Bristol City 2 Wrexham 1

13th February 2001: Nationwide League Division Two

Improvement But No Points

After the horrors of Boundary Park on Saturday, it was a relief to see Wrexham go to one of the better sides in the Second Division and not get swamped, but the loss of one of the games in hand which have been stock-piled over the last few weeks will have worried Brian Flynn, as his side begins to look over its shoulder at the bottom of the table, having won only one of their last seven league games.

Flynn made necessary changes to his back four after the Oldham fiasco, bringing Dave Ridler into the centre of defence and pushing Mark McGregor, who suffered a strangely uncomfortable afternoon on Saturday, out to the left back position in place of Emad Bouanane. Certainly, these alterations made the desired effect in the first half, as City lived up to their pre-match billing of slow starters and failed to cause many ripples in the first half. They went close after just four minutes when Brian Tinnion, who reprised his superb play-making performance from the first day of the season at The Racecourse, curled a free kick against the bar from a twenty yard free kick, but they created little else as Wrexham gained in confidence.

Ironically it was Kevin Dearden, who bravely stemmed the flow of goals on Saturday, who offered City hope with a shaky performance. Last season he suffered something of a nightmare at Ashton Gate, conceding four in sloppy circumstances, and he seemed haunted by these memories as he flapped horribly at a poor high ball, punching it into the ground at his feet when no striker had bothered to challenge him. Later he missed a Murray cross which Carey had to clear to Clist, who missed the ball completely when he ought to have scored; and was nearly caught off his line by a long range effort as he had been twice last season, Hill’s drive fortunately whistling just over the bar.

As the half wore on, Wrexham began to come forward more and cause problems for City, with Russell lively up front and Edwards, switched onto the left, sporadically dangerous. A great turn by Russell enabled him to play a through ball which the goalkeeper just beat Faulconbridge to thirty yards out, and as they finished the half strongly with the quality of the final ball improving, Edwards whipped in a fine cross after more excellent retrieval work by Russell, Faulconbridge heading over from six yards when he ought to have hit the target.

The second half started with a change to each side, Waynne Phillips, who had taken a heavy knock in the first half, being replaced by Paul Barrett and Lee Peacock coming on for Peter Beadle, who had been ill before the game. The tempo was immediately higher, with Bristol looking to make amends for their lacklustre first half and Wrexham counter-attacking dangerously, exploiting the gaps left behind City’s progressive wing-backs and looking the more likely side to make a breakthrough. Barrett made an immediate, lively impression, and worked a fine ball through the middle to Edwards which allowed him to play Russell in, but Phillips parried the striker’s shot. Then Owen fed Russell, but Brown’s last-ditch tackle denied him on the edge of the box as he shaped to shoot. It was therefore something of a surprise when Wrexham went behind, neat interplay down the right ending with Louis Carey pulling back for Peacock to finish from close range.

Wrexham’s response was immediate as a free kick was won on the right wing and Craig Faulconbridge was surprisingly withdrawn for Andy Morrell. The change looked like a stroke of genius when the ball was played in though, as Morrell emerged with the ball after a typically robust tussle with a defender, and laid it on for Russell to drill emphatically into the bottom far corner from the right hand side of the box.

Wrexham’s relief was short-lived. A diagonal ball behind Roche was superbly taken by Aaron Brown, who pulled it back for Keith Millen, still up after a set piece, to bury from six yards. For a spell it looked like Dearden’s edginess might seal the match as he fumbled a routine Tinnion free kick, having been wrong-footed when he guessed it would be put over the wall and set off in the wrong direction, and then came out to the left back position only to kick weakly to Joe Burnell, whose swiftly taken twenty-five yarder hit the post.

However, Wrexham finished strongly, with Robin Gibson making a lively late impression. The only real chance which was created came in injury time, when Gibson stood a nice cross up to the far post, Morrell rising well but heading narrowly wide. It terms of self-respect this performance was probably important, but the result makes a positive outcome against Colchester imperative.

BRISTOL CITY (3-5-2): Phillips; Carey, Millen (c), Hill; Murray, Clist, Tinnion, Burnell (Amankwaah 80), A. Brown; Thorpe, Beadle (Peacock 46). UNUSED SUBS: Goodridge, M. Brown, Malessa.

WREXHAM (4-3-3): Dearden; Roche, Ridler, Carey (c), McGregor; Owen (Gibson 74), Ferguson, Phillips (Barrett 46); Edwards; Russell, Faulconbridge (Morrell 60). UNUSED SUBS: Rogers, Bouanane.

Referee: R. Armstrong (Thatcham, Berkshire)

Bookings:
Bristol City		Wrexham
–		–

Attendance: 9,500

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