Phil Parkinson’s ‘surprise’ at Ben Foster retirement, clarifies Wrexham goalkeeper stance

Phil Parkinson’s ‘surprise’ at Ben Foster retirement, clarifies Wrexham goalkeeper stance

Wrexham take on Barrow in the EFL this weekend and spoke to the press ahead of the match

Wrexham AFC boss Phil Parkinson has revealed his surprise at Ben Foster’s decision to retire from football for the second time. Former Manchester United keeper and podcaster Foster, 40, announced earlier this week that he’d be stepping away from playing altogether and would be leaving the Dragons with immediate effect.

 

The shot-stopper, who came out of retirement to join Wrexham earlier this year, said that while the club will “always have a special place” in his heart, his performances this season hadn’t always been up to his high standards.

 

Speaking about Foster’s decision ahead of Wrexham’s trip to Cumbria to take on Barrow at Holker Street (Saturday, 3pm kick-off), Parkinson told North Wales Live: “It wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction after Saturday, he just felt he couldn’t do it anymore and he wanted to retire. We were a bit surprised but equally fully respect his decision.

 

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“He’d made his mind up so we didn’t try to convince him otherwise – we shook hands and we all move on. We thank him for his massive contribution – certainly last year and his iconic penalty save will be remembered by Wrexham fans for generations.”

 

The Reds are currently 15th in the League Two table, taking five points from their first four matches. Another sizeable away contingent will make the 280-mile round trip to the Furness Peninsula as Phil Parkinson’s men look to bag what would be a morale-boosting victory.

 

 

Ahead of the clash, Parkinson refused to reveal whether or not he will dip his toe back into the transfer market for a new number one – but did say that experienced stopper Mark Howard will come into the side for this weekend’s game.

“Mark comes in for the weekend, he’s had a good pre-season and played well against Wigan,” said Parkinson. “He got a clean sheet and was excellent, he’s a good, experienced goalkeeper.”

 

What are your thoughts on the goalkeeping situation following Foster’s retirement? Have your say in the comments section

 

The Reds boss also spoke about Saturday’s opposition as well as revealing that he and his side have spent some time reviewing previous performances. He said: “Barrow are a very good team, they’ve had a decent start to the season. It’s a ground I’ve never been to – one of those rare grounds.

 

“We’re developing lots of positive aspects of our play but we’ve had a good, honest review of Saturday as well. Swindon had eight opportunities and scored five goals but equally we’ve got to do better.

 

“The great thing about this group of lads is when we sit down there’s a lot of honesty in the room. We showed tremendous spirit last week but of course, we have to improve and we will do.”