25th November 2000:

16th December 2000: Nationwide League Division Two

Russell’s Return Makes the Difference

Chosen ahead of Hector Sam, Kevin Russell justified being chosen for his first league start of the season with a fine performance, leading the line with relentless energy and scoring the decisive goal as Wrexham claimed a valuable and rare home victory. It was just reward for the good football Wrexham played on a heavy pitch that their best move should be capped with the winning strike, and that the outstanding player on the pitch should claim it; after passing their way out of their half, Ferguson took over to play an incisive diagonal ball to Craig Faulconbridge, who held onto the ball with typical strength before feeding Gareth Owen on the right, whose accurate cross was met with a glancing header from Russell which directed it past Olafur Gottskalsson.

Brentford have come to The Racecourse in the past with the intention of keeping the game tight and stopping Wrexham from playing, and such an approach has brought them a string of good results in North Wales, yet it soon became apparent that they were willing to attack from the early stages. Martin Rowlands and Scott Partridge both shot over from the edge of the box when they were placed to do better, and the combination of Partridge and Scott was lively and mobile up front. However, Wrexham had served notice of their intentions as early as the twentieth second, when Gottskalsson embarked on a typical reckless charge from his line and just managed to beat Martyn Chalk to a through ball on the edge of the box. In the eighth minute this promise was turned into something concrete: a good advantage when Carey was fouled by Scott allowed Phil Hardy to play a long ball which Faulconbridge glanced on, and while Ingimarsson dallied, Carlos Edwards nipped in to take the ball and drive it past the keeper, scoring his first goal at The Racecourse and capping a memorable week which began in Trinidad with his wedding! He nearly added to his glee moments later, ending a neat break with a dipping strike from twenty five yards which shaved the bar.

Brentford struck back immediately, though. A weak challenge by McGregor allowed Partridge to run clear down the left wing and cross for Scott, whose shot from six yards out was brilliantly saved by Dearden, flinging himself to his left to parry. Unfortunately for him, the loose ball rolled to Rowlands, who couldn’t miss from close range.

The goal knocked Wrexham off their stride for a while, but as the half wore on they regained control and ought really to have gone in ahead at the break. With Chalk outstanding, working tirelessly from box to box, and Ferguson and Owen threatening when they got the ball in advanced positions, the midfield was well on top, while Russell’s movement and the industry of both strikers created space around the area. The goalkeeper and the post denied their best efforts; Owen put Russell clear in an identical position to Edwards’ when he scored, but Gottskalsson brilliantly tipped his drive round the post, and when Chalk picked the ball up twenty yards out after good work by Owen and Faulconbridge, his immediate shot struck the inside of the right post and bounced across the goal to safety. Russell also had a convincing shout for a penalty turned down when Ferguson again sent him away into a shooting position and he seemed to be upended by Scott Marshall as the centre back challenged from behind.

Wrexham started the second half in a similarly bright manner, and were rewarded with Russell’s goal. Brentford’s response came in the form of a drive by Robert Quinn which was deflected wide with Dearden wrong-footed and a change to 4-4-2, with a nippy right winger brought on in Mark WIlliams who breathed some life into their attacking efforts and troubled Hardy to the extent that the left back picked up a booking for a reckless attempt to halt his progress.

Wrexham retained the upper hand, though. Russell might have scored another when Faulconbridge nodded an Owen cross down to him, but pivotting ten yards out he scooped his shot over the bar, and Ferguson went desperately close when he tried to catch the keeper out with a fine drive inside the near post from a free kick which looked to be merely a crossing position on the corner of the box, Gottskalsson scampering across the line to tip it round and clattering into the post for his troubles. Gottskalsson recovered after treatment, but soon survived another scrape when he rushed headlong off his line as Russell received a pass with his back to the goal on the edge of the box. The striker played a square ball to Faulconbridge, clear on goal, but the desperately out of position keeper hurled himself at the ball and Faulconbridge’s shot deflected up off his body and dropped agonisingly wide of the open goal.

As the match entered its closing stages, Bentford threw another striker on and strove to find an equaliser from somewhere. Wrexham’s defence endured some tense moments as the ball was hurled into the box, and Rowlands really ought to have equalised with ten minutes left when Scott pulled a cross back from the left which the midfielder met unmarked ten yards out with a header which flashed wide of Dearden’s post. A Williams cross late on also sparked a frantic scramble which ended with Partridge’s close range drive striking Scott. However, a draw would have been scant reward for Wrexham’s domination, and the home side went close a couple of times themselves late on. A quick Ferguson free kick found Edwards on the edge of the area, and he put Faulconbridge clear, but the striker chose to play a return pass rather than shoot, a decision which brought no reward except for a furious dressing down from the Trinidadian. The resultant corner saw Carey plant a powerful header narrowly wide of the near post, drawing an animated response from the Wrexham skipper who clearly felt he ought to have registered his first goal of the season.

The introduction of Waynne Phillips, returning after nearly a year and a half out injured, roused the crowd, and he immediately showed encouraging fortitude in winning a ferocious fifty-fifty challenge and embarking on a typical charge to the edge of the area. The greatest cheer was reserved for the final whistle, though. A precious home victory had been secured, and perhaps the memory of the Halifax fiasco could be forgotten.

WREXHAM (4-3-3): Dearden; Roche, Carey (c), McGregor, Hardy; Chalk, Ferguson, Owen (Phillips, 80); Edwards, Russell, Faulconbridge. UNUSED SUBS: Walsh, Sam, Ridler, Gibson.

BRENTFORD (5-3-2): Gottskalsson; Lovett (Williams, 57), Ingimarsson (Owusu, 57), Mohan, Marshall (O’Connor, 87), Gibbs; Rowlands, Evans (c), Quinn; Scott, Partridge. UNUSED SUBS: Smith, Theobald.

Referee: M. Ryan (Preston)

Bookings:
	Wrexham	Brentford
	Edwards (retaliation on Rowlands, 45)	Quinn (late tackle on Chalk, 10)
	Hardy (foul on Williams, 77)	Gibbs (foul on Edwards, 40)
		Rowlands (foul/retaliation on Edwards, 45)

Attendance: 2,228

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