Moore and Ashfield Power Wrexham
Ahead of the transfer deadline this Sunday, Wrexham earn their first point in the league and advance in the EFL Cup.
It’s transfer deadline weekend - but how many more changes are coming to North Wales?
The Wrecap:
Wrexham AFC 2 - 2 Sheffield Wednesday
A positive feeling seemed to wash over the Racecourse on Saturday, long before a player put boot to ball. That’s not commonplace for Sheffield Wednesday these days, as their fans rally and protest against owner Dejphon Chansiri, demanding he sell the club. They plan to wear older black and gold kits to accompany the slogan “black and gold until we’re sold” in protest until a sale is made. They have good reason. After numerous regulation violations, the club was under a transfer embargo until earlier this month, but it still can’t register anyone until Chansiri demonstrates he can pay his players. This stipulation comes after Wednesday spent periods of the Spring unable to pay the squad (which contributed to Josh Windass’ exit). Many pundits had already marked them for relegation before the season began.
When Wednesday fans initially asked Wrexham’s permission to display a large protest banner in the away end of the Racecourse, the club refused. But they reversed their decision, and allowed the banner…but Rob Mac doubled down on the sentiment by tweeting: “There are 10k more [Wrexham 24/25] gold shirts available. The profits from any gold shirt purchased between now and Monday will go to Sheffield Wednesday ST #upthetownS.” All of this led to a Racecourse adorned in last year’s black and gold kits, being sold outside the stadium by the handful, and multiple chants of “Black and gold until it’s sold” throughout the game by both Wednesday and Wrexham fans alike.
Wrexham did right by Wednesday, a storied club that finds itself in a position not dissimilar from where Wrexham were when Rob and Ryan entered the picture. But the profits from the gold kits would not be the only gift Wrexham handed to Wednesday on Saturday. No, no…they would also bestow on them two goals and a point on the table.
After a dominant first half in which Wrexham owned possession, momentum, and chances…they completely threw the game away in the second half. Kieffer Moore sent the Wrexham faithful into exultations with his first two goals for the club, and nearly made it a hat trick on two different occations: the first being stopped by a good block and the second saved - inadvertently - by Max Cleworth’s back. Still, the mood was very much that Wrexham were coasting to their first victory of the season…and then the second half began.
There’s no other way to put it: the roles were completely reversed in the second half. Wednesday dominated play practically from the first kick, putting immense pressure on keeper Danny Ward, who was peppered by five shots before Wrexham summer target Barry Bannan finally got the best of him. Bannan got the best of everyone in red, to be honest. He had 98 touches throughout the match and seemed to be involved in almost every kick of the ball. But his goal was well-taken, even though the Wrexham defense appeared to balk at what they perceived as a foul…but there was no whistle, and the defense let Ward down. But then at 80’, Sheffield orchestrated nearly an identical play that resulted in the equalizer. This time, the blame fell on Ward’s shoulders.
But in the grand scheme of things…Danny’s not to blame for the draw. Ward was significantly stronger than last week on the whole, and after the first goal, Wednesday had new life in them, and Wrexham seemed to be shaking. They were too cagey, too restricted, and seemed to lack confidence — all of which led to chance after chance after chance that Ward stood tall against…but no keeper can keep that up forever. At home on the couch, it felt like that second goal was an inevitability. The Reds got themselves together for a promising push towards the end, but that only resulted in Wednesday getting the ball back in the dying seconds, pressing Ward with a three-on-one effort to find the winner, but Ward saved it and bought Wrexham their first point in the Championship.
But they should have had all three. As it is, both Wrexham and Wednesday walk away with a lone point, and given the general story of the day, maybe that’s for the best. Moore is certainly Wrexham’s Man of the Match, but Bannan takes it for the match itself. Now the club must find a way to regroup for much stiffer competition at Millwall next weekend.
Read the full report from Wrexham here.
And watch the highlights here or below:
Match Facts:
Starting Lineup: Ward, Cleworth, Coady, Brunt, Longman, Dobson, M. James, O’Brien, McClean, Broadhead (Smith 67’), Moore (Hardie 76’).
Bench: Okonkwo, Doyle, O’Connell, Mendy, Barnett, Lee, Ashfield, Smith, Hardie
Goals:
WRX — Moore(15’, 31’)
SHW —Bannen (63’), Cadamarteri(81’)
Yellow Cards:
None
EFL Cup:
Preston North End 2 - 3 Wrexham AFC
Wrexham are through to the third round of the Carabao Cup and, once again, it’s thanks to some stoppage time heroics…but not by Ollie Palmer, who was voted Player of the Round for Round One. Palmer was conspicuously absent from the matchday squad, furthering suspicions that he’s about to be transferred. Instead, Smith and Hardie were up front as Phil rolled out a mostly reserve squad that was highlighted by Callum Doyle’s debut, Okonkwo in goal, and Harry Ashfield in midfield.
