pre-season & game 1

match reports...

Garbage

Cork City (0-1) by Carl Tunnah

Pre-match background: The first pre-season friendly of the summer - in deepest Ireland. A good, friendly pre-season spirit in Bran Carey's home town.

Conditions: It was a nice night - warm, with most people in shorts (fans and players).

Selection: Dearden played his first game in goal; Stevens, Lowe and Falconbridge also made their debuts. They didn't do a lot for me.

Tactics: Whatever they were they were fairly ineffective; their goalkeeper had one save to make - from Falconbridge with two minutes to go.

Ebb and flow: I talked to the Cork keeper in the pub after the game. He had very little to do during the game - says it all really.

Atmospherics: Not a particularly electric atmosphere; fairly poor really - a crowd of about 1,000+ maybe which included about 70-odd Wrexham fans. Mark Currie and Dave Lovett were in the press box.

Goals: I missed the goal - I was in the loo.

Incident: We hit the post just before and just after their goal. After the match I lost my rag completely: I'd spent a lot of money getting to Cork and staying over - probably upwards of £170 - and all I saw was bloody garbage. I had a word with Flynn on the pitch and I think I also upset Brian Carey - Joey had to calm me down.

Post-match verdict: I said it before: bloody garbage.

Man of the match: Carey was as good as anyone. I had a go at him, but he's a nice lad. The Leader the following day said that someone had an 'over-the-top pop at Flynn after the game'. It was me.

Mundane

Mayfield United (3-0) by Keith Byrne

Pre-match background: Defeat in Cork; now for Mayfield United from the Munster Senior League - a local non-league outfit.

Conditions: A 2.30pm kick-off - it was very hot.

Selection: Same squad as Cork: Spink played at centre-half, Carey came on as sub and the two young lads Roberts and Faulconbridge were paired upfront; Lowe and Stevens were on the bench; Barrett and Chalk were not considered for selection - they were injured in the first game.

Tactics: 4-4-2 - but the match turned into a kickaround against a very poor team.

Ebb and flow: It was good to be there but to be honest it was a fairly mundane affair - not much to write home about.

Atmospherics: A 3,000+ crowd I think - all the locals appeared out of their nearby homes; maybe 30-odd Reds fans in attendance. The game was played at the most picturesque ground I've been to. We walked through a housing estate and we just found this ground on the top of a hill - a fantastic view.

Goals: Stevens scored two: a left-foot finish after a lay-off from Lowe and then a header; Faulconbridge scored the other - a 25-yarder. When did we last score from outside the box? When did one player last score two goals for us?

Incident: Not much.

Post-match verdict: A fairly meaningless game, but a pleasant occasion. It was good to be there - we had a brilliant five-day break with a couple of matches thrown in.

Man of the match: Owen.

Boring

Accrington Stanley (2-1) by Jenny Cantwell

Pre-match background: Pre-season friendly; early appetiser of the new season for those unable to travel to the Isle of Man or Ireland. A game that should have guaranteed a healthy score line for Wrexham and bolster their ego with an 'infamous' side ever since that milk advert and a certain former Wrexham player. The day before the game, I phoned Accrington Stanley F.C. to enquire on the expected attendance. I chatted to a very chirpy man who said 'anything from 500 to 5000' and he raved on about the buzz & excitement Accrington were experiencing on the eve of the mighty Wrexham playing there. He was serious, and I couldn't get off the phone for half an hour (friendly northerners). However, on arrival, realised there was no buzz/excitement as said and an attendance somewhat closer to 200.

Conditions: Warm and mainly dry; just one spell of rain to remind us we were up north.

Selection: Mixture of the old regulars and new signings. Much confusion concerning the identity of our new goalie, who turned out to be - Whitfield. Good to see some of the new promising faces i.e. David Lowe as well as Wayne Phillips, who hasn't lost any of his passion and played wonderfully when donned in a Wrexham top.

Tactics: As only a pre-season friendly, good opportunity for Flynn to test out the new signings and see who looks comfortable where, as well as any potential partnerships. Therefore five substitutions were made during the game which kept altering the team dynamics. Considering we were playing a Unbind league side, Wrexham never let their guard down defensively, which is just as well, and though we were mainly on the attack, the defenders had little chance of a rest.

