games 2-10

match reports...

ENCOURAGING

Game 2 - Preston (0-1) by Amy Jones and Ben Williams

Pre-match background: Amy - After a 2-1 defeat by Blackpool in the first game of the season in the league, Wrexham will be looking for their first win of the season and also to come away with a good result for the second leg at the Racecourse. Ben - After last season’s 5-0 humiliation, Wrexham were looking to regain some pride with a decent performance against last season’s high-flyers North End. A clean sheet would give us a great chance in the second leg at the Racecourse.

Conditions: Amy - Warm night with a summery breeze. Ben - Fairly warm and dry.

Selection: Amy - No changes from Blackpool. Dearden, Carey, McGregor, Hardy, Ridler, Owen, Williams, Stevens, Philips, Connolly and Lowe, with Faulconbridge, Spink, Thomas, Cartwright and Ryan on the bench. Ben - Same side which lost to Blackpool, with young gun Faulconbridge having to be content with a place on the bench.

Tactics: Amy - Our usual game, 4-4-2 with Stevens and Lowe again upfront together with Connolly on the left. Ben - New faces, same old tactics: 4-4-2, one winger (Connolly), three in the centre of midfield etc etc.

Ebb and flow: Amy - A good footballing game by the two sides with Preston just slightly having the more possession in the first half and went in at half time with a 1-0 lead from an excellent 25-yarder goal by Michael Appleton. But second half Wrexham looked the better side, but both sides had their fair share of chances, and both sides produced some excellent football. Ben - A fairly close game in which either side could have won, but 0-0 would have been a fairer result. Preston knocked it about nicely, but we had our fair share of possession and chances, although we were not helped by a linesman who seemed to believe that every time a player in red shirt got into the last third of the pitch, he must lift his flag up.

Atmospherics: Amy - Quite a good turn out from both Wrexham and Preston fans considering it’s only the first leg first round of the Worthington Cup, with 4,930 turning up, a good turn-out by the Wrexham fans with about 200/300 turning up. Neither side made much effort to get behind there team, the odd chorus at the beginning from the Wrexham fans, and the only tune Preston fans made any real noise was when they scored. Ben - A fairly subdued atmosphere all round really, but given our recent record in this competition, no real optimism should be expected.

Goals: Amy - Only the one goal, an excellent 25 yard shot by Michael Appleton for Preston. But Ian Stevens had two disallowed goals for Wrexham, due to offside (or so the linesman reckons). Ben - A 20-yard drive from Preston midfielder Appleton gave big Kevin Dearden no chance, but at least we have tightened up from corners.

Incident: Amy - Ian Stevens had two goals disallowed due to dodgy officiating by both the referee and the linesmen which cost Wrexham one goal if not two. The other incident/highlight of the game was when there was a message on the speaker to tell everyone in the stand where the Wrexham fans were sitting to get their feet off the seats, I thought it was so pathetic. Ben - See Mr Linesman above. I’ve a few ideas where he should stick his flag next time…

Post-match verdict: Amy - Dearden made some crucial saves which kept Wrexham only 1-0 down. The whole team worked hard, but Gareth Owen once again stood out and shined, he played excellent once again. Craig Faulconbridge put that extra spark into the game when he replaced Lowe, (Should Faulconbridge be in the starting line-up with Ian Stevens?). Overall it was a good footballing game and a close game, it’s not over yet, it’s still all to play for and still anyone’s game. Ben - Some encouraging signs, we didn’t give up after conceding the goal, but Lowe and Stevens didn’t really seem to have an understanding as yet. Perhaps the most encouraging sight was Kevin ‘Sumo’ Dearden barking out orders at his defence, while also managing to stop shots, catch crosses, punch convincingly, and even kick fairly straight. Gareth Owen was easily our best player though, making intelligent runs and passes, and generally getting stuck in. Phillips did OK, but doesn’t look the player he was at his peak around three years ago. Williams looked a little shaky, Connolly was just a spectator for much of the match, and Macca couldn’t cope with being a right-back and a right-winger at the same time (come back Robin Gibson!) Carey and Ridler looked solid at the back, but surely the time has come to say goodbye to Phil Hardy. He is easily the side’s weakest link, getting out of position all too regularly, and looking scared of diving in for the tackle. We were fortunate that Preston didn’t exploit him as much as they should have, or we could have found ourselves three or four down. As for the strikers Stevens had the ball in the back of the net twice and got into some useful positions in and around the box, but Lowe seemed content to pass the ball backwards at every opportunity, and it was no surprise when he was replaced by the more positive and youthful Faulconbridge, who looked a far more able partner for Stevens than the ex-Wigan striker.

