But Aaron Hayden was back in the starting XI after missing the pervious five games while fellow centre-back Jordan Tunnicliffe made his return after coming off the bench in the 84th minute and midfielder Andy Cannon was an unused substitute.

Ryan Barnett, Eoghan O’Connell and Steven Fletcher remain sidelined but Parkinson, who saw Wrexham extend the unbeaten run to 11 games in all competition and climb up to second place in League Two with victory over Gillingham – still five points behind leaders Stockport County – can see light at the end of the tunnel.

“Aaron and Jordan coming back was a huge bonus for us,” said the Reds’ boss. “They are really key players for us.

“We always knew they were only minor injuries.

“Aaron trained most of last week and we felt he was ready.

“Jordan only actually trained Thursday and Friday but having his personality in and around the group is always a bonus for us and it was great getting him 10 minutes.

“Andy got the whack on his leg last week which wasn’t too bad but even though he played so well, I thought the best place for him was on the bench to protect him a little bit.

“I was only going to use him if we really needed a spark at some point in the game.”

Meanwhile, Wrexham’s FA Cup second round tie against Yeovil Town has been selected for live television coverage.

The match against the National League South leaders will take place on Sunday 3 December, with a 3:45pm kick-off, and will be broadcast live on ITV X.