Oxford Utd

6th March 2001: Nationwide League Division Two

Good Times

It just keeps getting better: having offered two fine performances to illustrate what an astute signing he is, Lee Trundle really came into his own tonight, rapping a tremendous hat trick as Wrexham came from behind three times to register an incredible victory. The side’s self-belief is palpable at the moment, and they responded to the blows dealt them by the league’s bottom side in a manner which would have been unimaginable only two weeks ago.

The game got off to an incredible start as United, who earned a rare away point last Saturday at Bristol City, won a penalty in the first minute. Lee Roche, setting the tone on a night when Wrexham defended poorly on a sodden pitch, made an interception in the box, then lost the ball and conceded the spot kick with a rash attempt to retrieve it from Tait. Phil Gray made no mistake from the penalty spot, and his lively partnership with Andy Scott gave United a useful outlet as Wrexham began to mount some heavy pressure. Indeed, Scott nearly added to United’s lead with an opportunistic lob which lacked elevation.

Wrexham had taken control by now, though, with Ferguson and Barrett energetic in midfield and Trundle the inevitable focal point. The equaliser was sublime; Andy Morrell, who again scurried to good effect up front, did well to turn his man and send Trundle on his way through the middle, the striker carrying the ball to the edge of the area and then lifting a beautiful shot over the keeper with the outside of his left foot.

Trundle continued to light up the match as the pitch deteriorated rapidly in the driving rain. Twisting and turning brilliantly on the right corner of the box, he whipped a fine shot narrowly wide of the far post with Knight beaten, and then nearly scored a second beauty when he lifted a thirty five yard lob which appeared to be going over but held up in the wind and dropped under the bar. Knight did supremely well to recover his ground and tip it over the bar, but he would not have such luck when Trundle tried a repeat in the second half. The keeper was powerless just before the break, though, when Ferguson and Trundle combined to set up Barrett, who nutmegged his man before lashing a shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box, and Trundle and Ferguson again worked a nice position as the half drew to a close, Ferguson whipping in a wicked near post cross which Patterson did well to head behind as McGregor attacked it.

However, United had shown signs of the threat they still possessed when Gray whipped what appeared to be an indirect free kick narrowly wide, while Carey had to hack the ball away from under the bar following a prolonged scramble. However, these episodes did not soften the blow when, in the third minute of injury time, Oxford scored a stunning goal against the run of play to regain the lead. There was a controversial air to it as well, as Carey stumbled under pressure from Scott as they chased the ball through the puddles towards the right corner flag. The referee saw no foul by the striker, allowing him to rip in a cross to the near post which was spectacularly dispatched into the top corner by Paul Powell, making a fine run to the near post from the left. Carey was booked for his protests, and the crowd, which offered terrific support to the home side throughout, were stunned into silence as the sides traipsed off.

In spite of a near miss early in the second half, when Gibson capped a determined run with a drive which Knight pushed behind at full stretch, Wrexham were clearly struggling to come to terms with the pitch and the loss of that second goal, and soon lost momentum. Scott caused the defence further discomfort when a cross was deflected dangerous over Dearden to the far post, although that was to be his last contribution to the match as he left the field after an off-the-ball incident which led to him needing three stitches in his cheek; United’s version of events was that Dave Ridler, the only Wrexham defender to perform solidly, had hit him off the ball.

Only two more clear cut chances were carved out by Wrexham before Brian Flynn decided to change things around: Barrett’s header found Morrell clear on goal, but he shot weakly wide without conviction; and a Ferguson free kick from the right was headed onto the top of the bar by Brian Carey. The change to 4-4-2 was necessary, as the Robins were getting increasingly bogged down in midfield, although the two players to give way did not meet with universal approval: Paul Barrett had battled manfully while Robin Gibson, although not as effective as in recent games, had been as enthusiastic as ever, and his withdrawal was greeted with boos. However, the substitutes, Carlos Edwards and Michael Blackwood, both added vigour down the flanks, Blackwood going close with his first touch, an immediate far post cross which the back-pedalling Knight had to palm over as it arced towards the top corner.

With the tempo rising, Morrell met a Ferguson free kick with a header which was deflected narrowly over, before the pressure finally bore fruit. A Ferguson corner was half-cleared to Edwards, who smashed a powerful volley back into the crowded box. The ball ricocheted around before falling to Trundle eight yards out, who lashed it past the helpless goalie.

Surely sanity would now return, and Wrexham could devote themselves to twenty minutes of pressure as they tried to finally put the Second Division’s worst team, who would still be in the relegation zone if their points total was doubled, to the sword. But no; in five minutes Oxford were ahead once more! Again, a Roche error was the precursor, as he cleared weakly down the right to Powell, then the puddles helped Gray, enabling him to reach Powell’s pass before it ran out of play, but the main blame for the goal went to Kevin Dearden, who dropped Gray’s cross, allowing Matt Murphy to tap into an open goal.

This time, Wrexham’s response was immediate and remarkable. After more eager retrieval work from Morrell, Trundle picked the ball up thirty five yards out and launched another lob, which this time cleared the retreating keeper for a sensational third equaliser. It was a remarkable way to clinch an exquisite hat trick, and let’s not forget that this was only his third league start!

This really was the final straw for Oxford, and Wrexham pressed hard for a winner. A corner was cleared to Carey, who hit a powerful volley through the crowd which Knight parried spectacularly, and the Racecourse crowd roared their team on vociferously as they pounded the United defence incessantly. It looked like they might hang on, but with two minutes left, and Wrexham camped in the opposing box, Morrell looked to turn in the box and went down spectacularly as he appeared to be tripped. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, despite angry protests and accusations against Morrell, and Darren Ferguson calmly slotted the penalty home, giving the game a nice symmetry with a penalty goal a hundred seconds from the start and ninety seconds from the end of ninety minutes.

The action wasn’t over yet though: there was one more entry to the catalogue of quality goals. As Oxford tried to rouse themselves for a final effort, Ferguson picked the ball up in midfield and, despite all the hard work which he had put in on a ludicrously heavy pitch, summoned up enough energy to run through the heart of the Oxford defence, leaving a plume of spray in his wake, before showing great composure as he took the ball on his left foot and placed it neatly beyond the keeper’s outstretched hand and into the bottom left corner from the edge of the box.

Victory was finally assured, and Wrexham found themselves proudly in tenth place with three wins in a row and a burgeoning sense of self confidence. Life before Lee Trundle suddenly seems like a different planet.

WREXHAM (4-3-3): Dearden; Roche, Ridler, Carey (c), McGregor; Russell, Ferguson, Barrett (Edwards 65); Gibson (Blackwood 65), Morrell, Trundle. UNUSED SUBS: Walsh, Warren, D Williams.

OXFORD UNITED (4-4-2): Knight; Robertson, Richardson, Patterson, Hatswell; Murphy, Tait, Whitehead, Powell; Scott (Anthrobus 55), Gray. UNUSED SUBS: Fear, Wilson, Jarman, Beauchamp.

Referee: P. J. Joslin (Newark)

Bookings:
Wrexham		Oxford United
Carey (dissent, 45)
Blackwood (retaliation, 81)

Attendance: 3,009

Reaction: Brian Flynn/ David Kemp

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