2000-1: The season ...

of the Comeback

Daniel Jennings chronicles an amazing sequence of footballing resurrections

1) AFC Bournemouth 1 Wrexham 2 (Tuesday 26th September)
Travelling to Bournemouth on a Tuesday night is not ideal, and certainly not appealing to a lot of supporters. Seventy or so Wrexham fans did make it along and, despite the vast majority getting in with complimentary tickets, they must have wondered why with just three minutes remaining. A dire game on a cold night with no atmosphere with the home side holding on to a slender fifth-minute lead given to them through the impressive Jorgensson. Enter super-sub Morrell. First he escaped his marker to meet Edwards' accurate centre with a header that looped over keeper Stewart before, a minute later, forcing Stewart into a hurried, mis-hit clearance that Ferguson chipped straight back into an empty net. That left the home fans shell-shocked and the jubilant Wrexham faithful dancing with delight on the empty terrace.

2) Oxford United 3 Wrexham 4 (Saturday 14th October)
Oxford were currently bottom of the league, struggling, and already destined for relegation at this early stage in the season. Therefore it was no surprise when Tait's headed goal gave the home side a 7th minute lead! Ferguson levelled things with a sweetly struck free-kick after 25 minutes and it was one-way traffic from then on in. However, it wasn't until the 70th minute that McGregor finally put the visitors into the lead. Chalk swept home the rebound after Killen's great solo run and it looked all over. With four minutes left Beauchamp's brilliant 30-yard drive found its way in off the underside of the crossbar but Edwards restored Wrexham's two-goal advantage with his first goal for the club and with only a minute left. Seconds later and a lack of communication between keeper and defender led to McGregor putting a diving header into his own net but Wrexham in the end held out - just!

3) Luton Town 3 Wrexham 4 (Saturday 28th October)
This game was truly amazing, the mother of all comebacks and the one by which all others will be judged. Luton at the time were really struggling and were already staring relegation directly in the face. We had only lost once in our last six games, and that was away at Reading, so the travelling fans were confident we could pick up a convincing victory. No-one could have had any idea of the sort of treat we were about to witness! Wrexham were going well until they were forced to replace the injured Ridler with Mardon. That changed the course of the game and Luton took a surprise lead through Stein's brilliant diving header at the near post after losing the attentions of Mardon. Watts doubled Luton's lead with a header from a corner two minutes before the break, Mardon again guilty of losing his man. In the 55th minute it was like pinball in the Wrexham area and when Mardon lashed the ball towards his own goal, forcing Dearden into a good stop, George was on hand to fire in the home side's third. There was barely half an hour left when Edwards took the ball past Abbey, who had so far been unbeatable, got to the goal-line and chipped an inch-perfect cross for what seemed like a consolation goal from the head of Faulconbridge. Four minutes later Faulconbridge flicked the ball through for Killen who cleverly clipped the ball over the onrushing Abbey and suddenly there was hope. It seemed like false hope entering the last seven minutes but when Chalk drove in an equaliser from the edge of the box the away fans were buoyant once more. With just three minutes remaining neat play between Ferguson, Faulconbridge and Killen got Ferguson in to fire home and complete an unbelievable comeback.

4) Wrexham 2 Cambridge United 2 (Tuesday 21st November)
Life was certainly a lot harder with Paul Mardon around! Only he will know how he didn't open the scoring after missing a sitter on 13 minutes before a basic error allowed Connor to have a clear run at Dearden, round him and slot home from an acute angle to put Cambridge in front after 31 minutes. Owen looked to have turned the game around on his own, with a right-foot 20-yard half-volley on 53 minutes and a tap in from Edwards' lay-off on 67 minutes, finally beating the brilliant Perez. Sandwiched between the two goals, Faulconbridge also had the ball in the net after Owen's shot was too hot for Perez to handle, but his effort was ruled out for offside. In the dying seconds it was again Mardon who failed to clear his lines and Connor grabbed his, and Cambridge's, second to earn a draw.

5) Wrexham 2 AFC Bournemouth 2 (Saturday 13th January)
With hot talent Defoe on loan, Bournemouth had been bouncing up the table and it was their young hit-man who put them into an early lead. In the 6th minute he chased a long ball, outpaced Carey, and instinctively volleyed a first-time effort narrowly past Dearden's left hand. Bournemouth doubled their lead in the 62nd minute. Bouanane's mis-control let in Hayter but it was still a cracking drive from a tight angle to beat Dearden. Two minutes later Edwards delivered a perfect centre for Russell to loop a header over the stranded Stewart and Wrexham were back in it. Having dominated the game, Wrexham got what they deserved in the very last minute. Faulconbridge chased what seemed like a lost cause but somehow wrapped his foot round the ball to send in a deep cross from the goal-line and Mark McGregor rose highest in a crowded area to share the spoils.

