Wrexham are still League One leaders despite first defeat

The Reds, who took 13 points from their opening five games and kept four successive clean sheets, lost 3-1 against Birmingham City at St Andrew's but remain top of the table on goal difference.

Wrexham made the perfect start when Jack Marriott bagged his fourth goal in six matches after just three minutes but Jay Stansfield, who signed for Birmingham on a permanent basis in a big-money move over the summer, scored in either half to give City the lead before Tomoki Iwata’s stunner sealed victory.

Although beaten for the first time since clinching a second promotion in a row for the first time in the club's history, Parkinson looked at the bigger picture.

"For us as a group it's a good learning curve," said Parkinson. "We’ve hardly conceded a goal this season and haven’t been behind in a game.

"We have been behind in games over the last few years, some really pivotal games, and we've responded better than we did against Birmingham.

"But at the start of the season, if you had said after six games you’re going to be top of the league and the first three away games - Bolton, Peterborough and Birmingham - you’re going to only lose once, I think we’d have all taken that.

“Five games unbeaten, during the season you will lose games of football, that’s inevitable.

"It's just responding and learning all the time. If we come up against that situation again where we are under pressure, what can we do better? We’ll take the lessons into the next few games.

“We’re top of the league and have got 40 games to go but any defeat - especially when you haven't lost at the start of the season - is always tough to take.

"But you've also got to be realistic and where we've come from, coming up into this division and sitting at the top of the table, is an outstanding achievement from the lads, staff, everybody.

"We never got carried away being top and we are still top, it's a good place to be."