Man of the match: Amy - Gareth Owen/Kevin Dearden, they were tremendous. Ben - Dearden looked very solid, but Owen ran the show from midfield. Mark Cartwright also deserves a mention for his stunning goal during the half-time warm-up - a 30-yard drive into the top corner. Has Mark eventually found his calling…?

DESERVING

Game 3 - Bury (1-0) by John Child and Richard Williams

Pre-match background: John - Following defeats at both Blackpool and Preston, Wrexham were desperate to secure a first victory of the new campaign in front of their own supporters. Richard - Fans hoped to overcome what has been a poor string of results. But, they were in good spirit as they gave the Shakers a warm welcome to the Racecourse.

Conditions: John - A strange sort of afternoon really. The game started off in bright sunshine, but it soon clouded over. A strong wind played havoc with high balls into the box. In the second half the wind seemed to get stronger and midway through the half the heavens opened. Richard - Absolutely perfect. A good playing surface to perform well on, although the lines on the pitch could hardly be seen. A few showers near half-time made the pitch quite soft in the second half. A very cold afternoon.

Selection: John - Just two changes from the Preston game, the most notable being a first full start for Craig Faulconbridge, in place of David Lowe, while Jake Edwards was on the bench instead of Spink. So the starting eleven was: Dearden, McGregor, Hardy, Owen, Carey, Ridler, Connolly, Williams, Stevens, Faulconbridge, Phillips. Richard - Flynnie again gave the new boys a start, which was a home debut for all the summer signings. I was very surprised Brian gave Danny Williams another game.

Tactics: John - A 4-3-3 formation with Connolly dropping back into midfield. This changed to 4-4-1 with the sending off of Carey. Richard - A quite unusual 4-4-1-1 with Stevens dropping off to play as support man, and the usual pass and lob game was really justified in this encounter.

Ebb and flow: John - Both teams produced some entertaining football when going forward, but both defences tended to hoof the ball clear far too often. Richard - Newly signed Waynne Phillips took the game by the scruff of the neck towards half-time, playing out of his skin at some points. I was really impressed with the back four in this game, not trying to be too cocky with the ball. Bury’s chances came mainly from the left wing with Adrian Littlejohn and Chris Swailes. Wrexham had a bundle of chances but failed to score because of the lack of players up-front. Craig Faulconbridge was a target for the Wrexham defenders to play long balls. I’d say that the possession was 50-50 but others may not agree. A game of two halves.

Atmospherics: John - A large crowd of 4,185, by Racecourse standards tried to cheer their side on. The major uproar was saved for the referee when he sent Carey off. Richard - Probably not the best atmosphere for a home game, but around 4,000 attended the match so it wasn’t like a funeral. Around 300 Bury fans in the away stand.

Goals: John - Ian Stevens 35 minutes. Following a bout of pinball in the Bury area, Faulconbridge did well to slip the ball through to the former Shrewsbury striker. His first shot was blocked by Paul Williams, but the ball rebounded kindly to the striker who made no mistake from a tight angle, despite the best efforts of Woodward on the line. Richard - The Stevens’ goal was quite scrappy but a goal is a goal in the second division. Most of Wrexham’s chances came from corners.