Ebb & flow: First half was pretty even, with Wrexham slightly gaining the upper hand. Never a chance to relax though. Second half Wrexham dominated, particularly after Deryn Brace came on completely fired up. Although Accrington Stanley gave us a run for our money, if it wasnt down to the Accrington goalie making a few fine saves, the scoreline could have been slightly more favourable.

Atmospherics: Disappointing. The crowd were all mixed in together, which probably reduced the chances of any friendly rivalry. No singing whatsoever. A small travelling crowd of Wrexham fans who dispersed all over the ground, so no feeling of 'us' and 'them' at all. However, there was a good mix of fans from other teams like Blackburn, Burnley, Man City, Man Utd and Newcastle who had come along, maybe to have a laugh, maybe to show their support, who knows?

Goals: Wayne Phillips helped produce both Wrexham goals - the first one he fed to Connolly after the assistance of a great pass from Lowe. The second was finished off by the captain Tony Humes in the final minutes. Deryn Brace made a few spectacular attempts at setting up goals, as Wrexham battled strongly in the last twenty minutes. The Accrington goal which came ten minutes from time, went against the course of play and was a shot that could have been blamed more on the defence than goalkeeper (nothing new there eh?)

Incident: Kevin Russell swearing at Accrington Stanley fans from the pitch. Entertaining to see the Accrington manager on the touchline so passionate and vocal. Deryn Brace waving over to me as he warmed up on the touchline. The chips situation could have led to a violent incident. Everytime we went to the snackhut they'd ran out of chips. Meanwhile, we kept seeing Accrington fans with trays of chips, so possible nepotism in the snack bar. Very annoying though!

Post-match verdict: A pretty boring game really, and a huge sigh of relief at the sound of the final whistle. Surely against teams like Accrington Stanley, we should be thrashing them, not feeling relieved to have won. However, spotted much potential within the Wrexham team, which bodes well for the new season. Credit to Accrington as they have a fine side.However, nice to see the lads again, and the new blood on the pitch seems to have sparked the team up a little, and now there is vast competition for team places, we can hope the lads will continue to be fired up. (Thanks to the two Wrexham fans from Johnstown that gave us a lift to Bury after we missed our last bus to Manchester! Nice one!)

Man of the match: Wayne Phillips.

Cruising

Flexys Cefn Druids (3-0) by James Dean

Pre-match background: The match was technically a reserve game, but rumours on the Webbed Robin Internet site claimed that there would be a mixture of first teamers and reserves playing.

Conditions: Sunny weather, but with a shower at the start

Selection: Reserves Walsh, Cooper, Hannon and Steve Roberts were joined by fringe players Edwards and Morrell, along with established first teamers Spink, Owen and Barrett. Completing the line-up were deadline day signing Michael Ryan and trialist David Wright.

Tactics: Not really noticeable, but if I had to hazard a wild guess, I'd probably go for 4-4-2. After all, this is Wrexham we're talking about.

Ebb and flow: A bitty first half in which Druids caused a few worries, followed by a second 45 minutes in which the Robins settled down and took control, dominating League of Wales opposition in a way we should have done in the WPC final.

Atmospherics: Minimal.

Goals: In the first half, David Wright put Wrexham ahead when he slid in to meet a pinpoint cross from Paul Barrett. Early in the second half, Morrell doubled our lead with a bullet header from a good Michael Ryan cross. With Barrett brought down in injury time, Michael Ryan stepped up to complete the scoring from the spot.

Incident: There were two glaring misses from Wrexham players, the first when Jake the Peg blazed over from all of two yards, the second when Barrett missed with what looked like an easy header. However, the club's financial problems were saved from worsening when Pryce Griffiths sneaked in without paying five minutes or so into the game.

Post-match verdict: Nice to see that we can beat a League of Wales team. Druids looked okay, with dread-locked Rene Pinoir, a native of the Ivory Coast, their best player. Although a friendly like this doesn't prove anything, Barrett looks like he could well carry on in the impressive form he showed at the tail end of last season, and Ryan looks an astute signing who could feature in many more than the 10 games Flynn apparently expects of him.

Man of the match: Michael Ryan, whose overall performance was good throughout the game, and who slotted his penalty away very calmly.

