PHIL PARKINSON hailed Max Cleworth after the young centre-back continued his rich vein of scoring form to become joint-top scorer after a third of the League One campaign.

Wrexham bounced back from the 1-0 defeat to Stockport County by beating Exeter City 3-0 at The Racecourse to climb up to second place in the table.

Cleworth and Ollie Palmer scored in the first half before Ollie Rathbone finished the job off after the break.

Without a league goal until he scored the winner in the 2-1 victory at Colchester United in April on route to Wrexham’s second promotion in a row, Cleworth was on target for the fifth time this season when he headed home Elliot Lee’s corner.

Cleworth is now joint leading scorer with injured striker Jack Marriott and Parkinson always knew the 22-year-old was capable of adding goals to his game.

“Max is joint top scorer for us and that is fantastic for him,” said the Reds’ boss.

“It’s something we knew he had and it took till that Colchester goal last year, which was a key goal for us in our in our season, to really get that belief that he can he can score goals.”

Palmer made it 2-0 with a header from Ryan Barnett’s brilliant cross while Rathbone - like Cleworth - found the back of the net from a corner when he nodded home James McClean’s set-piece.

“The second goal was an outstanding goal for us and and the two set plays goals are so important," said Parkinson.

“Set-plays are only as good as the delivery, which was very good, and players making the right runs which we’ve worked on the training pitch.

“We did that and we scored another one which got disallowed.

"We looked such a threat from set-plays. We work on set plays in training a lot so that was great and obviously the standout goal was the second one with with the movement and the football we played.

“The second goal was as good a goal as we have scored; right from from Callum Burton at the back, we played through the thirds, a great switch of play, Barney has got half a yard and big Ollie’s headed it in the back of the net.

“It is so important strikers get goals. Ollie has worked tirelessly for the team this season but he needed that goal to get him off and running again and he took it well.”

Summer signing Rathbone, back in the side for Andy Cannon who was serving a one-match suspension, opened his account for Wrexham to kill the game off.

“Ollie is like having a player and a half on the pitch with his distance cover,” added Parkinson.

“He was brilliant and great delivery from Jimmy. Set-plays were a key part of the game, but I think our control in our football was the standout for me.”