Incident: John - Without doubt the sending off of Brian Carey, after he brought down Ian Lawson en route to goal. In my opinion the referee was right to send the big Irishman off, for denying a goal scoring opportunity, as it was clear to see that Carey was not going to let the Bury number twenty through at any cost, after Lawson had done him for pace. From the resulting free-kick Bury were unlucky not to score as Darren Bullock’s shot struck the outside of the post, with Dearden at full stretch. Richard - The Carey sending-off was the talk of the game, I myself thought that it was a harsh decision, a couple of injuries in the second-half made the game to last well over 90 minutes, which the Wrexham’ fans were irate over. I thought that the referee was quite biased towards Bury and made some dubious decisions.

Post-match verdict: John - A good hard fought 1-0 victory against one of the stronger teams in this division. A result which moves Wrexham up six places from twenty first to fifteenth. Richard - A well deserved victory in the end, the new look Wrexham side looked quite shaky at the start but played well together in the end, the Racecourse will be a fortress for games to come.

Man of the match: John - Dave Ridler. The young centre half seems to be maturing with every game he plays and he did a great job holding the defence together following Carey’s dismissal. Richard - Waynne Phillips. A second consecutive MOM for Wayne; I think Wayne is back at his best - a well deserved man of the match.

HARD - FOUGHT

Game 4 - Cardiff (1-1) by Ifor Owen

Pre-match background: Forget Chester. This is the derby match that matters. A Cardiff win would have put them on top of the table; a draw for us would be a good result.

Conditions: Cold for the time of year, but dry. A large but not particularly loud crowd. A decent showing from us (about 400).

Selection: Same team as started against Bury. Arguably our strongest team on paper.

Tactics: Lob-sided. Every time we got the ball in the first half it was punted up the left-hand side; consequently there was loads of space for Legg to exploit down the Cardiff left. Things improved when Russell replaced Phillips.

Ebb and flow: Cardiff dominated for long periods, and deservedly took the lead. We started off the second-half with a great shot by Carey and soon equalised.Cardiff then should have killed the game off, but two terrible misses by Bowen, and a couple of great saves from Dearden, ensured that they didn’t score again. By the time Owen was sent off you felt that Cardiff weren’t going to score even if we lost a couple more men.

Atmospherics: Plenty of noise from the Wrexham end; the Cardiff fans went quiet as the game went on.

Goals: Loads of room down our right-hand side allowed Legg to get a decent cross in for Nugent to head back to Bowen who had slipped his marker and scored with a diving header. The equaliser was excellent: a good turn and cross by Williams was headed back across the penalty area by Carey - and hooked in from 12 yards over his shoulder by Stevens.

Incident: Owen’s sending off after 75 minuted. Already booked, he tripped up a Cardiff player long after the ball had gone. Very stupid. I don’t think the ref had any other option. Thankfully, it just made the remaining 10 men work even harder.

Post-match verdict: A hard-fought draw, which we deserved after the commitment shown in the last 20 minutes. Cardiff will be kicking themselves, but they should handle this division comfortably.

Man of the match: Carey was superb and just about pips Dearden and Russell who deserve a lot of praise.

OUTCLASSED

Game 5 - Preston (0-2) by Jeni Harris

Pre-match background: We were already 1-0 down from the 1st leg at Deepdale. But with a good striking partnership building up between Faulconbridge and Stevens who knows!!

Conditions: A bright and mild evening at the Racecourse Ground.

Selection: Russell came into midfield for the injured Waynne (with two ‘n’s) Phillips and the strikeforce of Faulconbridge and Stevens remains unchanged (good).

Tactics: What does this word mean? Far too many ‘hit them long’ balls by-passing a poor midfield!

Ebb and flow: A reasonably bright start with a good effort from Stevens saved by their Finnish international keeper in the first few minutes. (If he’d have scored it might have been a different story!) Dave Ridler failed to clear a basically simple ball on 11 minutes which gave Steve Basham an opportunity too good to miss! Preston were now in control, although Faulconbridge and Stevens tried tirelessly to penetrate Preston’s defence. Machen scored their second just four minutes after the break and it really was game over for Wrexham. Dearden performed well throughout and thankfully kept the scoreline at 2-0 (3-0 on aggregate).

Atmospherics: Nothing to write home about. Disappointment was evident on the faces of the Wrexham fans.