The game began at a blistering pace, with a goal apiece scored in the opening eleven minutes. Preston’s Dobbins opened the scoring with a beauty of a goal that Okonkwo couldn’t have saved, before Hardie turned in an equally eye-catching equalizer from the far corner of the box. Wrexham held the momentum after that, but Preston found the net again just after the half-hour mark.
But Wrexham’s Harry Ashfield equalled things up after fifteen minutes in the second half, a half where Wrexham once again looked like a different team than they did in the first half…a troubling pattern, to say the least. Ashfield’s goal took a heavy deflection on its way to the net, but hey, they all count, and this was the promising young midfielder’s second for his hometown club. By the time the game wrapped up, Phil brought on the big guns off the bench, and that injected new life into the squad. They reclaimed their first-half form by the stoppage time, and finally, after consistent and sustained pressure, a cross from Barnett came out of keeper Walton’s hands in front of Kieffer Moore…who simply could not miss. The ball fell to his feet inches in front of the goal…and he softly tapped it in to score the winner.
The EFL Cup may not be the most prominent cup competition in the world, but so far Wrexham have made it a fun watch…and now they’ve made it to the third round for the first time since 1981. The draw will take place tomorrow, after the final round two match between Grimsby and Manchester United (best of luck, Grimsby). As for Man of the Match, it has to be Ashfield for me. The boy has been goal hungry in all his appearances throughout the preseason and in the first round of the cup, and he was stellar again today. But Doyle’s debut shouldn’t go unpraised, which included an assist for Hardie’s first equalizer. He looked solid back there, like he’s played with the club for months. He was likely taken off early just to work up his minute count, so don’t be shocked if he’s on the bench for Saturday’s game against Millwall.
Read the full report from Wrexham here.
And watch the highlights here or below:
Match Facts:
Starting Lineup: Okonkwo, O’Connell, Scarr, Doyle (Brunt 61’), Barnett, Ashfield (O’Brien 79’), Evans (Dobson 61’), Lee, Mendy (Longman 61’), Hardie, Smith (Moore 79’)
Bench: Burton, Cleworth, Brunt, O’Brien, Dobson, McClean, Longman, A.James, Moore
Goals:
PNE — Dobbins (7’), Lindsay (32’)
WRX — Hardie (11’), Ashfield (59’), Moore (90+2’)
Yellow Cards:
PNE — Vukcevic (82’)
WRX — Lee (85’)
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Current Tables
Championship
News from the Week:
Wrexham Sign Callum Doyle
As hinted at in last week’s Wreader, Wrexham signed 21-year-old Manchester City centerback Callum Doyle to a four-year contract for a transfer fee of £5.8 million. The young defender is a statement signing. Not only is the prime of his career firmly in front of him, but he comes packed with Championship experience - 158 games of it, to be precise, winning the league while on loan with Leicester City in 2024. He has also played for England’s U21 squad.
Doyle was on the bench for Saturday’s match with Sheffield Wednesday, but did not enter the game. I suspect that’s only due to his last-minute signing, however. My bet is Doyle quickly becomes our regular left centerback and stays there for the majority of league matches.
Jack Marriott Transferred
The club announced yesterday that striker Jack Marriott had been transferred to Reading on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Marriott joined in January of 2024 and started last season on a tear, poised to become Wrexham’s go-to front man before a broken leg sustained in training sidelined him until the Spring. Overall, he scored seven goals for the Dragons across forty-eight appearances, his most recent match coming in the EFL Cup against Hull City, which will make him ineligible to play for the competition at Reading. Jack has the chance to be a regular face at Reading, an opportunity that had likely passed at Wrexham thanks to our influx of higher-caliber strikers, so the move will certainly be to his benefit. Best of luck, Jack!
New Academy Scholarships Announced
Wrexham’s academy added thirteen new players to the U18 squad this week. You can read about them all in the press release, but their names are:
Lennon Biggs - Striker previously in the Wolverhampton Wanderers academy
Connor Thorley - Has been with Manchester United since age 8.
Wesley Graham - Striker previously in the Wolverhampton Wanderers academy
Henry Jones - Previously with rivals Shrewsbury
Julian Widecki-Estima - Previously with rivals Shrewsbury
Harry Wakenshaw - Previously in the Sunderland academy.
Carrick Murphy - Previously in the Stoke City academy
Kian Nolan - Previously with rivals Shrewsbury
Louie May-Hawkins - Promoted from the U16s
Dan O'Keefe - Promoted from the U16s
Jake Hall - Promoted from the U16s
Jac Jones - with Wrexham since he was 9.
