Cannon Blasts Wrexham to Key Win
The Wrexham men have a very successful weekend on the table as the Wrexham women fall short in their return to the Racecourse.
As the season winds down, this is a big week for both Wrexham squads.
The Wrecap:
Grimsby Town 1 - 3 Wrexham AFC
With McClean serving the last game of his ban and Barnett picking up an injury in the last match, Phil’s starting XI for this meeting with Grimsby Town was an anticipated reveal. The answer was a joyous one: Tom O’Connor returned to the starting lineup, this time back in midfield rather than the center-back position he held for most of the year. As for the wingbacks, Luke Bolton was handed the start as Barnett was rested. Barnett’s x-rays came back negative on what was feared to be a broken foot, so we seem to have dodged a bullet there, but it wouldn’t shock me if he’s still out for a few more matches, in which case Bolton or McFadzean (more on him later) should be the expected starters with Mendy as long as Phil has McClean in midfield while we wait for George Evans’ return.
I won’t bury the lede here: Wrexham had an excellent game. True, Grimsby Town should have been an easy win based on their table position, but they’ve been in much better form as of late and had the home field advantage. The opener was scored by a central figure of our last match, seemingly eager to make up for the goal he allowed against Tranmere: Andy Cannon. He netted the first goal just five minutes in with one of the shots of the season, a 25-yard blast, before adding a second half an hour later. Then Mullin put to bed an electric first half with his 16th goal of the season, claiming the top scorer mantle from Lee, making it 3-0.
The Reds put together additional chances in the second half, but none made it to the net, while Cleworth and O’Connell shined in the back line once again. Palmer also played well in his return to the starting lineup, even if he didn’t have a major stat to show for it. Unfortunately, the fun was slightly spoiled by a lazy moment of defending at 81’, when Arthur Gnahoua put the home side on the board, spotting an opening that shouldn’t have been there and ripping one past Okonkwo. Wrexham shook off that moment of complacency and kept the visitors at bay for the rest of the match, walking away with three vital points and, briefly, a bump into second place. Andy Cannon is my Man of the Match, redemption for his mishap with Tranmere complete.
The Dragons were quickly sent back to third once Stockport notched another win but they lucked out elsewhere on the table. Mansfield dropped points thanks to an unlikely draw with Colchester and the Dons were on the receiving end of Stockport’s merciless 5-0 win. That leaves the Dons three points behind Wrexham in fourth and, critically, with one less game to play than the Reds and Mansfield. Stockport, on the other hand, still hold a game in hand on the first and third clubs.
Read the full report from Wrexham here.
And watch the highlights of the match below:
Match Facts:
Starting Lineup: Okonkwo, Cleworth, O'Connell, Boyle, Bolton, Cannon (Young 71’), O'Connor, Lee, Mendy (McFadzean 50’), Mullin (Marriott 86’), Palmer (Fletcher 86’)
Bench: Young, McFadzean, Marriott, Fletcher, Dalby, Tozer, Howard
Goals: WRX: Cannon (5’, 36’), Mullin (42’), GBT: Gnahoua (81’)
Yellow Cards: GBT: Hume (48’), WXM: Cleworth (90+4’)
Wrexham Women 2 -3 Swansea City
The Wrexham Women returned to the Racecourse for the first time all year and while the turnout may not have been what we hoped for (2,008 compared to a nearly sell-out crowd last year), the game certainly did not lack for drama. Star striker Rosie Hughes created most of the chances in the first half but had some unlucky (and some poor) finishes to them and the scoreline remained locked at 0-0 throughout a back-and-forth battle with one of the best clubs in Wales.
The deadlock was finally broken at 23’ with a truly remarkable goal. Lili Jones, who was closer to the center circle than the Swansea box, spotted keeper Chelsea Herbert all the way out of the goal and nearly out of the box and decided to lob an arching shot that seemed to move in slow motion as it revealed a perfect placement, falling just over the reach of the keeper and into the net to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. There’s no doubt that it was a special goal for Jones, not just in form but the fact that it gave them the lead over a side that had dominated the Wrexham squad all season.
Unfortunately, a moment is all that it was. Less than ten minutes later Captain Keren Allen made an interception in the box that she couldn’t control, watching as the ball fell to Robyn Pinder. In trying to clear it quickly, Allen made an obvious foul against Pinder inside the box, resulting in a simple penalty call for the ref. Pinder took the shot and made it look easy, tying the match once again. The tight battle resumed and the two sides retreated into the tunnel still deadlocked.
It wouldn’t take long for Swansea to find their stride in the second half, though. After just seven minutes the visitors took a well-executed corner, with Monet Legall lobbing a similar shot to Jones’ over Del Morgan’s head to give them the 2-1 edge. At 75’, Jones nearly made it a double but despite making a good run her shot went straight at the keeper. But the heroics were only a few minutes away when Rosie Hughes netted a header from close range thanks to Carra Jones’ cross.
It seemed Wrexham would walk away with a hard-earned draw as the clock wound down, but the ref threw seven minutes of stoppage time on the board and Swansea didn’t waste them. Just two minutes in, Ellie Lake put in a shot from distance that somehow managed to bounce its way past Morgan in goal, after it sailed over Wrexham’s high defensive line. It was preventable, in my opinion, both from Morgan and from a poorly spread defensive arrangement, but more than anything it was a heartbreaking finish to a match that meant a lot to the squad.