Goals: As aforementioned.

Post-match verdict: A poor performance particularly in midfield. Preston have parted with a substantial amount of cash and I expect they will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season. Let’s hope we use these experiences to prevent them from taking six points from us this season.

TEARFUL

Game 6 - Bristol Rovers (2-1) by Spencer Harris and Richard Williams

Pre-match background: Spencer - A difficult-looking game against a team riding high in the division with one of the most potent strike forces. Rovers came to the Racecourse without having conceded a league goal yet and would be hoping to extend their good run. Wrexham return home on the back of a decent away point in the North v South Welsh derby against Cardiff. The programme announced the opening of the new stand, but unfortunately no fans were to be seen in the impressive Pryce Griffiths Stand. Richard - With a win, a draw, and a defeat, the fans were a little uptight about getting their money’s worth today, and I was amazed that the Pirates’ fans crowded in the town centre with 10 minutes to go until the match.

Conditions: Spencer - Warm and bright. Richard - Cloudy and quite chilly.

Selection: Spencer - Ryan finally gets his full league debut, Spink comes in for the suspended Carey, Barrett replaces Owen, and the fast-improving partnership of Faulconbridge and Stevens continues upfront. Richard - Again Danny Williams starts, I thought that Brian would rest him and put Mike Ryan in for his first start, Paul Barrett made his first appearance at the Racecourse.

Tactics: Spencer - The usual one-winger system is deployed by Mr Flynn with Connolly having continuous arguments with Russell as Kevin quite rightly points out that our winger is very seldom staying on the wing. Bristol Rovers, to their credit, come to play attacking football and not just the usual ‘ten men behind the ball, let’s get a point’ tactic favoured by the majority of visiting managers to the Racecourse. This makes for a thoroughly entertaining game - the best at home for a long while. Richard - Whatever Flynnie and Reeves were up to before the match, this tactic (4-4-1-1 and short passing) paid off in the final third of the match.

Ebb and flow: Spencer - No goals in an entertaining first half, but when Wrexham left the field at half-time, it was more than a little disappointing to go in at 0-0 with Wrexham having been the better side. Ryan played a perfect Beckham-like cross for Faulconbridge to miss the first chance of the half and soon after Ridler got his first yellow card for what can only be described as a rugby tackle on the incredibly strong and dangerous Jason Roberts. Nearing half-time, after a lot of Wrexham possession and pressure, Stevens sent a deep cross-cum-shot that hit the inside of the post and stayed out and Williams missed a half-volley from inside the area from a well-worked corner. What brilliant entertainment was in store during the second-half. Faulconbridge’s early goal, turning in a poor shot from Russell, started the ball rolling - and it got better and better. The smallest player on the pitch, Cureton, got in between Spink and Ridler to head the equaliser and then disaster struck again. Ridler went off for a nothing challenge from behind; if the ref had realised this was his second booking, the sending-off would never have occurred. Rovers went in search of three points but Faulconbridge latched onto a long punt by Dearden and unleashed a terrific last-minute winner. Richard - Wrexham started the match poorly, cramming enough players in the six yard box to clear balls away. But, when the midfield got their act together, we really dominated this match in the second-half.

Atmospherics: Spencer - A rugby-affected crowd created a wave of noise in the closing stages and almost blew the roof off the Kop after the last-minute winner. Richard - Not bad, the Wrexham fans, I presume, were saving their voices for when the new stand opens next week.

Goals: Spencer - I just want to mention Faulconbridge’s second again. After the disappointment of thinking we would only get a point from the game, that rocket of a goal must surely win the RP Champagne Moment next time out. Richard - Russell and Connolly played some neat one-twos, before the first goal was scored-Faulconbridge blasted a stray ball beyond the helpless Lee Jones just after half time. Jamie Cureton scored for the visitors with a precise header past the weary Dearden in the 57th minute. Faulconbridge made his tally for the season up to three, with a splendid half-volley past the dismal efforts of Jones in the 88th minute.