Thomas Watkin - Wrexham native and son of Club legend Steve Watkin
The Week Ahead
8/30 at Millwall
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When Wrexham play eighth-place Millwall on Saturday, we’ll likely see an old friend: Macaulay Langstaff, formerly of Notts County fame. He mostly features off the bench for Millwall, as Mihailo Ivanovic is the first-choice striker. It’s who they’ll be without that's really notable: star midfielder Alfie Doughty, who, like our star midfielder Josh Windass, will be out with a hamstring injury. Of course, they’ll have the home crowd to boost them up, but I think Wrexham stands a decent chance here. Millwall have already suffered a heavy league defeat to Middlesbrough and have scored two fewer goals than us. If Wrexham can shake off whatever their second-half issues have been, this weekend could see us head home with all three points…but don’t expect it to be a cake walk by any means.
Rumor Round Up
Only five days left until the summer transfer window slams shut.
Palmer’s Suitors?
It seems like a given that Ollie Palmer will be departing the club before the deadline…but where? There are all sorts of reports out there, but five names keep reappearing in the last week: Sheffield Wednesday (although making this a reality requires Dejphon Chansiri to show the funds to pay him and…well, everyone else on his squad), Bristol Rovers, Crawley Town, Cambridge United, and Salford City. Previously, his old club, AFC Wimbledon, seemed to be the front-runners.
Any other changes before Sunday’s deadline?
Phil spoke a little about his remaining plans for the summer earlier this week, offering:
The squad is decent as it stands, but we will have a chat as a staff and decide one or two players may be going and one or two may be coming in. — It might be some extra bodies in to make sure we've got options to freshen a team up during a game, and things tactically we'll look at
Personally, I think we may see one or two more players ushered out the door (at least one named Ollie Palmer) and possibly a few short-term options to cover depth. After all, early injuries have played a big part in Phil’s plans. Windass and Rathbone should return in the next month or so, but their time away from the squad is a huge blow.
The transfer tracker is back! Throughout the summer, I’ll keep a rolling summary of Wrexham’s comings and goings at the end of each newsletter.
Updates this week:
Callum Doyle »» Signed through the 2028/29 Season
Jack Marriott »» Transferred to Reading FC
Arrivals
Ryan Hardie »»» Signed through the 27/28 season
Danny Ward »» Signed through the 26/27 season
Liberato Cacace »» Signed a three-year deal
George Thomason »» Signed a three-year deal
Josh Windass »»» Signed through the 27/28 season
Lewis O’Brien »»» Signed through the 27/28 season
Conor Coady »» Signed through 26/27 season with an option for 27/28
Kieffer Moore »» Signed through 27/28 season
James McClean »» Extended through the 26/27 season
Nathan Broadhead »» Signed through the 28/29 Season.
Callum Doyle »» Signed through the 2028/29 Season
Departures
Mark Howard »»» Joined Salford City on an undisclosed contract
Steven Fletcher »»» Currently a free agent
Josh Adam »»» Joined C. Budejovice
Jordan Davies »»» Currently a free agent
Harry Dean »»» Currently a free agent
Brad Foster »»» Joined Scotland’s Ross County on a 2-year contract.
Liam Hall »»» Currently a free agent
Sam Dalby »»» Joined Bolton Wanderers on a 4-year contract
Paul Mullin »»» Loaned to Wigan Athletic for the 25/26 season
Will Boyle »» Transferred to Shrewsbury Town
Luke McNicholas »» Transferred to Forest Green Rovers
Luke Bolton »» Transferred to Mansfield Town
Jake Bickerstaff »» Loaned to Cheltenham Town for the 25/26 season
Mo Faal »» Loaned to Port Vale for the 25/26 season
Seb Revan »» Loaned to Burton Albion for the 25/26 season
Jack Marriott »» Transferred to Reading FC
Known Offers
James Rainbird (pending recovery)Tom Cairney - Extended at Fulham
Rumored Interest
Jamie Vardy - Rumored to be joining Inter Miami in MLS
Tom Lawrence
Charlie Savage
Sunusi Ibrahim
Myles Peart-Harris
Danny Ings - The latest rumor is that Liverpool is interested
Stuart ArmstrongNathan Broadhead - Ipswich won’t sell.Christian Eriksen - Officially rejected Wrexham’s bid.Aaron Cresswell - Signed with Stoke CityBen Davies - Extended with TottenhamBarry Bannan - Extended at Sheffield Wednesday
Owen Beck Michael Keane - Extended at EvertonAshley Young - Signed for Ipswich TownJayden Carbon »» Signed for MiddlesbroughCallum Wilson »» Signed for West Ham