It meant a lot to Swansea as well, as it kept their faint title hopes alive with the win. They luckily hold a game in hand against leaders Cardiff City, who they play today in a game that could decide the title with matches to spare. If Cardiff draws with Swansea, they win the title.
Read the full report from Wrexham here.
And watch the highlights of the match below:
Match Facts:
Starting Lineup: Morgan, Allen, Fuller, Davies, Pritchard (Small 69’), C. Jones, L. Jones, Gibbard, Cairns (Dickens 87’), Lightfoot (Suckley 81’), Hughes.
Bench: Small, Dickens, Suckley, Bolland, Lovett.
Goals: WXM: L. Jones (25’), Hughes (81’). SC: Pinder (P-32’), Legall (54’) Lake (90+2’).
Wrexham Reserves 0 -3 Burnley Reserves
Despite their excellent form of late, Wrexham’s reserves, made up entirely of youth prospects this time, fell to the Burnley prospects 0-3. Of note, the red-hot Harry Ashfield was named Captain for the match. Ashfield had Wrexham’s best chance of the first half early on but spoiled a good run with a wide finish. The Reds were still in it at the halftime whistle, down just one goal, but the Premier League side finished the job with an early goal in the second half before sealing the deal with another in stoppage time.
Despite the outcome, this is yet another match that yielded a positive performance from Ashfield. I can’t wait to see this kid make his debut for the first team.
Wrexham: Pilkington, Hayes, Kelly, Moore, Dean, Pervis, Edwards, Cruise, Hayman, Ashfield, Rainbird
Subs: Jones, Roberts, Nicholas, Edwards, Roberts
Goals: BUR: Torraj (12’), Bevan (46’), Francis-Burrell (90+1’)
Current Tables
The Week Ahead
3/29: Wrexham vs Mansfield Town
It’s a rare Friday match for the Reds this week, and it may end up being the most consequential match of the season. League-leading Mansfield Town come to the Racecourse in a vital match for the home side. If the season so far can be used as a barometer, the odds look favorable for Wrexham. In our first league match, we walked away from Mansfield with a point following a 0-0 draw. Then in November, we returned to their place and bested them in the FA Cup in a 2-1 match that was an excellent watch.
But those results hardly tell the full story. While we rank second at home this season (after being first all season long until our most recent loss to Tranmere), we haven’t scored at the Racecourse in our last two matches. Meanwhile, Mansfield rank first in the league, first in goals scored per match, and first away from home. Yikes.
That said if we win (and Stockport loses or draws) we’ll be in second, tied with the visitors in points at the top of the table.
Today: Aberystwyth Town vs Wrexham Women
Wrexham visit Aberystwyth Town today and the objective is simple: win or draw. If we walk away with a point from today’s match, the Wrexham Women will finish third on the table in their first Genero Premier League season. The remaining highlight of the season would be the Bute Energy Welsh Cup final in May, the highest-profile game for women’s club football in Wales.
Here’s a full preview from Mark Griffiths.
Other News:
Final Squad List for 23/24 Announced
In line with EFL regulations, Wrexham needed to announce its final 22-man squad list for the remainder of the season. Previously, Phil named 21 players and left the last slot open to either Anthony Forde or Callum McFadzean depending on their injury recovery timelines.
Now it’s official: McFadzean is in, Forde is out. As the only major decision Phil had to make about the squad, it’s slightly surprising to see him go with McFadzean over Forde, considering Forde’s contributions throughout the first half of the season. My assumption is this means Forde is nowhere close to returning to the first team and therefore there would be no benefit to naming him to the final squad.
Goalkeepers and under-21 players are all automatically eligible for the squad. Otherwise, the full squad looks like this:
Ryan Barnett
Luke Bolton
Will Boyle
Andy Cannon
Sam Dalby
Jordan Davies
George Evans
Steven Fletcher
Aaron Hayden
James Jones
Elliot Lee
Jack Marriott
James McClean
Callum McFadzean
Jacob Mendy
Paul Mullin
Eoghan O’Connell
Tom O’Connor
Ollie Palmer
Ben Tozer
Jordan Tunnicliffe
Luke Young
Wrexham Announce Entries Into TST 2024
Last year, Wrexham’s first game in the States was technically for the newly-formed and wonderfully named “The Soccer Tournament,” a 7-a-side, one million dollar tournament in Cary, North Carolina. As TST founder and CEO Jon Mugar put it: "Wrexham's involvement in 2023 helped put TST on the map and resulted in our event selling out”. He’s right. Wrexham’s involvement was the only reason I knew about this tournament last year and I debated driving down for it. Now, for its sophomore season, Wrexham will be entering both a men and women’s team.
Mark Howard was the lone current first-teamer for the Red Dragons in the inaugural event, with the rest of the squad being made up of past Wrexham legends. (It was initially reported that Rob and Ryan would be playing for the squad themselves in this tournament, but that turned out to be false. Maybe this year?) The women’s competition is new and I think we can expect most of the Wrexham Women’s first team to lead the squad. The tournament will be held June 5-10th.
For tickets and more information, see Wrexham’s full press release.