Incident: Spencer - Nice to see Benno back where he belongs, but sendings-off - I fear - will be a major problem for most sides this season. The way the referees are interpreting the laws, with no common sense, will not achieve its target, but will instead ruin games and will have a big say in final league placings. Wrexham are by no means a dirty side; yet we have had three consecutive sendings-off. Players must wise up to this, but if things are not done the FA could end up choking the life out of football instead of helping it. Richard - The third red card for Wrexham, first Carey in the Bury game, then Gareth Owen in the Welsh derby, and now Dave Ridler. Some harsh decisions though they all were. The referee in this game was quite astonishing. Dean Spink collided with a Bristol Rovers player but heroically carried on until full-time.

Post-match verdict: Spencer - It was wonderful to witness such a great game, with credit due to both sides. Faulconbridge’s winner brought tears to me eyes and it’s not often that celebrations like that are seen in the Yale (Sainsburys) Stand. An away win at Wycombe couls see us playing for top-spot in a four-sided ground against Notts County. Richard - After this brilliant performance, we’re now 6th in the league after Wigan, Luton, Burnley, Notts County, and Brentford. But, if we have to fight to do well in a game, we’ll find it hard to keep up with the big boys.

Man of the match: Spencer - Everyone played well but Faulconbridge on this form could be the missing link. He is tall, fast, strong but most importantly (to use B.Flynn’s words) he is hungry. If he keeps it up, and we can keep hold of him, and we maintain our current form, then don’t book any holidays for April/May next year. Richard - Craig Faulconbridge-what a player we’ve purchased in here, he fights and presses at every opportunity-a deserved MOM.

LUCKY

Game 7 - Wycombe (1-0) by Peter Williams

Pre-match background: Wrexham had never won in previous games at Wycombe. The 3-0 defeat here last year was one of a number of woeful performances which London Reds had to endure during the season. Wycombe were unbeaten going into this match, but our recent results were good too. Could the Adams Park jinx finally be laid to rest?

Conditions: A warm August evening.

Selection: McGregor at left-back, Ryan on the right, Phillips out injured, Owen dropped (Is he really worse than Rooster?), so Barrett plays wide on the right.

Atmospherics: A biggish, enthusiastic crowd. Whenever Wycombe got as far as winning a corner, some very loud Indian tom-tom drumming was played over the PA. This was extremely annoying.

Tactics: Good to see Connolly out wide on the left again and making two or three great runs, including one in the second half which he finished off by crashing a great shot against the crossbar.

Ebb and flow: Both teams were anxious to get the ball forward, but mostly by bypassing midfield completely. The second half was slightly better with Connolly for us and McSporran for the home side looking lively. (Ryan couldn’t really cope with his pace and was eventually taken off, a good move by Flynnie. We might have lost otherwise.) After we scored, the Wrexham goal led a charmed life as Wycombe threw everything forward in search of an equaliser.

Goals: 66 minutes: Wrexham’s goal came out of the blue really. The Wycombe defence, under pressure from Faulconbridge, failed to clear and Barrett lashed home the loose ball.

Incident: We were definitely lucky to get all three points. We were really under the cosh for the last fifteen minutes. but a combination of great goalkeeping, last ditch tackles, shots which went narrowly wide and a series of deflections off defenders’ knees, shins and backsides gave us an unlikely clean sheet.

Post match verdict: 3rd in the League. Can we stop the season now please?

Man of the match: A tough choice. I thought Carey, McGregor and Dearden were all superb.

STRANGE

Game 8 - Notts County (2-3) by Gary Pritchard and Richard Williams

Pre-match background: Gary - Following an inauspicious start to the season with a defeat and a draw, we could actually go top of the division if we win against an unbeaten Notts County side in front of the partly opened Pryce Griffiths Stand. Yes we are now playing in a four sided stadium! Richard - Half of the new Pryce Griffiths stand was opened, and a huge capacity of over 5,000 crammed into the ground. If Wrexham won, they would have gone top of the league.

Conditions: Gary - A nice late summer’s evening. Richard - A hot and humid evening.

