Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has spoken out after a brawl broke out between James McClean and Chelsea’s Levi Colwill during a pre-season friendly.
The friendly, which was hosted in the United States and ended 2-2, broke down after just two minutes when McClean and Colwill got into a heated exchange.
Colwill received the ball in the defensive half and laid it off to a team-mate, but McClean was late into his attempted tackle and barged into the Chelsea defender.
The pair then squared up to each other, with both players then grabbing each other by the necks of their shirts.
It took over 10 players, and the match officials, to finally break them apart, and the match had to be briefly stopped.
Both men did, it seems, get away without yellow cards – although in a competitive match situation, the referee would have certainly had plenty to think about.
Wrexham boss Parkinson spoke to the media after the game and, although he didn’t specifically discuss the incident, did make reference to how he was pleased with his side’s competitiveness and the fact that they went ‘toe-to-toe’ with Chelsea stars.
He explained: “We’ve taken on a team that has probably spent about a billion pounds over the last two transfer windows. We’ve gone toe-to-toe with them.
“First half, we were good out of possession. Second half, we married both sides of the game together really well, we got two goals.
“That’s a hell of a shift the lads have put in today, and obviously I’m very pleased.
“The gulf in quality… two years ago we were in the National League, we’re building slowly but surely as a club. Chelsea are an established club, normally competing in the Champions League most years.
“There were some really good performances from us. They made 10 changes at half-time and we stood strong in that period, and our subs gave us some impetus ourselves.
“The lads are pleased and so they should be. We give everything, we fight for every ball over the pitch, and we showed that tonight.”
Featured Image Credit: Wrexham AFC / ESPN
Topics: Wrexham, Chelsea, Levi Colwill, Football