'Not been the best of mates...' Preston boss Graham Alexander looks forward to facing 'successful' Parkinson

Graham Alexander has praised the job Phil Parkinson has done at Wrexham ahead of the two sides meeting on Saturday.

Both clubs are looking to bounce back from disappointing mid-week defeats, with Preston suffering a 4-0 thumping by Birmingham City in Alexander's second game at the helm.

Wrexham, meanwhile, were booed off the park at the Racecourse Ground after their late collapse saw them lose 2-1 to West Brom.

The Welsh side are in their second season in the Championship, but Parkinson is coming under pressure as his side have won just twice so far and sit in 17th place, making Saturday's game crucial for both clubs.

Alexander and Parkinson have enjoyed long managerial careers and will lock horns for a 10th time at the weekend.

The record is evenly split, with three wins each and three draws, but Alexander is on a hot streak, having won their last three meetings.

"I didn't realise it was that many," he told The Post in his pre-match press conference. "But yeah, competitive manager, successful manager, done an unbelievable job with Wrexham.

"Winning is hard, said that many times, so what he's done over his whole career..."

Alexander also detailed the relationship between the pair.

He added: "I know him reasonably well. He's a fierce competitor. I think we've had some good battles over time, not been best of mates on the touchline.

“I think I've met him a few times off the pitch. I think we've got the utmost respect for each other, but I know how he thinks. He knows how I think, we both want to win."

Preston desperately need three points

Given North End are already five points from safety and are at risk of being cut adrift even so early on in the season, a win is desperately needed from somewhere.

On paper, Wrexham looks to be the best chance for some time, given promotion-chasing West Brom, Stoke City, Sheffield United, Southampton and West Ham are to come in the five games after.

However, the manager has reiterated that it will take time for his changes to really pay dividends.

“It’s never been in my history, as a player or a manager, to wave a magic wand and for everything to be great," he said.

"My qualities have been long-term. They've been longevity. They've been consistency.

“I think if you'd ask the Preston supporters if I was a really good player after three weeks, it could have been 50-50. Probably after three months, they'd have thought I was poor.

“But after eight years, they thought I was a decent player. I'm not putting the judgment back to eight years, but I'm not a guy that makes an immediate impact and turns water into wine.

“I'm a guy who works hard, who understands the game and has a strategy to create a winning team.

"But we have, in our history, got a back catalogue of working fast, but I'm talking about six to eight months, not two to three weeks.”