Outclassed

Stockport County (0-2) by Daniel Jennings

Pre-match background: Wrexham travelled over to the Isle of Man with a strong squad of eighteen. It contained many new signings keen to impress. Wrexham were runners-up in the competition last year and have previously won the trophy in 1993, 95 and 97.

Conditions: Cold and rainy.

Selection: Dearden in goal. McGregor, Carey, Ridler and Brace across the defence. Phillips, Owen and Williams in midfield. A new forward partnership of Lowe and Stevens with Connolly operating on the left flank.

Tactics: The hopeless, boring and annoying 4-3-3 formation with one winger.

Ebb and flow: The first half was evenly balanced with Wrexham looking surprisingly quick on and off the ball. In the second half Stockport produced some entertaining '1st Division football' and won convincingly in the end.

Atmospherics: A good turn out of just over 600 people, of which nearly 200 were Wrexham fans, filled the stand at the Island's National Sports Centre.

Spotted in the stand: Pryce Griffiths (with a copy of Red Passion) and John Aldridge.

Goals: Both came in the second half, the first a good team move. Five Stockport forwards outnumbered Wrexham's back four, the ball was played all the way across the area by each man in turn. David Smith finally clipped the ball over Dearden from close range. The second was typical Stockport. A high ball into the box from Tony Dinning was met with a glancing header from Brett Angell, no chance Dearden.
Incident: Wrexham's best chance came in the first half. Lowe picked up the ball 30 yards from goal, drifted out onto the left flank and whipped in a superb ball to the back post. Stevens connected with a free header at the back post but put it straight into the arms of Carlo Nash. It was a chance he should have scored. Phillips was unlucky on his return as his surging run was put to a halt with a last ditch challenge on the stroke of half time.

Post-match verdict: Dearden didn't have much to do; McGregor performed well as the only player on the right; Brace was often caught out of position; Carey had a hard job against Brett Angell; Ridler was as solid as usual - very impressive; Phillips didn't look as though he'd been away for two years and most creative play came through him; Williams was outstanding, comfortable both defending and attacking; Owen looked a bit rusty but was good on the ball; Connolly was poor, obviously doesn't enjoy playing on the wing anymore; Lowe looked creative but lacked pace; Stevens got into a lot of good positions and could have done with service from both wings.

Man of the match: Easily Williams. Could be more than the ideal replacement for Brammer.

Decent

Tranmere Rovers (2-3) by Helen Jones

Pre-match background: After the poor display against County, Flynnie was bound to make a few changes. The players had been seen training on the beach. Would it all pay off?

Conditions: Driest day of the week so far, so people ventured out in short sleeves. After all, we were on holiday so we were going to dress in 'holiday stuff'.

Selection: Most players were given a chance to play. Those on the bench were spotted reading the copy of RP Gaz Owen had bought earlier. Ridler seemed to be enjoying it anyway.

Tactics: The usual, but by bringing in new players, Flynn let specific players show what they could do individually, as well as with the team.

Ebb and flow: Tranmere took most of the possession, but we got our fair share of chances. The ball was often kicked off the pitch into a hedge, only to be retrieved by the ambulanceman (who wouldn't buy a copy of RP from me). Danny Williams added extra pace to the game, and his determination interrupted our usual 'pass it and you have a go' style of play.

Atmospherics: The few hundred people in the crowd provided little encouragement to the players. Not much singing, but there were a few Preston fans (who I finally sold a few copies of RP to) along with Oldham fans who all seemed to be backing Wrexham.

Goals: Santos' goal was a long time coming, but Wrexham scored due to Rovers' poor defence. Danny Williams got the goal but Tranmere soon fought back with a goal by Taylor. Our second goal 'amused' both squads on the bench. After the ball arrived in Tranmere's box, Achterberg was fouled and we were awarded a penalty. Joey, Ridler and Gaz smiled, whilst someone from the Tranmere bench looked at Aldo and repeatedly told everyone: 'The ref's bent. Yeah, bent, bent! I tell you!' Connolly equalised, but Rovers got their third in the final minutes of the game.

