Former Reading FC captain Phil Parkinson went on an explosive rant about Adam Herczeg after his Wrexham side were dumped out of the National League play-offs to Grimsby Town.

Spending a decade in Berkshire, making more than 350 appearances, and captaining the club to promotion in 2002, ‘Parky’ has been a manager across all three levels of the Football League since departing RG2.

He arrived at the Racecourse Ground in July 2021 and has a win record of more than 60 per cent in his time in Wales.

One of the sides expected to be promoted, especially after being taken over by Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, the North Wales outfit finished second in the fifth tier and qualified for the semi-final stage of the play-offs where they had to face the Mariners.

An incredible match in Wrexham finished 4-5 to Paul Hurst’s side but was not without controversy, with the hosts denied a goal and a penalty.

 

Speaking to the club media after the game, Parkinson said: “How the league put that referee in charge of that game is absolutely beyond me. I’m seething. Congratulations to Grimsby, well done and good luck in the final, but his performance was so far below the level accepted for a game of this magnitude it was incredible.

“If you look at the play-offs in the league, they go for top referees above the standard he’s refereeing, we had this referee two weeks ago- how he’s been put in charge of this game I’m absolutely gobsmacked. His performance was beyond belief. We’ve scored a goal which didn’t stand, we’ve had a player fouled before their first goal, we’ve had Bryce [Hosannah] clattered in the middle of the goal which should have been a penalty. I haven’t seen any of these incidents back but dear me that performance was poor.”

It now consigns the Dragons to another season outside the Football League, a level they have been at since 2008.

Not only did they miss out on promotion, they lost the FA Trophy final to Bromley at Wembley too.