Peterborough Utd

7th April 2001: Nationwide League Division Two

Posh Ignore Trundle At Their Peril

It’s one thing identifying a problem, another to solve it. Teams might well have got wise to the fact that if you can restrict the threat of Lee Trundle, Wrexham lose much of their danger, but Peterborough also learned today that there’s a big gulf between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Energised by the introduction of Andy Morrell as his striking partner, Trundle was a menace throughout the last half hour, and despite the admission of Barry Fry after the match that they had worked all week on strategies to stop him, United couldn’t prevent him from striking with eight minutes remaining to claim a victory from a game Wrexham could hardly claim to have commanded.

As the rain slanted down constantly onto an already rutted pitch Wrexham found themselves playing into a stiff breeze in the first half. They made light of it in the first ten minutes, with Danny Williams lashing a powerful left footed strike just wide from the edge of the area in the opening moments. Their positive start was rewarded after Hooper nearly volleyed an own goal as he sought to put a teasing Roche cross behind for a corner. When the flag kick was glanced across the face of goal by Carey, Trundle retrieved it on the left wing and eschewed the easy option of a lay-off to Chalk to turn Rea and swing in a far post cross which Carey met with a towering header that found its way over the defender on the far post and into the top corner.

The goal virtually signalled the end of Wrexham’s threat in the first half, though, as United pressed forward, the wind holding up Kevin Dearden’s kicks and Russell and Trundle isolated up front. Dearden held Peterborough at bay at London Road in December with a superb display of shot-stopping, and he had his moments today as well; pushing over a Farrell shot which took a deflection off Hardy, and getting down well when Farrell shot across him after dispossessing Hardy on the edge of the box. From corners, however, Dearden had a less happy time, and there were certainly plenty of corners to deal with! While Forsyth swung the ball in from the left, Farrell’s delivery from the right was superb, as he produced a series of beautiful swerving deliveries, swinging the ball into the goalmouth from a wide trajectory as he used the wind to bring it back like a crown green bowler uses the bias in a wood.

The closest United came to scoring from Forsyth’s delivery came when McKenzie’s close range effort was blocked by his own man, Clarke having been appointed to the job of lurking in front of Dearden to discomfort the keeper, and when the ball was scrambled out to the edge of the area, Farrell met it with a powerful drive which flew through a crowded box and past the right-hand post with Dearden unsighted. Farrell produced a fine corner as the half drew to a close which picked out Green on the edge of the six yard area, but his downward header was cleared off the line by Russell.

Wrexham’s moments of promise were rare. Russell earned some respite with a thunderous thirty yard drive which Tyler had to parry smartly, and a fine ball over the top by Williams saw Tyler race out of the box to make a last ditch tackle as Russell chased. However, the truth of the matter was that the back four, who to a man battled grittily, were relieved to hear the half time whistle blow and peel their backs from the wall.

The second half began with Wrexham hoping to make equally good use of the wind and pin United back, but the early action showed that the pattern of the match would remain familiar, United coming close with another corner, which McKenzie headed narrowly wide when he ought to have scored. At least Wrexham were able to provide more service for the forwards, with Gibson’s industry outstanding, and were unlucky not to snatch a goal when his pass into the box was dummied by Russell for Trundle, whose fierce shot on the turn flashed narrowly wide of the far post. Darren Ferguson, back after suspension and working hard through midfield, also went close after working a 1-2 with Trundle and hitting a shot which was deflected narrowly wide.

It was the introduction of Andy Morrell, who has been unlucky to lose his starting place, which saw the home side pose a consistent threat on the break. Almost immediately he turned Morrow and pulled back a cross for Trundle, isolated in the box, who typically weaved his way through the crowd and lashed in a shot which Tyler parried, the rebound hitting Morrell in front of an open goal and bouncing away to safety, the striker being too close to be able to react in time. They combined again soon afterwards, Morrell feeding Trundle who battled against the mud and a swarm of defenders to dig out a chip which beat Tyler, the ball drifting wide of the post.

Peterborough had not lain dormant in this time, with Farrell a considerable threat after switching wings at half time. One of his surges to the bye-line saw Dearden floundering as Jason Lee glanced the ball across the face of goal, but it was inevitably from a corner – their thirteenth! – that United’s equaliser came. It was all rather simple, with Andy Edwards rising fairly unhindered to head a corner from the left in from six yards out. United enjoyed a spell of good pressure soon afterwards, and looked more than capable of emerging with a victory, but Wrexham mounted a decisive fightback, sparked off by two near misses in a minute.

First, Ferguson hit a good early ball over the top for Morrell ,whose excellent cushioned header was met by a thunderous first time drive by Trundle which Tyler parried spectacularly. Within a minute the move was repeated, Gibson this time playing the long ball, Morrell racing onto it and lashing a shot which again drew a fine parry. Morrell’s pace also led to a hopeful shout for a red card after Rea knocked him over as he raced clear, but in fairness the ball had stuck in the mud in front of the striker, causing him to stop in his tracks and the centre back to accidentally run into him. The Morrell-Trundle combination finally made the breakthrough eight minutes from the end, Morrell helping the ball on to Trundle, who shifted it onto his left foot and smashed it past the stubborn Tyler from the edge of the area.

Peterborough responded immediately, Oldfield surging through the centre and setting up Lee, whose deliberate shot from twenty yards went wide, but they couldn’t muster another serious effort on goal and Wrexham held out for the win. It wasn’t pretty, but once Morrell had joined Trundle, victory looked more than possible. Perhaps there’s a message in that; I wonder if it will be acted upon.

WREXHAM (4-3-3): Dearden; Roche, McGregor, Carey (c), Hardy; Chalk (Blackwood 68), Ferguson, D. Williams; Gibson, Russell (Morrell 62), Trundle. UNUSED SUBS: Walsh, Warren, Pejic.

PETERBOROUGH (4-4-2): Tyler; Hooper, Rea, Edwards (c), Morrow; Farrell, Forsyth (Hanlon 62), Oldfield, Clarke; Green (M. Williams 68), McKenzie (Lee 50). UNUSED SUBS: .

Referee: A. N. Butler (Sutton-in-Ashfield)

Bookings:
Wrexham		Peterborough
		Morrow (foul on Morrell, 84)

Attendance: 2,678

Reaction: Brian Flynn/Barry Fry

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