Incident: Apart from the bizarre penalty, credit has to go to Mr Aldridge. One Rovers fan began screeching at the ref - needless to say, she was a middle-aged woman who repeatedly shouted 'Ref-e-ree' at the top of her voice. Aldo turned to her and said: 'Bloody hell, I'm glad you're not my wife!' This soon shut the 'lady' up and Aldo got a deserved and, probably, loudest cheer of the day, much to the bewilderment of the players who were probably wondering what we were clapping at…

Post-match verdict: A very decent performance by Wrexham, but lucky to get the second goal - even Joey thought so. In the end, losing 3-2 against a First Division side isn't too bad. Dearden, Williams, Stevens and Faulconbridge all looked promising. Danny's style reminds me of the 'give it a whack' attack of Brammer and Wainwright. It was good to see!

Man of the match: Dearden for some tremendous saves. Keep it up!

(Can I please add something? In RP9 there was a would-be headline: 'FLYNNIE GOES BERSERK IN DUGOUT OUTBURST'. Well, this came true in this game as he got a bit upset, jumped up from the bench and shouted at the ref. Who would have thought it?!)

Promising

Oswestry Town (4-0) by Matt Wedderkopp

Pre-match background: With the first team in the Isle of Man everyone was curious as to who'd play. A summer football famine forced many supporters to turn up.

Conditions: Nice and sunny.

Selection: Whitfield, Cooper, Ryan, Roberts, Horan, Thomas (sub: Cocks), Warren, Wolfe, Morrell, Arkle, Edwards.

Tactics: 4-4-2, pinpoint passing.

Ebb and flow: Wrexham ran the game, the lads kept the formation well. Whitfield did little but had a real presence.

Atmospherics: A few claps, no singing from the 150ish crowd.

Goals/Incident: Morrell opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Steve Thomas then missed a penalty, but then scored a fantastic curling goal into the top-left corner in the 50th minute (Red Passion Champagne Moment?) Andy Morrell had one disallowed. Ryan then missed a penalty. Edwards tapped in from one yard out in the 83rd minute (the lads were lining up for it). In the 88th minute Andy Morrell closed the account by skinning two defenders and then the keeper before slotting home (perhaps a contender for the bubbly as well).

Post-match verdict: As time went by, it became clear that the lads in red were fitter. A well deserved win. Look out for these lads - they're the future. I know I'll be trying to get to some Reserve games now.

Man of the match: Andy Morrell for his tireless running and two goals.

Cruising

Isle of Man (3-1) by Francesca Merola

Pre-match background: After convincing defeats by Stockport and Tranmere at the beginning of the week, thoughts of the Wrexham fans must have been of a winning kind, surely we couldn't lose to the part-time National side. The thought of finishing last in the Isle of Man Tournament must have been a major factor in the players' minds, this was a stark contrast to the Wrexham team that was in the Final the year before, then again the season just gone was unlike that of previous ones.

Conditions: Although it had rained non-stop the whole week, it turned out to be a dry and coat-free evening in Peel, with a slightly strong wind and quite a blinding evening sun. The pitch was not the best in the world, but it was just about playable, if you ignored all the bumps, in my opinion a typical Isle of Man pitch.

Selection: A fairly straightforward selection, with Dearden and the regulars, McGregor, Hardy, Ridler and Carey at the back, Owen and Russell in midfield and Connolly up front. The selection also saw the inclusion of the impressive trio of Williams, Stevens and Faulconbridge. The sight of the legend that is Joey Jones' name on the list of subs caused great excitement for the travelling Reds fans, unfortunately Joey never got on, which was a shame. Barrett, Spink and Phillips were all rested.

Tactics: Nothing spectacular, just the usual, the McGregor trademark, overlapping runs down the wing were a common sight, long range shots by Danny Williams which caused a few problems for the Isle of Man keeper and the non-stop determination of Faulconbridge, Stevens and Owen to win tackles. From watching the first couple of minutes of action, it seemed Wrexham had taken on an attacking attitude to the game.

Ebb and flow: For the first 10 minutes when we conceded the goal, you could have said that the Isle of Man team were slightly the better team, several attacks and shots on goal had the Reds fans starting to get a little worried. But no offence to the Islanders it was never going to last and after they scored the goal, they changed to a defensive line up and after that never really troubled Dearden. When Wrexham scored their first goal, the Islanders never looked like scoring and Wrexham's possession and control of play increased, this was evident for the rest of the match, with them having most if not all of the scoring opportunities of the match.

