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11th November 2000: Nationwide League Division Two

Heroics in Vain

Can a crowd score a goal? When asked what difference support can make, Bill Shankly said he’d never seen a fan score a goal, but the Millwall faithful certainly did their bit today. After a strong first half performance which improved as time passed until a fine final five minutes which ought to have seen them take the lead, Wrexham started where they left off at the resumption and pounded Millwall until their fans seemed to decide as one to roar the Lions on, and within moments of this tangible rise in volume they had scored the adrenaline-drenched goal which claimed the points. Those Wrexham fans who complain that too many come to the Racecourse merely to moan at the team would have found ammunition from the way the Eastenders responded to adversity by redoubling their efforts in getting behind a team they had booed off at half time.

With Darren Ferguson suspended, Brian Flynn opted to change the shape of the side to 4-4-2, Robin Gibson returning for his first start since September after ten straight games on the bench in which he had been used only once, and the remodelled side produced a first half performance to be proud of. With Barrett and Chalk buzzing in midfield, Gibson and Edwards progressive down the flanks and the strikers combining well once more, they were always a threat, and the back four looked disciplined as they repelled the Lions’ early pressure.

The first fifteen minutes saw Millwall offer evidence of why they are so high up the table, as they pressed hard in front of a typically boisterous crowd. Christophe Kinet ought to have scored when Neil Harris’ cross was glanced into the goalmouth by Ifill, but he planted his header wide of a gaping goal from close range, and when Reid got round the back of the defence and pulled a good cross back from the right, Harris’ firm shot was too close to Dearden.

However, as time passed, the home side’s threat waned, and Wrexham’s tenacity off the ball and neat composure on it allowed them to dictate terms. Faulconbridge was unlucky not to beat Tony Warner to a weak Ryan backpass, and the keeper had to be alert again after Edwards and Bouanane combined smartly down the flank, Bouanane continuing with a typical charge before laying off to Barrett, whose cross-cum-shot was intercepted by the keeper. Edwards and Bouanane’s partnership was a feature of the first period, with a number of crisp passing interchanges delighting the away support, ample compensation for a fraught journey down from the Racecourse which was only completed by the Supporters’ bus at three o’clock with the aid if a police escort.

While McGregor had to be at his sharpest to win a big header at the far post when the hulking Paul Moody attacked Paul Ifill’s cross, Wrexham continued to impose themselves as the half wore on, and staged a barnstorming conclusion to the half which could easily have given them an interval lead. Killen charged down a Dolan clearance and should have done better than to pull the ball back into Nethercott’s path with three team-mates pouring into the box, then Bouanane embarked on a glorious run, slaloming past three men in a matter of yards before rifling a twenty-five yarder just wide, and Gibson nearly profitted from Killen’s astute quick free kick, Nethercott sliding in at full extension as Faulconbridge lurked for a tap-in. The Millwall faithful booed their team off the pitch when Steve Baines called an end to proceedings, a complement to the fighting efforts of the Welshmen.

Wrexham picked up where they left off in the second half, with Carlos Edwards driving into the side-netting when he might have been wiser to cross as players queued up at the far post, and Faulconbridge having a shout for a penalty when he seemed to be body-checked by Cahill. However, the crowd raised their team, and Millwall took the lead just when the game was slipping away from them. Paul Ifill had looked excellent up front until an injury to Kinet forced Mark McGhee to introduce Paul Moody up front and shift Ifill onto the right wing. The move was successful though, as Ifill tormented Bouanane and, when he turned superbly and drove a cross to the far post, it was Moody who flung himself fiercely at the ball to plant a header inside the far post.

Wrexham responded with two more shouts for a penalty, firstly when Killen felt he was upended by Dolan, and then when Warner dropped a Barrett free kick and seemed to impede Mardon as the centre back sought to shoot intot he unguarded net, although the visitors could still have profittied as the loose ball spilled to Robin Gibson, whose header was hacked off the line by the retreating Nethercott. In all honesty, it would have taken a lot to convince Steve Baines to give anything in an abject refereeing performance. Baines is an ex-professional, and has always seemed to take his desire to sympathise with the players too far. A number of incidents went unpunished which he ought to have dealt with. Cahill and Mardon embarked on a lengthy feud, Mardon stamping on Cahill’s instep after being the recipient of a two-footed tackle earlier, Nethercott clumsily flattened Gibson on the edge of the box, while both Roche and Lawrence committed cast-iron bookable challenges, but a card was not forthcoming. Apart from the penalties he turned down, and Millwall also had a shout when McGregor seemed to pull Cahill down as he attacked a Lawrence free kick, he made a string of erratic decisions and it was often hard to anticipate which direction he would point after blowing his whistle. To cap it all, he failed to even speak to Robbie Ryan when, in the closing moments, he halted a three-on-three break with an appallingly cynical and dangerous foul on Edwards. If this is the standard of officiating among ex-pros, any players who express an interest in refereeing shouldn’t be fast-tracked, they should be incarcerated.

In all honesty, Wrexham struggled to create after these near misses, and the introduction of Sam for Killen drew the sting from the attack if anything. Millwall broke dangerously, with Ryan rattling the bar from twenty five yards and Livermore blasting a free kick which Dearden blocked with his knees. In the closing minutes, with Michael Blackwood returning to first team action on the left and Bouanane given license to roam wherever he felt he could do damage, Wrexham pressed hard and nearly snatched an equaliser when Chalk worked a short corner, got behind the defence and drove a cross across the face of goal, but no-one could make contact. Never mind the wonderfully thrilling 4-3 wins against poor opposition; this was possibly the best performance of Wrexham’s season, despite it being the first away game in which they did not score. Sadly, as has been said after some many home defeats this term, good performances feel better when they earn points.

MILLWALL: Warner; Lawrence, Dolan, Nethercott (c), Ryan; Reid, Livermore, Cahill, Kinet (Moody, 21); Ifill, Harris. UNUSED SUBS: Gueret, Bircham, Tuttle, Odunsi.

WREXHAM (4-4-2): Dearden; Roche, McGregor (c), Mardon, Bouanane; Gibson (Blackwood 84), Chalk, Barrett, Edwards; Faulconbridge, Killen (Sam 68). UNUSED SUBS: Rogers, Owen, Moody.

Referee: Steve Baines (Chesterfield)

Bookings:
	Millwall	Wrexham
	Ryan (late tackle on Gibson, 54)

Attendance: 9,607

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