Night Out
Lincolnshire exile John Parry goes to Glanford Park on a Tuesday night…
This is only the 2nd time this season I have been able to watch my beloved Wrexham, due to various reasons, the last another 2-0 win at Kettering.
We travelled just the short distance (15 miles) hoping for a win to put a little more light between us and relegation, first surprise was the price £13 is it like this at other grounds? The old cliché came into being as a game of 2 halves with Wrexham running the first half and Scunthorpe being what can only be described as poor, we raced into a 2-0 lead in the space of 5 mins, the first a run from Owen into the danger zone led to him being tackled by Fickling and the ball broke to Barrett who stabbed goalwards from 15 yards with the goalkeeper in no mans land, the second was beauty from Connolly who had Fickling again back pedalling and beat the keeper from distance with a low drive. Up to this point Scunthorpe had yet to test Dearden, and Wrexham nearly had a third on 35 mins when Connolly put over a fine cross which Hope got to before any of the Wrexham players could get a strike on it. Scunthorpe had a couple of chances but Dearden was equal to them, so as the first half came to a close we were more than happy with the score but felt that Scunthorpe would come out with a but more fight in the second half.
Scunthorpe must have had a right good going over at half time as in the first 20 mins they had Wrexham doing a lot of defending and looked as if they would score but we held on and as they pushed bodies forward Wrexham always looked dangerous breaking forward and after 60 mins Faulconbridge shot wide of the keepers post and 15 mins later that man Fickling this time dented Faulconbridge a certain goal with a sprawling goal line challenge. In between these 2 chances, Hope put a free kick just over the bar. Both teams pressed forward for different reasons but we held on to record our 3rd away win and another clean sheet.
In the end Scunthorpe have only themselves to blame for giving us a 2 goal cushion in the first half, but we must take some credit for taking the 2 opportunities when presented with them and defending well for the 90 mins and not just for 45 mins. MOM Faulconbridge/Roberts. RP
Day Out
Bluebird Mark Sly travels from South Wales to North-East Wales for the big relegation derby…
I set out to the Racecourse for the crunch Welsh derby in optimistic mood down to the fact by the law of averages the Bluebirds were surely due an away win and that on my most two recent visits to the ground City had won both games comfortably with an aggregate score of 5-0! (Admittedly this was in the early to mid ‘90’s before Cardiff’s elongated spell in the dungeon).
After a pleasant journey and excellent pub lunch we arrived in Wrexham to come across the person with probably one of the least satisfying jobs you could ever imagine. We parked in the retail park only to find this bloke taking the registration numbers of the cars of anyone who remotely looked like a soccer fan. When questioned about clamping, he grunted something back that could well have been in Welsh so we decided on the safer option of parking in a side street. Walking round the ground before kick-off it was noticeable how calm and relaxed the atmosphere was compared with Ninian where a 100 or so neanderthal idiots give the club a bad name. I heard one City fan say, “I’ve felt more intimidated in Mothercare”, and this is obviously a credit to Wrexham’s fans.
As for the game itself there was the usual impressive City following (800-1,000) but it was instantly recognizable how muted the home support was. If it is like this for a match against a team like Cardiff I can only imagine the morgue- like atmosphere that must prevail against teams like Cambridge who have very small away support. The first half was frankly terrible with both teams showing why they have been sucked into a relegation battle. The few chances fell to Wrexham but were wasted. I for one was glad to see a team that had less penetrative forwards than City which I thought was impossible! Hallworth made a couple of decent saves but Dearden was not really called upon with the passing on both sides appalling.
By far the highlight the first half was when a banner was unfurled urging Flynn to go, only for the away end to start singing his praises which must be the ultimate humiliation for a football manager. It reminded me of a radio interview I once heard where an Arsenal fan when questioned stated the Gunners best asset was Christian Gross. Thank god Flynn did not get the Welsh job - but that is a different story. At half-time I commented to my mates what a pale shadow of his previous form was Karl Connolly - words that were later to haunt me.
