5th September 2000:

1st January 2001: Nationwide League Division Two

Proud Reds Deny Latics

Wrexham emerged with the plaudits after the first 0-0 draw to be played in the JJB Stadium’s seventeen-month history, having defended stoutly, passed brilliantly at times, and become progressively more confident as the match wore on. The fact that the home fans, despite having seen their side win nine and draw two of their eleven home games this season, booed their team off the pitch spoke volumes about Wrexham’s gritty performance as they not only registered their first clean sheet in an away league game since their 1-0 success here last April, but also became the first side to stop Athletic scoring at home since that match.

Wrexham may have started cautiously, with Lee Roche tucking in alongside Carey and McGregor and Carlos Edwards dropping back to do his defensive duties, but as the match wore on they found Wigan to be a less than fearsome prospect. Indeed, they hardly looked like a side which would go top with a victory, with only Liddell adding invention and support for the strikers from midfield. As the half wore on Wrexham grew in conviction and began to string together some good passing moves which deserved a reward.

Their best moment in the first half came when Bouanane broke down the left, beat Green and whipped in a fine cross to Faulconbridge, who responded with superb chest down to put Russell clear, but his effort to curl the ball round Stillie did not come back quickly enough and scraped wide of the far post. The Robins felt aggrieved shortly afterwards when they had a goal disallowed, with Brian Carey once again the unlucky man, haviung suffered the same fate in injury time at Notts County in Wrexham’s previous away match. On this occasion, Ferguson’s inswinging corner seemed to drift cleanly above Stillie, allowing Carey to rise behind him and head into an empty net, but the referee had already blown his whistle by the time the centre back made contact, presumably for a push on the keeper, and the protests were certainly not as frenzied as they were at Meadow Lane!!

Wigan had mustered little to speak of going forward in a dour opening half hour, their most promising moments coming from two Darren Sheridan corners in the space of a minute. The first, swung to the far post, was met by Bidstrup six yards out, but Owen jumped with him and managed to deflect his header over the bar. Sheridan whipped in an identical corner and again Owen denied Bidstrup, this time leaning into him enough to force his header wide from close range. The only chance they carved out from open play came when a cross by Green found Bidstrup ten yards out, and when Dearden came to claim his misjudsged header as it spooned up in the air he flapped it unconvincingly to Ashcroft, who shot wildly over from the edge of the box.

Apart from that it was all Wrexham. Sparked into life, it would seem, by a typical run and shot by Bouanane which rifled just wide from twenty five yards, they dominated the closing stages of the half, with Ferguson outstanding in midfield against a side he has been linked with in the press this season. Owen and Chalk were industrious partners for Ferguson in midfield, although Chalk was sometimes distracted into a running battle with Liddell, and picked up a harsh booking as he fouled the midfielder, although Sharp and Carey eluded punishment for far heavier tackles either side of the yellow card and Liddell, who was as cantankerous as he was creative, escaped sanction after a shocking hack on Ferguson in the second half.

Stillie, who made his debut at The Racecourse last season and did well at the end of last season, was having a rough afternoon, and was nearly exposed when Faulconbridge beat him to a loose ball on the goal line, but the striker’s cross to the far post was too high for the advancing Owen as the goal stood gaping. Wigan broke away from this near miss and nearly snatched an undeserved lead when Liddell’s shot from twenty five yards took a deflection off McGregor and hit the post, and when the rebound was forced behind, Dearden missed Sheridan’s corner, allowing it to fly across the open goal. However, the half closed appropriately with another fine Wrexham move, which ended with Russell’s deft flick on the edge of the box picking out Owen, who drove over from twenty yards.

Wrexham started the second half expecting an angry responce from an embarrassed Athletic side who would have received a lambasting from Bruce Rioch at the interval. They certainly started strongly, although Wrexham carved out the first chance of the half when a terrible clearance by Stille found Faulconbridge on the right, and he cut in but hit a shot narrowly wide of the far post with the keeper sprawlling. Wigan enjoyed their best spell of the match in the opening five minutes of the half, though, as they finally mounted some sustained pressure. Liddell nutmegged Bouanane and whipped a fine cross across the face of the goal to signal the charge, then Budstrup picked up a fine Sheridan pass down the left and crossed for Ashcroft, who miskicked in front of goal. When Ferguson uncharacteristically lost the ball, allowing Haworth to feed Ashcroft, his half-volley was easily held by Dearden, while Mark McGregor pulled off a superb block as Haworth shot from the edge of the box, and enjoyed a fine match, as did Carey, in the 250th league match of his career, and Roche in a stout rearguard.

Athletic soon ran out of steam and Wrexham again began to expose them with swift counter attacks. Another great move ended with Edwards’ first time cross falling just beyond Owen as he looked for a spectacular far post volley, and Faulconbridge picked up a booking for arguing against an incorrect offside decision after he’d been sent clear; at least he didn’t get himself sent off this time!

Rioch’s response was to make wholesale changes, bringing all three substitutes on swiftly and leaving his two remaining subs, Neil Roberts and new loan signing Andy Marriott, to reminisce about old times on the bench. The introduction of Keith Gillespie was understandable and he went about attacking Bouanane immediately and with some success, creating a chance for Haworth which he scissors-kicked wide, but the withdrawal of Sheridan and Liddell, who were Athletic’s only creative performers, was baffling. These alterations were put into an even more dim light when Wigan managed to sustain injuries to three of their remaining players! Bidstrup’s injury, a pulled hamstring, was the most serious, and he hobbled about for the final quarter of an hour as a virtual passenger, allowing Edwards plenty of space to run amok down the right, only for his delivery to let him down.

The game ended with Wrexham pressing enthusiastically for the win. Faulconbridge soared to meet a Roche cross with a firm header which was too close to the keeper, and then came very close to a late winner when, after yet another thrilling late break, Chalk released Russell down the right to deliver a cross beyond the far post which was met by another towering Faulconbridge leap, the striker managing to flatten McGibbon as he planted a firm header beyond the keeper which De Zeeuw hacked away from under the bar. De Zeeuw was called upon to make a similar clearance after Edwards set Russell up, but the Latics held on for a draw which they hardly deserved. As the small away following sang joyously, Wrexham’s superior heart for the battle was illustrated by the sight of Owen ignoring a call from the bench and seeing out the closing minutes despite having taken a number of heavy clouts late on, and both Russell and Faulconbridge chasing long balls to the corner flags in the 93rd minute as they sought to gain some deserved reward from a satisfying afternoon.

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

WIGAN ATHLETIC: (3-5-2): Stillie; McGibbon, Balmer, De Zeeuw (c); Green (Gillespie 60), Liddell (Redfearn 73), Sheridan (Bradshaw 60), Bidstrup, Sharp; Haworth, Ashcroft. UNUSED SUBS: Marriott, Roberts.

Referee: P. Walton (Long Buckby, Northants)

Bookings:
Wigan		Wrexham
		Chalk (foul on Liddell, 19)
		Faulconbridge (dissent, 62)

Attendance: 6,550

Reaction: Brian Flynn / Dixie McNeil / Bruce Rioch

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