Selection: Gary - A bit tricky in midfield, with Wayne injured, Gareth suspended and Danny Williams living it up in Minsk with the Wales under 21s. All this sees the Rooster starting the match alongside David Lowe who drops into midfield to help out in a crisis. In defence Macca starts at left back with Michael Ryan at right back. Richard - A new look in the midfield with David Lowe and Connolly on the wings, and Barrett and Russell in the middle.

Tactics: Gary - 4-4-2. Richard - 4-4-2 with and Connolly unusually playing back sometimes as right back.

Ebb and Flow: Gary - As someone once said; “football is a game of two halves” and if you don’t believe that then you should have been at the Racecourse for this match! We started in our usual way by hammering away at their goal for about five minutes, raising the hopes of the faithful on the terraces, before giving away a stupid goal. Then we gave away a second stupid goal and then ... we gave away a third stupid goal right on the stroke of half time. Mr Flynn’s half time team talk must have been a roaster because we came out for the second half like men possessed. Deryn came on as left back with Macca replacing Michael Ryan at right back. Once we realised that any cross into the box was going to be met by Faulconbridge, who was outstanding throughout, we looked like a good side! After we scored the first we seemed to believe that we could actually win, we hit the post, we had scrambles off the line and then Jake, who came on to replace the Rooster, scored a second goal which sent the crowd into raptures. Richard - Wrexham started the game quite confidently, with Stevens and Faulconbridge linking up well. A goal from Stevens near the middle of the half was harshly disallowed from the referee for offside. Faulconbridge, who is a new hero at the Racecourse, thought he was offside, but he wasn’t, and by the time he realised, Darren Ward saved his shot. Wrexham lost their motivation when Dwain Darby scored on the 36th minute. Though one-nil down, the fans still got behind the Robins. Darby again scored just after that when Russell foolishly stumbled in midfield. And then the Robins threw it away when Spink fell over in his own box to let a third goal in just before the half-time whistle.

Atmospherics: Gary - Started well, with the first strains of “New stand ... give us a song” being heard after only five minutes, but the whole ground was stunned by our abject first half performance. In the second half the atmosphere was tremendous, it was fantastic to see three whole sides cheering on the lads. The crowd should be commended for not getting on the lads’ backs despite being 3-0 down and I’m sure this helped our mini fightback. Richard - Overwhelming. Only a couple of County fans in the away stand, but made a lot of noise.

Goals: Gary - A cracking header from Craig ‘I Know Where The Goal Is’ Faulconbridge for the first, followed by an “I’ll score”...“No…I’ll score”…type incident with Jake and Faulconbridge tussling to score the second! Richard - Dwain Darby scored two identical goals in the middle of the
half, and Mark Stallard scored when Spink fell over in the box. Faulconbridge scored a consolation to make it 3-1, and then scored again when the County defence buckled under the pressure to make it 3-2.

Incident: Gary - Nothing nasty, but plenty of talking points! Richard - A lot of swearing in the new stand. A lot of disallowed goals for Wrexham in the first-half.
Post-match verdict: Gary - Although we didn’t go top, the second half performance was very pleasing. But we can’t afford to give a three goal start to teams like Notts County. Richard - The good form ended for the reds with this defeat, we now lie fourth in the league. A lot of mistakes costed them dearly in the first-half.

Man of the match: Gary - Faulconbridge. Knows where the goal is and never gave up. Richard - Don’t know, don’t care.

CLOSE

Game 9 - TNS (1-0) by Huw Griffiths

Pre-match background: We travelled to Llansantffraid hoping to thrash these Welsh minnows after our bitter disappointment against Notts County a few days earlier. I got stuck in a traffic jam on the outskirts of the village and put it down to pre-match congestion, but later realised the delay was caused by a local farmer taking his cattle back after milking!

Conditions: Our Indian Summer continued, so it was a mild evening. The pitch didn't look too bad either.

Selection: Kevin Hannon made an impressive debut at left back. Owen, Williams and Barrett were on duty in midfield, with Lowe on the right wing. As expected, Flynn retained faith in Stevens and Faulconbridge upfront.