The second half started with a bang with promising City youngster Josh Low scoring a cracking goal. City then had their best period and I was confident that we could hold on with the home forwards shooting blanks. Then out of the blue Connolly scored an absolute screamer of an equaliser. After that Wrexham looked the better side and it was no surprise when Ferguson scored in the seventy-fifth minute after hesitancy in the City defence. Despite a bit of pressure Wrexham held on comfortably for a thoroughly deserved win that could have been greater with the chances they missed. In the second-half Burrows really showed he has lost the plot. Central midfielders Bonner and Carpenter were having their usual uninspired games but no substitutions were made until Wrexham took the lead. There was amazement with the City faithful that Andy Legg was substituted as he was arguably City’s best player. Despite the general ineffectiveness of the forwards Ritchie Humphreys did not come on until the 87th minute. Great business acumen to pay someone Premiership wages for 3 minutes play and it was no surprise when he departed the club the next day. City fans have been patient this season but really gave vent to their feelings towards the end, which was not surprising given that City had been well beaten by a poor team who were ripe for taking at 1-0.
In conclusion I have changed my mind after the Wrexham match. I genuinely thought that City would grab enough points to stay up but they were so poor and clueless at the Racecourse, it showed there is every chance of relegation and to be honest I think that even though they were the better team and deserved winners, the Robins could also be involved in an end of season scrape.
On the way home we were overtaken by a big, hire car in Hereford with City chairman, Steve Borley, and his fellow directors on board. The look on their faces suggested worse news ahead with many of us fearing the collapse of the well-publicised takeover but only time will tell. RP
Night Out
Andrew Morris spends a night as an RP sponsor…
On a cold Tuesday night I was one of five people (me, my dad, Robert Stock, Gareth Roberts and Nick Welsh) to be chosen to represent Red Passion as matchball sponsors for the WPC match v TNS.
I was looking forward to the night. For the week leading up to the match, and in school on the day itself, I could hardly concentrate on my work! At around 5.40pm I arrived at the Centenary Club with my dad. We met up with Allan Thomas at the top of the stairs - he was with Nick already. On our entrance we were greeted with a complimentary programme and a glass of Bucks Fizz. We got chatting when Robert and Gareth arrived as well.
Four our meal I had leek and potato soup for starters, roast lamb and mint sauce for main course; as well as that our table had two complimentary bottles of red wine. While eating we spotted Darren Ferguson, Danny Williams, Brian Carey, Neil Roberts, Paul Barrett and Robin Gibson all drinking beer - naughty boys!
I was feeling quite relaxed in the comfort of the surroundings…but when we got called to go down and present the matchball I became quite nervous. I thought the new stand looked stunning from the tunnel. Dean Spink - Wrexham’s captain on the night - and the match officials were all very friendly and said that RP had spent their money well in sponsoring the ball. Even though everyone was friendly, the star of the night was Allan Thomas - 100 per cent effort from him. He was Mr Hospitality!
We were shown to our Executive Box seats but had to wait until the ball was out of play before passing Mr Flynn! For most of the first half I was chatting with Robert and Nick, while Gareth was mostly speaking to my dad. Everyone got on really well. We went in at half-time for the toilet…and also for apple pie and custard and a cup of coffee, which was much appreciated. On going down to the Sponsors Lounge for half-time, we walked past the (very) little seat of Brian Flynn. We thought about putting a whoopee cushion on it!!
In the second half me and Rob missed Morrell’s second goal because we were talking to, and getting autographs off, the Trinidad and Tobago international players on trial at the Racecourse. The result in the end was a comfortable 5-0 win, with TNS failing to impress anybody. At the end of the match we went back to our table and waited for Allan Thomas to come up and see us. We got a signed ball from Dean Spink - very nice. As we went up to collect this, my dad tripped on a stool and almost fell over!
So, on behalf of us all I would like to thank RP for a great night out. I would like to say that whoever represents the magazine in the Sponsors Lounge in the future will really enjoy it - just as we did. RP