WREXHAM have made a habit of bouncing back from setbacks and that was the case when they turned on the style to sink Exeter City 3-0 at The Racecourse.

The first half display in last Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Stockport was nowhere near good enough but the Reds were at the top of their game from the start against the Grecians and the result was never in doubt after Max Cleworth gave the home side the lead in the seventh minute.

Some of the football Wrexham played was brilliant but they still had to kill the game off and they did exactly that.

The Reds continued to go at Exeter, who arrived at north Wales with the best defensive record in the division, and didn't have an answer to the brilliant attacking play.

Ollie Palmer made it 2-0 before the break and while Exeter had a good spell early in the second half, Wrexham were solid at the back and the clean sheet never looked in doubt with the Reds now possessing the tightest defence in the third tier.

A first Wrexham goal for Ollie Rathbone killed the game off and it was a thoroughly deserved victory.

Wrexham were good value for the three points thanks to three headed goals

The result is all that matters at the end of the day but the Reds deserve credit for the performance as they controlled the match from start to finish.

There will be blips along the way and Stockport was a real off-day but you know that more often than not, Wrexham will deliver at The Racecourse where they remain unbeaten.

That was a seventh win in eight games in north Wales, with the other ending in a draw to leave the Reds with the best home record in the third tier.

It was attacking football at it's best so sink Exeter who are only just outside the play-offs.

Success took Wrexham up to second place in the table, four points behind leaders Wycombe Wanderers. With just over a third of the season gone, the Reds are in a fantastic position and in the hunt for a third promotion in a row.

No-one is getting carried away but if The Racecourse continues to be a fortress and the away form improves, you never know!

Parkinson was understandably delighted with the display and response to the Stockport defeat against Exeter.

"Our pressing was tenacious, we got tight to to their players," he said.

"We didn't have a chance to have a review about the Stockport first half until Thursday and we we went through the key parts.

"We weren't physical enough in our closing down and if you're two or three yards off it when you're pressing, players can turn and and open you up because this division has got some real quality in it.

"Today, the amount of times our defenders got tight to their players and midfield picked up the bits and I felt we got that right.

"We always knew with Exeter that they are a better team with the ball than they were without the ball and if we could have periods of possession, and a little change in dynamic and shape in there, we felt we could give them problems and it worked

"Exeter are a tough nut to crack. They are very organised, very disciplined, good at keeping the ball at times, not probably as much as they normally do today but when you've got the ball, the opposition aren't going to score.

|"They've done that quite well throughout the season but we found a way."

Just 25 seconds had gone when Wrexham lost possession, Jack Aitchison drove forward and Lewis Brunt, making his first league start for the Reds, made a vital block in the area to deny Ilmari Niskanen.

Cleworth then won Wrexham a corner from which the defender saw his effort blocked on the line.

Exeter were forced to defend a succession of corners and Wrexham took a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute from a set-piece.

Elliot Lee delivered the flag-kick and Cleworth scored with a header.

Wrexham continued to press and the corners kept coming with the Reds well on top.

Lee thought he had doubled the advantage midway through the half when he headed home James McClean's set-play but the goal was ruled out for offside.

But Wrexham soon made it 2-0 after 25 minutes.

Ryan Barnett sent in a brilliant cross from the right and Palmer headed past goalkeeper Joe Whitworth.

Exeter had been second best but the Grecians had a goal disallowed when Caleb Watts finished off Aitchison's brilliant through-ball but he was offside.

It remained 2-0 at the break and Exeter made a lively start to the second half but they were kept at bay following resolute defending.

A Grecians counter-attack ended with Watts' low drive blocked by Reds goalkeeper Callum Burton who made another good save to keep out a Josh Magennis header.

Wrexham responded with George Dobson's shot blocked in the area after good work by Palmer and substitute Paul Mullin, with Barnett's cross put behind.

And Wrexham went 3-0 up on 72 minutes from the resulting corner which was delivered by McClean and Rathbone found the net with a close range header.

Palmer's curling effort fell narrowly wide and Mullin volleyed over from Barnett's cross as Wrexham pushed for more goals but they had done more than enough.