Atmospherics: A crowd of about 200+ spread around a fairly plan Isle of Man ground, which bears a resemblance to my local Mold Alex ground, let out the odd cheer and clap, the loudest coming when they scored the goal, but that was about it. The few Wrexham fans that had bothered to make the trip to Peel, acknowledged the great work done by the players especially, Faulconbridge and Williams, but most of them couldn't wait to get back to Douglas and into Studebakers.

Goals: A decent goal by the Isle of Man, but could have easily been dealt with by Wrexham. A right sided comer swung in by Chris Feeney resulted in a goalmouth scramble until eventually the ball dropped to Nick Hurt who released a powerful shot on the edge of the box, past Dearden and into the comer of the net. Williams got Wrexham's first and best of the match, a 17th minute strike from twenty yards out went thundering into the back of the net. Owen got our second just before half time, good work down the left resulted in Ian Stevens threading a neat cross into the box which was met by Owen who was coming in at the far post, the ball was neatly put away by a right footed shot which was easily slotted past Dawson in goal. Wrexham's third came with twenty minutes to go. Persistent work by Williams resulted in him winning the ball and then releasing a perfectly timed pass to Roberts only for Dawson to save the shot, which rebounded nicely to Ian Stevens finished neatly into the empty net.

Incident: Williams was close with a header that went just over the bar from a good Owen comer, Macca came close to scoring, after a pass from Faulconbridge allowed him to run at the Isle of Man defence which resulted in a decent shot at goal which Dawson had trouble stopping. Besides that and a penalty claim after Neil Roberts was brought down by Dawson there was nothing exciting to report on.
Post-match verdict: A good way to end the tournament. The tournament also highlighted the new arrivals and all of them playing well, giving us some hope for next season. Improvements to have to be made but overall, it was a better Wrexham side in every aspect, they played good football together and the communication between was much improved - Roll on next season!!

Man of the match: Danny Williams got the official Man of the Match award and deservedly so.

One-sided

Shifnal Town (5-1) by John Gallagher

Pre-match background: The game was arranged following Joey's appearance as a speaker at a Shifnal dinner last January. Our starting XI featured four players with first team experience - the classic hiding to nothing.

Conditions: Hot and dry. The pitch was hard and bumpy but probably better than normal for that level.

Selection: We fielded those who wouldn't be playing a part the following night against Bolton - a mixture of reserve team regular, old faithfuls, and new YTS signings. Starting line up was Whtfield, Cooper, Wolfe (Edwards 65ish), S Roberts (Capt), Humes (Brain 75ish), Warren, Rishworth (Watkin 45), Wright, Roberts, Morrell, and Hannon. Shifnal were on a high following an unexpected win over Telford in the Shropshire Senior Cup the previous weekend and hurriedly changing schedules to allow for a final against Shrewsbury the following day so we probably saw more of their reserves than they originally intended.

Tactics: Standard Wrexham really: 4-4-2 with both full backs trying to get forward. The personnel was different but the pattern of play was similar to most games at all levels of recent years

Ebb and flow: A totally one-sided game. Wrexham clearly found the pitch difficult and certain players were obviously unfamiliar with their teammates. Rishworth looked out of it or the first 10 minutes but gradually got into the game and skinned the fat bloke at left back whenever he felt like it. Morrell had 3 or 4 good chances and didn't convert and Shifnal scored with their only shot just before the break. Rishworth picked up an injury at the end of the first half and was replaced by 16 year old Danny Watkin. Watkin gave an assured performance and was probably our best player on the night - certainly one to look out for. The pattern of play was similar to the first half but if anything more one sided. It got worse as fitness began to tell and even fatter blokes emerged from the Shifnal bench. Edwards came on after about an hour replacing left back Wolfe (Hannon moved to left back and Morrell to left of midfield). Jake looked several yards quicker than both Roberts and Morrell and had a couple of good chances although he was very much head down and go for goal.

Atmospherics: Typical low-profile pre-season job. Too hot.

Goals: Shifnal with there only shot right at the end of the first half. Morrell with 2 straightforward chances at the beginning of the second half. A towering header from Jake Edwards. A penalty from Neil Roberts following a great ball to feet at the edge of the box from Watkin and a well deserved late effort by Watkin.