Tactics: Wrexham played their usual passing game, whilst David Lowe was brought in and showed Chalkie how it should be done down the right flank. Owen looked quite sharp too, and his sudden outbursts of pace on the ball caused them a few problems in and around the 18 yard box.

Ebb and flow: It was a hard, physical game, with tackles flying in from all directions. The TNS boys had been well briefed, and as a result Faulconbridge, in particular, bore the brunt of it up front. The lads enjoyed long periods in the opposition's half, but strong defending on TNS's behalf kept the scoreline down. Our dominance was more noticeable in the second half, but TNS battled on and proved they had a decent level of fitness.

Atmospherics: There was a fair turn out, considering the population of the village is barely a thousand, but the crowd never really made themselves heard. We could hear the players' instructions to each other, which is never a good sign.

Goals: It came just a few seconds before half time - what an ideal time to score! Danny Williams took the corner, it came back out to him, he crossed it again and Carey's looping header found the top left corner - it was as easy as that!

Incident: Gareth Owen hitting the bar from a free kick, and Kevin Dearden cracking a joke with a bloke behind the goal just before TNS mounted their best attack. Kevin soon sobered up and had to make an impressive save to deny Leon Gierke. It was nice to see Flynn on the touchline for a change too.

Post-match verdict: We did enough to edge it, but this was a much closer encounter than I'd first anticipated. TNS have some good players, that are willing to work hard for each other. Both Arwel Jones and Timmy Edwards were particularly impressive in defence. They certainly gave us a good run for our money.

Man of the match: The one and only Carey. He was solid and reliable as usual, and also got us that all important goal.

CONFUSING

Game 10 - Luton (1-3) by Peter Williams

Pre-match background: 5th in the table (them) v 6th (us). After winning at Luton the last two years, we were probably due a defeat.

Conditions: Hot, sunny. Rooster hides his bald pate under a knotted hanky. (All right, I made the last bit up.)

Selection: Ridler suspended, so Hardy gets a recall. Phillips still injured so Owen, Williams and Barrett play in midfield. Confusingly, Connolly--who scored a hat-trick here two years ago--is on the bench. Lowe starts instead of him, playing wide on the right.

Atmospherics: As ever, the Wrexham following were capably lead in song by an enthusiastic Jacko. (As the game drifted away from us, the away end becoming increasingly quiet and downcast, a lone voice was heard: “Come on! It’s not that bad!”).

Tactics: Most of our attacking options involved either Lowe and McGregor combining well down the right (until the former was substituted) or a punt in the direction of Faulconbridge. A bit of variety anyway. Carey and Spink had their hands full with a couple of quick and skilful forwards in George and Douglas.

Goals: 5 mins: A well-hit strike by Taylor from outside the box. 1-0 to them. 14 mins: Williams failed to close down Spring who shot in from long range. 2-0 to them. 19 mins: A long free-kick was headed down by Faulconbridge. Stevens rifled in, a well-taken goal. 2-1. 36 mins: McGregor turned inside out by George. 3-1 at half-time.

Ebb and flow: When we went 2-0 down after only 14 minutes we expected the worst, but Wrexham rallied well and deservedly pulled a goal back. The third goal was crucial: well as we played after half time, the two-goal deficit proved too much to pull back and, with about fifteen minutes to go, we ran out of steam.

Incident: No shortage of this. Most chances in the first half produced goals. After the break, neither team was scared of shooting from distance with Barrett, Williams and Connolly twice coming close for us. Our bizarre run of sendings-off continues: Hardy was ridiculously booked for encroachment in the first half when a free kick was slammed against his backside. With about 10 minutes to go, he was booked again for a late tackle.

Post-match verdict: Probably an entertaining match for the impartial observer. Luton maybe deserved to win - they looked sharper up front. This is the second week running we’ve conceded three goals in the first half and I thought Dearden should take his share of the blame for not getting near any of the three shots which went in. On the other hand, we battled well for a lot of the time, created a fair number of chances and on another day might have got a point. It still seems impossible to predict whether we’re in for a good season or not.

Man of the match: Danny Williams