Wrexham’s promotion charge has been hit by a sudden dressing room sickness bug, with Phil Parkinson admitting his depleted side are running on empty.

Despite grinding out a vital 2-1 win over Portsmouth at the Racecourse Ground on Tuesday night, the Red Dragons’ boss revealed a growing illness issue that left several key stars struggling to make it to the final whistle. Wrexham seemed to be cruising in North Wales after a dominant opening period.

Goals from Sam Smith and Max Cleworth put the hosts in a commanding position before the break, but the physical toll began to show in the second half. When Zak Swanson’s deflected effort pulled one back for John Mousinho’s men early in the second period, a weary Wrexham were forced into a defensive stand.

Parkinson was candid about why his side lacked their usual spark, confirming the virus has been sweeping through the squad.

He said: “The energy levels weren’t quite where they needed to be, we’ve had a bit of illness in the camp over the last few days. But we just dug deep as a team and we restricted them to very few chances. A few of the lads had it and Sam [Smith] at half time was feeling ill. Kieffer [Moore] had already been ill over the last couple of days.”

With the illness lingering, the club is taking measures to stop the spread.

Parkinson said: “Sometimes you get that and someone might bring it into the club from home. We’ll just clear the building in the next day or two and come back ready to go again.”

Wrexham are currently sixth in the Championship with 12 games of their campaign left to play as they aim to secure a play-off spot.