Incident: The biggest shock incident on the gate - Shifnal charged three quid to get in.

Post-match verdict: A good work out but probably a little too easy. For me it was all about the players both familiar and unfamiliar. Humes and Neil Roberts didn't make the impact I expected at that level and it might be time for Tony to call it a day. Steve Roberts looked a class above and his first team chance can't be long in coming - a regular by the end of the season? Rishworth looked good in the first half - if only he was available all year. Kevin Hannon and Danny Watkin looked the best of the unknowns.

Heartening

Bolton Wanderers (0-1) by James Morris

Pre-match background: You may have noticed but our pre-season form has not been glittering. Of the games we've played, we've only managed to beat Stanley, Druids and the Isle of Man, and some Irish lads whose name escapes me. Not stern opposition! By the same token, we've come a cropper against two established Division Two sides and, despite rave reviews for Williams, there wasn't chance of doing much against Bolton.

Conditions: Every time I do a match review it's always a night like this: boiling, sun pouring down on the 'Course, shirt sleeves and shades all over the shop. Sadly, I don't think my control of the elements will last much longer, but enjoy it while it lasts!

Selection: Phillips' ludicrous excuse, all our new boys were given a run out.

Tactics: 4-4-2. Nothing else you can say really.

Ebb and flow: Both sides had a lot of the ball, and Wrexham could have done a bit more if they'd tried harder first half. Surprisingly for a pre-season game, there were a few iffy challenges, and one of the Bolton players should have been booked for a downright evil and malicious challenge on Ryan.

Atmospherics: I was surprised by the size of the crowd: evidently these thirtysomething journeymen we're all pinning our hopes on have some kind of appeal! But, although it was a fairly big crowd, I failed to hear one chant from our lot during the whole 90 minutes: very disappointing!

Goals: Just the one - but what a goal! He must have hit it from about 45 yards, giving 'Fatty' Dearden no chance and nearly breaking the net in the process. We had one disallowed, but I have to say it did look a bit of a dubious decision from the linesman, who must have broken the record for totally incorrect offside decisions in the space of a single 90 minutes.

Incident: Quite incident-packed for a friendly. My favourites being Deano bizarrely playing for a five-minute period in the first half with only one boot…and the Bolton striker almost managing to clear the Kop when faced with an open goal. There was also a lot of Olympic-standard diving going on, mainly from Benny, Bjorn and Frida, or whatever that Bolton lot were called. But, for me, the highlight had to be sitting next to a certain Mr P.Barrett and Neil Roberts, and seeing Barrett as a very enthusiastic Reds fan, cheering the lads on and giving them a good clap upon every half-decent move. This was in between looking after about 450 kids. Surely they're not all his: he'll be too knackered to run!

Post-match verdict: Excellent. Both players and fans can feel proud to be associated with this performance, and if we play like this week in week out we will win the league (I'll have a knife and fork with that, so I can eat me words some time in December).

Players: Dearden - Isn't it nice to have a professional goalie at the Racecourse?; Ryan - Brilliant. Class. No other comments to make; Carey - Deserves a Knighthood; Spink - Never play this man upfront again!; Hardy - Losing it a bit, not a patch on Deryn; Thomas - Not ready for the first team yet; Williams - Brill. Has come on in leaps and bounds. Mr Lovett seems to like him; Russell - Henceforth - after making a fool of myself in this issue - I am never allowed to comment about our Kev again!; Connolly - Anonymous, and hurt himself too; Stevens - Looks very good, he'll score a few; Lowe - can shift a bit, which is a surprise. Good football brain; McGregor - Why's he still here?; Faulconbridge - Sign him on! Seems very good indeed.

Man of the match: Ryan

Worrying

Ayr United (0-3) by John Williams

Pre-match background: Fairly uninspiring pre-season build-up from our point of view, whilst Ayr United were on a roll, having scored a considerable number of goals in recent matches. I felt a peculiar tinge of excitement for a fixture north of the border.

Conditions: Temperatures in the 80s, cloudless sky, and a Red away-day. Reality check - could this really be SW Scotland?

