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23rd December 2000: Nationwide League Division Two

Linesman Denies Wrexham Their Just Reward

It’s a mystery how such an open, pulsating game as this can only yield one goal, and Wrexham would love to hear the answer to this riddle from a linesman who denied them a clear penalty and an injury time equaliser with a couple of decisions which clearly left the visiting party, who had already conceded a controversial penalty, furious. The players left the pitch only after an angry confrontation with the three officials, and Darren Ferguson and Joey Jones were subsequently involved in a contratemp with some supporters behind the dug out after a game which, despite being packed with incident, ultimately swung on two moments at its extremities.

Wrexham’s ire had initially been provoked by two penalty appeals which had been refused, the first coming after Craig Faulconbridge’s header from a Ferguson corner had been cleared off the line to Chalk, who forceful volley was blocked by a hand according to the players around the incident; the second a clearcut shout after Russell’s cross was plainly blocked by the arm of Richardson. The moment to cap Wrexham’s frustrations came in the 92nd minute, though, as they ferociously pursued a deserved equaliser. Darren Ferguson’s corner was half cleared to Carlos Edwards, whose volley was deflected in off Brian Carey. However, the linesman raised his flag as the players celebrated and the goal was disallowed. However, the Wrexham camp’s line was unanimously that Carey was not the last man, and certainly the view from the press box had generally been one of surprise when the flag was spotted, as no-one had felt it was necessary to check across and confirm Carey’s legitimacy.

But all this drama was a long way off when the decisive goal came after just 92 seconds. Danny Allsopp, who enjoyed a fine game against a team who would desperately like to have had him llining up for them, started the move with a neat hooked pass to find Hughes, who in turn held the ball until the opportune moment before slipping it perfectly into the path of the advancing Liburd, to lash past Dearden and register another great goal to add to his sensational midweek F.A. Cup extra time winner against Wigan. Allsopp started the game in unstoppable mood, dropping deep to play some great lay-offs and beating Carey consistently in the air. His movement and pace would have troubled any defence, but injuries and suspensions forced Brian Flynn to give Adrian Moody a first league start, and he suffered a tentative first half at the hands of the Australian and the game Stallard. County manager Jocky Scott promised before the game that somebody was going to receive a thrashing from his team soon, and for the first ten minutes it looked like today might be the day as his midfield provided decisive support for the front two. Allsopp had an ambitious shout for a penalty against Carey turned down and Owen just managed to get a decisive toe to his cross, which would have found Stallard alone in front of goal before Wrexham started to turn the tide and impose themselves in midfield.

Ferguson was at the centre of most good things they conjured up, and played an accurate pass to send Edwards away on the right, his pull-back finding Owen in the D, only for his drive to be blocked. Soon afterwards Ferguson floated a free kick over the wall and narrowly wide of the right post with Ward helpless. Just past the midway point of the half came two desperately near misses which would surely have turned the match. First Jorgensen stupidly dallied on the edge of his box before playing an awful back pass which Martyn Chalk easily beat the goalkeeper to, but having rounded Ward he pulled his shot badly wide of the open goal from a tight but not impossible angle with Russell screaming for a cut-back. Within a minute Wrexham were again denied by a narrow margin, Ferguson hitting a quick free kick to the feet of Russell, who turned his man and drilled a cross into the six yard box, the stretching Faulconbridge falling inches short of reaching it in front of an open goal.

Within five minutes County had their own gilt-edged opportunity to strike when they were awarded a penalty. Moody lost the ball in midfield to Allsopp who fed Stallard, and as he ran into the box Carey committed himself with the wrong foot, allowing the striker to make the most of the clumsy challenge, hit the deck theatrically and draw the decision. Wrexham’s anger at the award was clear, but Stallard did not prosper as his kick hit the left post and Kevin Dearden brilliantly held Allsopp’s immediate strike from the rebound. Wrexham had further reason to thank Dearden minutes later when a clearance hit Carey and fell to Stallard, clear on goal, but his shot was superbly blocked by the advancing keeper’s legs.

However, it was Wrexham who ended the half on top, which must have stirred Jocky Scott into an angry half time tirade, as his team mounted a fearsome assault on the visitors’ goal for the first five minutes of the second period. Richarson set the tone when he won the ball on the half way line, beat a man and lashed a fierce shot just over from twenty five yards. Soon afterwards a corner was forced and found its way to Owers, whose stinging long range drive was well parried by an unsighted Dearden, with Allsopp unable to get the ball out from between his feet as he sought to convert the rebound from under the bar. A minute later Roche was forced to come to the rescue, beating Stallard to a Hughes cross at the far post, and he would later have to do the same twice to hold Allsopp off and cap an admirable performance. He was also involved in the 49th minute move which broke the spell of County’s domination, picking up a good cross-field pass from Faulconbridge and crossing for Russell, whose improvised midair backheel beat Ward but drifted just wide of the far post.

It was now Wrexham’s turn to take the game to the Magpies for the remainder of a pulsating second half. Russell produced a cross which Faulconbridge glanced agonisingly across the face of goal, Chalk and Russell had their penalty shouts turned down, and with Brian Flynn gambling on leaving three at the back as early as the 69th minute by introducing Robin Gibson for Moody, the gauntlet was well and truly thrown down. County respomded with a flashing Pearce drive which flew wide and a Jorgensen header which went over, but on the most part they were forced to defend. Edwards, over on the left now, swung in a teasing cross which Faulconbridge headed wide, before Gibson began posing some probing questions of Pearce on the other flank.

Soon after his introduction, Gibson set up glorious chance which was to become a costly miss. His initial cross found Russell, whose shot from the edge of the six yard box was blocked, but as the rest of the players relaxed, Gibson realised that the deflected ball wasn’t going to run behind the goal and pounced, picking it up behind the defence and pulling it back into the goalmouth, where Ferguson mishit his shot and Faulconbridge sliced the loose ball wide. Gibson continued to threaten, staying on his feet when a less honest approach might have won a free kick right in the edge of the box, and swinging in an unjury time cross which Ward dropped, only to be rescued by his defenders. The final chapter was yet to be written, though, and Carey’s disallowed goal merely capped another day when Wrexham showed a lot of fight, but were left to reflect on what might have been…

NOTTS COUNTY (4-4-2): Ward; Fenton, Richardson, Jacobsen, Pearce; Liburd, Owers (c), Hughes (Brough 83), Murray (Newton 46); Stallard, Allsopp (Joseph 87). UNUSED SUBS: Gibson, Jorgensen.

WREXHAM (4-3-3): Dearden; Roche, Carey (c), Moody (Gibson 69), McGregor; Ferguson, Owen (Phillips 80), Chalk; Edwards, Faulconbridge, Russell. UNUSED SUBS: Walsh, Barrett, Sam.

Referee: Bill Jordan (Tring)

Attendance: 6,206

Bookings:
Notts County	Wrexham
Allsopp (altercation with Chalk, 52)	Chalk (altercation with Allsopp, 52)

Reaction: Brian Flynn / Jocky Scott / Emad Bouanane

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