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20th March 2001: Nationwide League Division Two

Newby Leaves Sour Taste in Mouth

Wrexham’s late surge for a play-off place seemed to come to an abrupt end tonight after a disjointed performance led to a disappointing home defeat. The match hinged around two incidents involving Bury striker Jon Newby, signed from Liverpool last night after a successful loan spell at Gigg Lane. His footballing credentials might be impeccable, but his behaviour certainly wasn’t, as he conned the referee into sending Dave Ridler off and then, after using his pace to burst past Brian Carey and finish neatly in the 93rd minute to snatch victory, his unseemly goading of the Kop went unpunished. Such disgraceful behaviour served to sum up a distressing evening for the Racecourse faithful.

The first forty-five minutes were something of a contrast to the recent fine performances which have hauled the Robins into the top ten. After a high tempo start, in which Lee Trundle tested the keeper with shot from a tight angle after Kevin Russell had picked him out with an astute chip, Paddy Kenny saving with his feet, Wrexham badly lost their way. Their only other real effort of note in the first half came purely from the excellence of Trundle, tricking Redmond down the left and then whipping in a cross which Paul Barrett attacked close in but couldn’t connect with cleanly enough to trouble Kenny. Meanwhile Bury gained in confidence, looking like a side who had done their homework as they kept Chris Billy fed with a constant stream of early service to exploit the space in front of Mark McGregor on Wrexham’s empty left wing. They certainly ought to have had the inside track, with ex-Robin Andy Preece in charge, although the hand of Billy Ayre, who has come in to assist Preece and Redmond in a role akin to Terry Venables’ at Middleborough, was probably more to the fore in this ploy’s formulation.

Billy played his part in Bury’s first decent effort, picking up a throw from Kenny and delivering for Newby, who lobbed over Dearden as he rushed rashly off his line, the ball drifting over the bar. Newby and Colin Cramb were a mobile front two, and Newby went down plausibly in the box after a neat turn on the edge of the six yard box, although his subsequent behaviour certainly cast enough doubt on his character to imply the referee was right to turn down his penalty appeal. Bury’s best move saw Reid lash a shot over the bar, and when the clearly unfit Darren Ferguson had to limp off in the 41st minute it was no surprise to see the shape of the Wrexham side switched to 4-4-2, with Carlos Edwards coming on down the left.

The half time break couldn’t have come at a better time, and Wrexham restarted with greater purpose. Since Lee Trundle burst on the scene, fourteen of the eighteen goals the side have scored have come in the second half, so there were genuine hopes of a revival, and with Morrell looking particularly energetic as the service to the strikers was greatly improved, Robin Gibson continuing his good run of form, and Kevin Russell emerging from an anonymous first period, the signs were much better. Without carving out any particularly clearcut chances, the home side kept up a high pace, and Bury struggled to piece any passes together to relieve the pressure, but the pattern of the match was to be shattered in the 64th minute. Dave Ridler and Jon Newby chased a ball in front of the dugout and, as the Wrexham defender turned and emerged with the ball, Newby went down dramatically, clutching his face. The entire Bury bench leaped to their feet, with Reid racing across the pitch to remonstrate with Ridler, and the referee delivered the red card they desired, much to the anger of the Wrexham players. At this point, of course, Newby affected a remarkable recovery, and he later admitted that the contact was probably accidental, which can be of little consolation to Ridler, subject to his second controversial sending off of the season. Wrexham responded by throwing Dennis Lawrence on, with Morrell having to be sacrificed, and despite the massive efforts of Trundle, an end was effectively signalled to their attacking threat.

Wrexham battled ferociously to make good their numerical disadvantage, and certainly kept an unconvincing Bury side at arm’s length, although Newby gave a taste of what was to come when he used his pace to run clear but came up with a tame finish which Dearden saved low to his left, and Lawrence had to put his long legs to good use, showing good acceleration to stop the striker from racing through again soon afterwards. The Reds were dealt a further blow when Edwards went down dramatically as he attempted a tackle and had to be stretchered off after a lenghty stoppage for treatment, and it was in the third minute of stoppage time that Newby pounced to clinch a victory for his side and send Wrexham into the doldrums.

WREXHAM (4-3-3): Dearden; Roche, Carey (c), Ridler, McGregor; Barrett, Ferguson (Edwards 41(Blackwood 86)), Russell; Gibson, Trundle, Morrell (Lawrence 64). UNUSED SUBS: Rogers, Faulconbridge.

BURY (3-5-2): Kenny; Swailes, Redmond, Hill (James 84); Billy, Daws (c), Forrest (Littlejohn 78), Reid, Armstrong; Newby, Cramb. UNUSED SUBS: Jarrett, Barnes, Halford.

Referee: P. Walton (Long Buckby, Northants)

Bookings:
	Wrexham	Bury
		Redmond (Foul on Morrell, 52)
		Swailes (Foul on Blackwood, 87)
Sending Off:
	Ridler (retaliation on Newby, 64)

Attendance: 3,388

Reaction: Brian Flynn / Andy Preece:

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