Phil Parkinson's Wrexham are in a 'real sticky patch' following their latest defeat.

That's the assessment of talkSPORT's Tony Cascarino, commenting after the Red Dragons lost 1-0 away to Sheffield United on Friday night, leaving them 17th in the Championship.

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How have Parkinson's Wrexham started the season?

Wrexham have lost five and won only three of their first 13 league games this season, hardly form that aligns with the club's ultimate ambition of reaching the Premier League.

Parkinson – who recently became the third longest-serving manager in English football – was already under pressure, and his position could come under further scrutiny in light of Friday's result, as Cascarino noted on talkSPORT's Weekend Sports Breakfast.

"It was a tough gig for him last night," said the former Chelsea and Republic of Ireland striker. "And as he said, they were second best, especially in the first half. Never got a look in. And Sheffield United hunted them down, caused them problems, got themselves ahead.

"And he'll be really disappointed. I think he's alluded to the problem already; he's asking about the players' character last night. Because that is not a Wrexham way of playing under Phil Parkinson.

"They've had an amazing journey, done brilliantly well. And now this is a real sticky patch.

"He knows he's under pressure. You could tell that by his reaction, just watching it on TV. And you could see that Phil was really upset and disappointed by his team last night. And Sheffield United deservedly won it.

"He's done a great job for a long time. But once it turns and people upstairs start thinking you could get relegated, then fears are there now for the fans and the club."

Parkinson was audibly frustrated in his post-match interview with talkSPORT.

"We were second-best in the first 45 minutes," he acknowledged. "We were way below where we needed to be. We've got to be honest about that.

"We've had some good performances this season, we really have, but we've also had some performances which are not a true reflection of how Wrexham teams have played over the years.

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However, Parkinson has faith that his team will find their groove again.

"The values and the spirit and the determination in the group, we've had it at times this season but not enough consistently. But we'll get it."

What's next for Wrexham?

Things don't get any easier for Wrexham fixture-wise, however.

Their next Championship game sees them host league leaders Middlesbrough on Wednesday.

Three days later, they entertain another high-flying side, Wolves.

This is Wrexham's second season back in the second tier after their rapid rise up the pyramid under Parkinson.

They narrowly missed out on the play-offs on the final day of last term.