6) Wrexham 1 Swindon Town 1 (Sunday 4th February)
With a decent side out you'd expect to win this one but Wrexham had injuries and suspensions to contend with. The home side didn't field a strong team and it really showed as Swindon ran them ragged in the first half. The biggest surprise was that it was only van der Linden's goal after Dearden dropped Woan's corner that separated the sides at the break. Wrexham came out with a lot more purpose in the second half but still struggled and one neat move was all they needed to ensure they at least took a point from the game. Phillips, returning from injury once more, played a neat one-two with Faulconbridge and, taking the ball nicely in his stride, beat keeper Mildenhall low to his right. On the day no-one deserved a goal more and the delight could be seen on Phillips' face after a man-of-the-match performance.

7) Walsall 2 Wrexham 3 (Saturday 24th February)
This certainly was a game of two halves. Walsall second in the table at the time, were looking to go top on the day and two fine strikes from midfielder Bennett gave them a two-goal advantage at the interval. They also started the second half brightly but the turning point of the game came when Angell somehow failed to convert Hall's right-wing cross. It was an amazing miss from less than six yards out! With just half an hour remaining Ferguson's free kick was headed on by Carey and unheard-of debutante Trundle showed remarkable composure to control the ball with his chest and acrobatically score with an overhead kick. That seemed to wake up the away end who were suddenly back in voice and they had even more to cheer in the form of an equaliser less than ten minutes later. Gibson ran the ball 60 yards starting on his own 18-yard box before laying the ball off to Russell. One touch and BANG! He let fly with a 25-yard screamer that rattled the crossbar on its way in. It was a completely different picture by now and Wrexham finished off a magical turnaround in the last minute. Trundle, already making his name as a crowd favourite, went on an amazing 50-yard run taking on three defenders and the keeper on his way before his shot was cleared off the line. However, the rebound fell kindly for him and he again kept his composure in laying the ball back to sub Faulconbridge to side-foot home a chance he couldn't miss.

8) Wrexham 5 Oxford United 3 (Tuesday 6th March)
Oxford were all but mathematically down by this point but the Reds still made hard work of the victory. It was one hell of a game though! Gray put Oxford ahead in the 2nd minute with a penalty conceded by Roche. Ten minutes later Trundle scored an amazing equaliser as he chipped Knight with the outside of his left foot from 20 yards. Just before the break Oxford found themselves in front again when Powell thundered in a near-post volley. Trundle again levelled things after 73 minutes with more of a goal-poachers goal. The ball somehow found him at the back post and after hitting his chest at some speed he still did well to toe-poke it in at the near post with his weaker right foot. Four minutes later and Oxford were ahead for a third time, Murphy this time capitalising on a drop from Dearden. Two minutes later and Wrexham came again. Oxford failed to clear their lines properly but Trundle still had it all to do and steered a first-time 30-yard chip over the unfortunate Knight to cap off a breathtaking hat-trick. It wasn't until the 89th minute that Wrexham finally took the lead themselves, Ferguson converting a penalty after Morrell was brought down. Ferguson added a second of his own in stoppage time after a brilliant solo run but nothing could over shadow the performance of new-found hero Trundle.

9) Cambridge United 2 Wrexham 3 (Saturday 10th March)
Four days later and Wrexham, and that man Trundle in particular, were at it again. This was possibly the best Wrexham played all season but missed chances and defensive errors looked to have cost them at one point. Trundle himself missed an absolute sitter in the first half and then Wanless rubbed salt into the wounds heading home a corner to put Cambridge ahead on the stroke of half-time. Wrexham continued to impress in the second half but Gibson missed a one-on-one that he hit far too early and Morrell missed an open goal before Fleming's debut goal after Ridler's mistake doubled Cambridge's advantage. With just 21 minutes remaining, the referee played a good advantage to let Trundle chip home from 20 yards after rounding, and momentarily being clipped by, Duncan. That restored hope, as did Ferguson's 83rd minute penalty, after Morrell went down under some heavy attention and another last-minute goal sealed it. Trundle went forward down the right and his near-post cross was met by the diving head of Morrell to atone for his earlier miss.

10) Wrexham 1 Notts County 1 (Tuesday 10th April)
Notts County still had hopes of the play-offs going into this game whereas Wrexham's had now disappeared. It was against the run of play that Thomas headed in Farrell's right-wing cross to give the Magpies following even more hope in the 26th minute. Williams as good as ended that hope just three minutes later when he side-footed home an accurate left-foot shot after good work by Faulconbridge. Wrexham thought they had won it in the second half but referee and assistant both couldn't be sure if Faulconbridge's thunderous header that appeared to hit the stanchion had crossed the line!