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10th April 2001: Nationwide League Division Two

Wrexham’s County Curse

Wrexham must be glad to be rid of Notts County for another season, as they were cruelly denied a crucial goal against the Magpies for the second time this season. Wrexham turned in a good performance, despite the early loss of Lee Trundle with an achilles tendon injury which could keep him out for the rest of the season. However, they were denied victory when a second half corner by Darren Ferguson was met by a thunderous Craig Faulconbridge header which was touched by the goalkeeper onto the stanchion inside the net, and bounced back out. Sadly for Wrexham, the only people in the ground who didn’t think it went in were the referee and his linesman, who claimed it entered the net but didn’t go completely over the line! Wrexham will be glad to see the back of these particular opponents considering our past experiences against them. At Meadow Lane in December Brian Carey’s injury time equaliser was incorrectly disallowed for offside; and the match at the Racecourse last season, some horrific defensive errors helped the visitors to take a 3-0 half time lead in a match which Wrexham needed to win to go top of the league as they opened the Pryce Griffiths Stand. Indeed, as the other meeting last season saw Neil Roberts miss a penalty and Dean Spink gift a goal with a weak backpass in a 2-1 defeat, we might all share those sentiments!

Despite the disappointment of Faulconbridge’s "goal" and Trundle’s injury, this was an entertaining match from start to finish, both sides looking to play the ball on the floor and making fluent contributions, although Wrexham emphatically deserved the three points. They had signalled their intentions immediately, with Trundle muscling in to lay the ball off for Morrell, whose drive from the edge of the box was saved sharply by Ward low down to his right. In the fifth minute Wrexham should have taken the lead, when Russell, enjoying a spritely start, hit a glorious diagonal ball over Ireland to Gibson, who pulled it down perfectly as he nipped inside the full back to find himself clear on goal, but slashed the ball over on his weaker left foot. Gibson should not be judged on the evidence of this miss alone though, as he maintained his resurgence of form with another brash display, clearly looking confident in his ability to beat Ireland, and County reacted by asking Nicholson, who had threatened himself, to drop back increasingly in order to protect his fullback.

In the eighth minute Lee Trundle picked up his injury and had to be carried off. Faulconbridge was his replacement, and he did well considering the energy he expended last night for the reserves in scoring a hat trick. Wrexham continued to press on without Trundle, Morrell looking to fill the goal-scoring void; he headed a Ferguson free kick narrowly wide and when Gibson’s pace enabled him to beat the onrushing goalkeeper to a tempting ball from WIlliams, Morrell was agonisingly close to reaching the cross as it sped across an open goal.

Up until the 26th minute County’s threat was minimal, despite some neat passing. Their only real chance came when Wrexham left ex-Racecourse hero Danny Allsopp and Sean Farrell isolated on Carey, Farrell rolling the Australian in, but his finish was uncharacteristically weak and Dearden saved easily. However, they snatched the lead as a result of one of their sporadic spells of concerted pressure. When the ball was allowed to be played into the box from the right by Jorgensen, Farrell’s first touch was heavy, but no defender was close enough to stop him from retrieving the ball and lobbing it back in for Geoff Thomas to head from the penalty spot into the top left corner with Dearden helpless.

Wrexham kept their cool, continued to knock the ball around, and achieved parity with a beautifully worked equaliser. Faulconbridge played a key role in the goal, capping a fine move with a run across the face of the defence, creating a gap on the edge of the area, and laying the ball off neatly into that space for Danny Williams to sidefoot emphatically home. The goal was also fair reward for Williams, whose form has been a revelation since his return to the side, breaking up attacks in front of the back four and also prompting dangerously.

The remainder of the half was played out without threat to either goal, but Wrexham started the second half positively. Faulconbridge rose imperiously to flick the ball on for Morrell, who was denied by a superb sliding block from Richardson as he shot from the edge of the box, and the corner was met by a firm Williams header which Faulconbridge, in the goalmouth, flicked over the bar when a more deft touch would have brought him a goal. Faulconbridge went close again soon afterwards when Lee Roche, enjoying perhaps his best game in a Wrexham shirt, drove in a cross which Faulconbridge drove goalwards, a deflection from Richardson looping it narrowly wide.

Faulconbridge’s unacknowledged goal came midway through the half, and lifted both the home side, who clearly felt they had been robbed, and the crowd; County had to defend doggedly to survive the onslaught. Morrell was guilty of a glaring miss almost immediately afterwards after Ferguson had worked a one-two with Faulconbridge and sent him clear on goal, but he opted to hit it first time as it rolled across him rather than take a touch, and shot wide. Stephen Thomas came on to replace Kevin Russell, who had faded in the second half, and immediately touched a free kick to Ferguson, who curled a fine effort which squarely struck the right hand post with Ward beaten. Thomas filled in on the left and looked lively, whipping in a cross which was met by an overhead kick from Morrell which Ward covered well. In the midst of all this pressure, County mustered little in the second half, although Farrell might have done better than slash a shot wildly wide near the end. They were to survive, though, enjoying the benefit of a referee’s error for the second time this season.

WREXHAM (4-3-3): Dearden; Roche, Carey (c), McGregor, Hardy; D. Williams, Ferguson, Russell (Thomas 76); Gibson, Trundle (Faulconbridge 8), Morrell . UNUSED SUBS: Chalk, Pejic, Walsh.

NOTTS COUNTY (4-4-2): Ward; Jorgensen, Richardson (c), Calderwood, Ireland; Brough (Hughes 69), Owers, Thomas, Nicholson (Liburd 69); Farrell, Allsopp. UNUSED SUBS: Gibson, Moreau, McDermott.

Referee: D. Laws (Whitley Bay)

Bookings:
Wrexham		Notts County
		Richardson (foul on Morrell, 24)
		Jorgensen (foul on Ferguson, 68)

Attendance: 2,741

Reaction: Brian Flynn

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