Selection: Opportunities for Stevens/Lowe to partner Connolly upfront and Thomas in the middle. Faulconbridge, Williams, Ryan, Cooper and Spink make second-half appearances.

Tactics: 4-3-3, with Connolly drifting out to the left wing. Phillips played deep, but as the game progressed his role became increasingly uncertain. Our ability to adapt our style of play, or to show flexibility as the nature of the game changed, worried me.

Ebb and flow: The opening minutes gave a promising impression. We put in a number of strong tackles, Phillips displaying excellent cover and strong movement to support the forward line. Dearden looked calm and assured between the sticks. Phillips' 15-yard strike cruises over the crossbar, followed by a Ridler header and a Russell shot. But by the half-hour mark, Ayr have settled down to show growing confidence and greater inventiveness around the box. Our defence is looking uncertain. Ayr hit the post. The first seeds of doubt are sown. The Wrexham midfield is winning sufficient possession, but our final ball is not good enough. Contrast this with Ayr's creativeness around the box, and a centre-forward with considerable skill who looked dangerous whenever the ball was at his feet. On 35 minutes carey had a chance with a shot from 18 yards, but again failed to keep it down. At half-time Ayr deserved their one-goal lead, and within minutes of the re-start it was two. A glut of substitutions (most unusual, Mr Flynn) disrupted the rhythm of the second-half. Whilst we had two excellent near-range opportunities, we were second-best to a better organised team with more passion.

Atmospherics: Limited, though the home fans did get excited over some innocuous challenges. 80 or so in the away end.

Goals: With 10 minutes to half-time, Phillips failed to deal with a ball over the top. With only Dearden to beat, Ayr's no.7 slotted it coolly inside the post. Minutes into the second-half, Hardy cannot cope with the skills of the newly-introduced winger and clatters him from behind. The penalty is dispatched with ease. On 84 minutes Williams is dispossessed on the halfway line. The through ball allows Alex Bone to score Ayr's third.

Incident: How can someone of Williams' stature be so easily knocked off the ball? Scottish accents supporting the Robins. One of those second-half chances should have been converted.

Post-match verdict: I know things can change so quickly in football, and I want to avoid criticism as early as July, but pre-season optimism has suffered a heavy blow. Where was the effort and commitment? Why was our unchanged defence left to look so ragged? And goals? The gulls were gathering on the rooftops of Somerset Park at 4.45pm - their taunting cries mocking our season before it has begun. Or maybe Ayr are set for promotion to the Premier Division, and we shouldn't view this friendly too harshly? Anyway good luck to them. I enjoyed their friendliness and hospitality. Meanwhile, we still believe.

Man of the match: Faulconbridge - for 40 minutes he didn't give up.

Seasick

Game 1 - Blackpool (1-2) by Dave Beddow

Pre-match background: A day out at the seaside. I had a wander round Blackpool and a chat with Dave Lovett and a few locals in the Tangerine Club. I saw Wrexham in Cork and they did OK, but I was particularly optimistic after the Bolton game.

Conditions: The pitch looked good; I'm glad it wasn't as hot as it had been (the players still drank a lot of water though); and, on the whole, Bloomfield Road looked pretty shabby (it actually looked better from the inside than it did from the outside).

Selection: I was surprised that Flynn picked so many of the newboys - I thought he might have introduced them more gradually. I don't think the new signings are necessarily better than others in the squad, but I feel they freshened up the line-up.

Tactics: The usual style of play - and we really took the game to them. We had to really after conceding two first-half goals.

Ebb and flow: Blackpool eased off after they scored. Our build-up play was good but, as happened last year, the final ball was the problem - there just wasn't enough movement.

Atmospherics: A decent atmosphere for the opening game.

Goals: Blackpool's were almost identical: simple, headed efforts - which the defence or the keeper should have cleared. Our goal was long overdue given the pressure we exerted and the corners we won. We had chances and we could have equalised.

Incident: Quite a lot in the Paddock area! Serious overcrowding - and, after some protest, fans were allowed to move over to the uncovered East Terrace, behind the goal.

Post-match verdict: An enjoyable day out. Disappointing to give a two-goal lead away - and we left our comeback too late.

Man of the match: Wayne Phillips - good to see him back - looks to have come on as a player.