scant appetite to ease off despite a Championship play-off race.

According to NY Times, that stance is rooted in decades of shocks, from Arsenal in 1992 to Forest in 1982 and West Ham in 1981. Last month Forest fell on penalties, Arthur Okonkwo the hero.

Waynne Phillips, 55, recalls being the set-piece taker before Mickey Thomas insisted on the late free kick that sparked the Arsenal upset, joking he has not forgiven him, while accepting it was for the best.

Friday’s fourth-round tie is live on BBC Wales platforms and Discovery+, and follows a league meeting in November, with the return fixture due eight days later.

For lifelong fan Michael ‘Scoot’ Hett, the FA Cup has long defined Wrexham, from three quarter-finals to television money that helped during the 2012 trip to Brighton, so sacrificing it for league focus holds little appeal.

Progress would bring a squeeze, with a win forcing a new date for the 7 March visit to Watford, and any quarter-final moving Easter fixtures at West Bromwich Albion and at home to Southampton.

There is also the risk of rivals stealing a march, with five contenders playing on Saturday that could drop Wrexham to eighth, and Millwall could move nine points clear by beating Sheffield Wednesday.

Even so, Phillips and Hett back a full tilt at Ipswich, with a Wembley semi-final two wins away.

Source: NY Times