Wow. Just won
That was, quite simply, one of my favourite football days ever. What Wrexham did against Pyunik stands shoulder-to-shoulder with any previous achievements logged by the men in two decades of tremendous European escapades.
I know it’s just one win, but what a win! I meant it when I suggested last week’s 5-0 defeat to Sporting JAX could turn out to be a good thing, but obviously, I was conscious of the possibility that the opposite could be true: we could benefit from a chastening experience if we separated it from our emotions; if we failed to do so, we were in danger of cracking after suffering such a heavy defeat.
There was absolutely no sign of a hangover on Wednesday night. Instead, there was a sense, as I’d suggested, that we were able to hit a high level after being stretched but not cracking by a top side. Muhammad Ali training underwater indeed! I think it’s fair to say Sporting JAX would get a fair way in the Champions League!
We were comfortably better than a side which has more experience in Europe than us, which won a match in the Champions League last season, and is used to winning, and winning well.
They brought in six ringers, and hid the fact until they had to submit their squad list the day before the game, too! The pedigree of those players was impressive: two returning Armenian internationals, a player from the Brazilian second division, an Argentine from their top division; a Japanese midfielder with European experience; and an American goalkeeper who was a regular in the Portuguese top division.
Despite their achievements and experience, we made them look ordinary.
It meant even more to see it achieved by players who represented the club when we played at Ponciau Banks, who have supported Wrexham for years, who were performing in front of their friends and families in a stadium they appreciate. Phoebe Davies set the tone early one with some terrific tackles to keep Pyunik at bay as we settled in; Lil Jones scored a worldy (I couldn’t believe it when I heard people asking if it was a shot or a cross: it was a brilliantly conceived, perfectly executed strike.); and Ava Suckley joined her in scoring. Two North Walians. have scored in the Champions League, and two of them did it last night!
The social media moment of the day was definitely Gemma Owen’s gleeful post-match message. None of this would have happened without her remarkable selfless service: a true legend of Wrexham AFC, she earned the right to enjoy seeing players she’d inspired do this great thing.
We were terrific. Before the games, informed people were saying they just hoped we’d score. We turned out to be rather more capable than that! We could even afford to give Pyunik two goals, making life difficult for ourselves, and still win comfortably. If Natasha Thomas’ brilliant late strike had dropped the other side of the goal line after slamming into the bottom of the bar, the scoreline would have been a more accurate reflection of how the match went.
I was wary of saying this until the final whistle, for fear of tempting fate, but despite leading 3-2 in the latter stages, I didn’t feel threatened by Pyunik. Don’t get me wrong: they were technical and good on the break. While the situations they scored from were created by us, both finishes were excellent. However, despite looking capable of scoring, it was hard to imagine them getting ahead of us, even if they took the game to extra time, as we surely had plenty more goals in us. If they’d managed to earn an extra half hour, it could have turned quite ugly for them.
We showed typical heart, of course. The Armenian champions looked sharp early on, with Luisa Ghazaryan drifting between the lines and showing why she was the country’s player of the year last season. When they capped that period with a goal born from frustrating origins, we did what Wrexham do: hit straight back.
It was all so typical of this wonderful team, of this wonderful club. Every time we concede, the brilliant Wrexham Supporters Group instantly make more noise. They did so after the early set-back, and were making even more noise a minute later when Katie Barker – naturally! – put us level.
We were in control from that point on. Faye Knox and Barker were skipping past challenges with ease, Lili Jones was driving us forwards and Ava Suckley was occupying the defence superbly.
Far from being the impressive aerial presence she’d appeared to be in reels posted on her social media, Pyunik’s debutant goalkeeper, Amber Lockwood, looked more like she was the number 2 her shirt suggested! She was profoundly fortune to be given a free kick when she looked to punch a cross and made contact with Suckley’s head!
We ought to have been ahead at the break, but Jones’ outstanding finish gave us what we deserved and Suckley seemed to have ended the contest when she scored a goal as Jones’ was divine. No matter: they all count and the striker had done well to attack a cross at the near post after superb combination play between Jones and Knox, who looked like two childhood mates having fun on the schoolyard.
An uncharacteristic moment of indecision from Josie Smith, who had been her usual commanding self in midfield, let Pyunik straight back in, but it was the situation which created any nervousness. A one-goal margin is never secure, but the events on the pitch felt comfortable. We weren’t threatened again from that point and Natasha Thomas’ excellent penalty area work ended all doubt.
Amongst all those fine performances, perhaps the most impresive was that of Maria Francis-Jones. She was constantly up and down the right flank, dominant defensively and creative on the ball.
Sarah Harvey deserves a lot of credit, too. She followed up her terrific performance last Thursday with another in a back three which stood firm. The experience and leadership she brings to the club is palpable, and she will be a huge asset with a proper pre-season with us under her belt.
Throughout, Jenny Sugarman’s changes were assured. No Thomas Tuchel-style desperation here! Rather than park the bus and bringing off attacking players who would have been useful in extra time, she made sure we kept the momentum going. When Liv Fuller came on to shore things up, she didn’t just sit in front of the back three; a perfect player for the situation, she protected the lead by protecting the ball. We all know how good she is, how controlled in possession, and that if we’d needed to push on in extra time, she’s a real threat in the opposing half.
Likewise, bringing Mikayla Cook on was smart as she brought specialism to the left wing-back role when we needed to tighten our grip on the game. Shifting another debutant, Bella Reidford, inside as part of the change was a sharp move too. She had done a strong job on the flank, but she looks like her real value will be as a central midfielder who is commanding and intelligent in possession. She complemented Fuller perfectly.
Replacing Jodie Bartle with Lydia Sallaway was smart too. The skipper is an inspiration, but she was injured after last season. Managing her minutes was the smart move, with a huge game next Saturday, and Sallaway looks like a class act.
So, on we go to next Saturday. It will be tough: Riga were very impressive as they dispatched Glentoran 4-1 earlier in the day. But nothing worth achieving was ever easy, and this side knows how to defy expectations. After all, scoring a goal was supposed to be our ambition yesterday, wasn’t it?
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