Mansfield Town

22nd August 2000: Worthington Cup 1st Round 1st Leg

Wrexham Weather Stormy Second Half To Earn Victory

Brian Flynn and Darren Ferguson must be thanking their lucky stars that the ten yard penalty for dissent has been introduced after benefitting from it for a second consecutive game. On Saturday Ferguson set up Craig Faulconbridge’s second goal with a free kick which had been advanced by the referee, and today he scored the only goal after the ref’s intervention in a game which saw Mansfield launch a spirited, if futile, fightback after a commanding first half from the Robins.

Two changes were forced on Brian Flynn by injury, Kevin Dearden replacing Kristian Rogers in goal and Andy Morrell filling in for Hector Sam, who confirmed that he expects to be fit for Saturday. Flynn must hope so, as Faulconbidge had to be withdrawn in the last ten minutes after taking a bashing up front, leaving Morrell as his only fully fit striker.

The Reds certainly looked comfortable in the first half, as Mansfield struggled to impose themselves upon what was nominally their home leg, although it was of course played 20 miles from home as Field Mill still does not have a safety certificate after extensive rebuilding. Three times in the first ten minutes Morrell spurned opportunities to break the deadlock. After only three minutes he met a Carlos Edwards cross in space on the penalty spot but looped his header wide of the left post; then he failed to pick out Faulconbridge unmarked on the far post having got round the back of the defence; and most culpably, after Owen had intercepted and run through the heart of the defence, goalkeeper Ian Bowling inexplicably fumbled the ball as it rolled along the floor, but Morrell smashed the ball against the prostrate keeper’s body when he only had to lift it over him to score. Edwards compounded the mistake by lifting the rebound over the bar from the edge of the box as the keeper struggled to his feet.

The breakthrough came in the 37th minute. Stuart Hicks was penalised for a reckless tackle on Morrell 25 yards out. He was lucky to escape a booking, but foolishly for such an experienced pro, he questioned the decision and was booked for dissent. The referee then walked the ball forward the mandatory ten yards, allowing Ferguson to take the free kick from a central position just inside the box, and he took the opportunity with aplomb, curling the ball around the wall and into the bottom left corner.

Twice in injury time, as Wrexham continued to dominate, they could have doubled their lead with brilliant efforts. Morrell worked a 1-2 with Faulconbridge and hit an instinctive 25-yard lob which Bowling, at full stretch, just managed to get enough of his hand onto to get over the bar, but if Edwards had finished a glorious move we would have already had our goal of the season. The move ran the length of the field: Dearden hurled a long throw to Faulconbridge on the half way line and the striker skinned his man before slinging in a 40-yard cross to the far post, where the onrushing Edwards cushioned it brilliantly before blasting a volley just wide of the near post from fifteen yards. The Trinidadian didn’t constantly terrorise his opponents as he did on Saturday, but he still showed enough thrilling touches to keep the visiting fans drooling.

Wrexham kept Mansfield comfortably at arm’s length throughout the first half, their only effort of note being a curling shot from the edge of the area by Clarke which went well over. The story was different from the outset in the second half. Clearly aroused by a rollocking by manager Billy Dearden, they mounted wave after wave of attacks as Wrexham failed to piece together any lengthy spells of possession. In the first minute of the half they announced their intentions with a great move down the right which ended with Dave Ridler coming to the rescue after Dearden had come for a cross but failed to make it.

Dearden was to be a central character in the second half, as he rode his luck to a nerve-wracking extent. In the 53rd minute he dropped a Wayne Corden corner into his own net in a manner which will remind die-hard Wrexham fans of Vince O’Keefe’s episode at Wigan at the start of Brian Flynn’s reign, but luckily for him the referee ruled that he had been fouled. Then he misjudged a routine long ball into the box and was again rescued by the official as Shayne Bradley chased the loose ball. The one time the referee didn’t rule in his favour was probably the time when Dearden had his strongest case, as he picked up what was harshly judged to be a McGregor backpass, but Hicks’ drive struck the wall. However, between these incidents he rescued his team after Bradley beat Lee Roche and crossed to the far post, where Danny Bacon was completely alone, but Dearden reacted well as he rounded him and pushed the ball away to Lee Williams, who lashed the ball wide when he ought to have scored.

Corden, who was lively down the left, was surprisingly withdrawn early in the second half, but not before he had missed two great chances, dragging a shot horribly wide when in space on the edge of the box, and then lashing a cross over from six yards out. Wrexham managed little in response, although Owen nearly scored when he met a Roche cross with a terrific drive on the turn which skimmed the bar. At least there was some respite in the last fifteen minutes as a switch to 4-5-1, with Chalk replacing Morrell and slotting in well on the left, allowed the Welshmen to consolidate. Edwards nearly nipped in to beat the keeper to a short Andrews backpass in the closing moments, and a second goal would have offered an attractive breathing space for the second leg which, at half time, looked likely to be a formality.

WREXHAM (4-3-3): Dearden; Roche, Carey (c), Ridler, McGregor; , Ferguson, Owen, Williams; Edwards , Faulconbridge (Gibson 83), Morrell (Chalk 73). UNUSED SUBS: Walsh, Roberts, Warren.

MANSFIELD (3-5-2): Bowling; Pemberton (Asher 31), Andrews, Hicks; Williams, Clarke, Robinson (c), Sisson, Corden (Bradley 52); Bacon, Greenacre. UNUSED SUBS: Mimms, Hassell, Lomas.

Referee: Paul Robinson (Hull)

Attendance: 1,152

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