WREXHAM FELL FOREST
The Reds defeat the Premier League side in dramatic fashion at the Racecourse. Plus: Lee to leave on loan, four first years depart, and a preview of the week to come.
There are instant classics, and there are instant epics. And the Forest match was an epic.
The Wrecap:
FA Cup:
Wrexham (pen)3 - 3 Nottingham Forest
Wrexham have waited twenty-six years to face a Premier League side in a competitive match, and when the day finally came, Parkinson’s squad were ready. Wrexham entered the match as the underdogs, but as the first half got underway, they not only looked just as good as Forest: they looked better. It wouldn’t last, but it gave the Reds the foundation to complete a monumental victory.
As expected, Phil deployed his entire first team, with Max Cleworth being the only missing regular (there were some rumors that Premier League squad Aston Villa were interested in signing Cleworth this transfer window, but Phil stated before the game that Max had been playing through a groin issue, so he was using the cup match to give the cernback some well-earned rest). Forest manager Sean Dyche — just as expected — deployed an almost entirely reserve squad…and they played like it. Don’t get me wrong, they started strong: Igor Jesus fired a dangerous shot just two minutes into the match, and Douglas Luiz scored after seventeen minutes only to see the goal be disallowed thanks to a clear handball…but the squad looked out of sync, and after half an hour, Wrexham began to break away.
Taking advantage of the disjointed, lethargic play from the visitors, Wrexham stunned the first-tier squad with a dominant final fifteen minutes. Shortly after Smith missed a decent chance to score the opener, Wrexham began a prolonged attack that resulted in Dobson putting in a challenge that freed the ball for Liberato Cacace to pounce on. He swept into the center of the pitch, charged forward, and blasted home his first Wrexham goal from outside the box.
The Racecourse exploded, but they had plenty of enthusiasm left when Rathbone extended the lead just three minutes later. Broadhead controlled the build-up and snuck the pass to Ollie as he closed in on the goalmouth. His sleek pass gave Wrexham a 2-0 edge…and it looked like it would get even better. As stoppage time ran out, Rathbone delivered a great ball to Smith, who burst out on his own against keeper Sels. It seemed like a guaranteed third goal…but Smith seemed to buckle in the moment and delivered a shot straight at the keeper to end the half. Smith’s first missed chance was excusable…but this really should have made it 3-0.
In the second half, Dyche released the big dogs. First-teamers Nicolás Dominguez, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Neco Williams all came on to start the second half, and it didn’t take long for momentum to change. Forest were beginning to look like a Premier League side again, and were wearing Wrexham down from the first kick. Shortly after the hour mark, Igor Jesus headed a Nicolo Savona just inside the goalline to bring Forest within one. Windass and O’Brien came in to relieve Broadhead and Rathbone, and powered by their fresh legs, the Reds grew back into the contest. Ten minutes later, they’d restore their two-goal lead from a Dobson free kick. The delivery was perfect, and Dom Hyam put in an emphatic diving header to find the net for the first time in Wrexham red.
But the celebration was extremely short-lived. It only took Forest two minutes to get their goal back, once again from a quality cross that found Hudson-Odoi, who blasted a shot by a diving Okonkwo on the volley. Despite this, Wrexham held the lead all the way until the final minute…when Hudson-Odoi leveled the score with fifty-nine seconds remaining in regular time. Once again, it was a Nicolo Savona assist that set up Hudson-Odoi, who this time chipped Okonkwo to score his second of the half. It was a solid goal, but a heartbreaking turn of events for Wrexham, who now really had to regret some of their missed chances in the first half.
Stoppage time failed to find a winner, so the match went to extra time. Wrexham looked tired throughout the added half hour, and Forest clearly held the upper hand, but with only four shots on target throughout the two added halves, the tie was sent to the lottery of a penalty shootout. Windass and Gibbs-White both scored in the first round, and then James McClean missed the goal entirely to start the second…but Okonkwo bailed him out by denying Igor Jesus. Doyle, Hudson-Odoi, Thomason, Williams, and Rodriguez all went goal-for-goal, putting the pressure on Omari Hutchinson to keep their hopes alive. He fired to the right side of the goal, and Okonkwo was all over it, palming the ball away and delivering an epic victory to Wrexham, their first against a Premier League team since 1999.
Whatever happens from here, this cup tie joins the ranks of Wrexham’s all-time great wins. Okonkwo, obviously, is Man of the Match, but he’s in good company. Broadhead, Cacace, and Dobson could all have earned the honor if the match hadn’t gone to penalties, but Okonkwo’s two-save heroics put him above the rest for me. Wrexham will now face a tough fight in the fourth round (see below), but the main objective for this match was never to upset Forest — it was to show how well we can play against them. Well…we did that and then some.
Read the full report from Wrexham here.
And watch the highlights here or below:
Match Facts:
Starting Lineup:
Okonkwo, Scarr, Hyam, Doyle, Longman (Barnett 91’), Dobson, Sheaf (McClean 87’), Cacace (Thomason 60’), Rathbone (O’Brien 69’), Broadhead (Windass 69’), Smith (Rodriguez 100’).
Bench:
Burton, Coady, Barnett, McClean, Thomason, Ashfield, O’Brien, Windass, Rodriguez
Goals:
WRX — Cacace (37’), Rathbone (40’), Hyam (74’)
NOT — Jesus (64’), Hudson-Odoi(76’, 89’)
Yellow Cards:
WRX — Windass (120’)
NOT — Hutchinson (87’), Luiz (87’), Dominguez (112’), Morato (112’)
Penalty Shoot-Out:
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Current Tables
Championship
Adran Premier
News from the Week:
FA Cup Fourth Round Draw: Reds to Face Ipswich
Wrexham have been drawn as the home side against fellow Championship squad Ipswich Town in the FA Cup Fourth Round. The match is currently scheduled for February 14th.
The two squads drew 0-0 earlier this season, and we are set to face them again on February 21st — the week immediately after the fourth round. Ipswich beat Blackpool in the third round this weekend, 2-1, although Blackpool’s lone goal didn’t come until six minutes of second-half stoppage time had been played, and even then came from a penalty. Ipswich essentially ran the match from start to finish.
They’re a strong Championship side, currently third in the league and just two points away from automatic promotion. Having been relegated from the Premier League last season, they were always favored to be near the top of the table come season’s end. They are a highly dangerous squad in front of goal: only leaders Coventry City have scored more in the league, so Wrexham’s defense will need to be at the top of its game. Unfortunately for us, their defense is even stronger than their offense: no club has allowed fewer goals in the league.
It may not be a second Premier League squad, but Wrexham still have their work cut out for them if they want to advance to the round of sixteen.
Lee to be Loaned
The Leader reports that Lee has requested to be loaned out for (at least) the remainder of the season. A potential move had been rumored for a while, but Phil confirmed it in an interview:
There’s several clubs that want to take Elliot on loan so he’s just getting himself ready for that but he’s not far off it because he’s back in training.
He was in the 25 and then he had a problem with his knee which the specialist decided he needed an operation [on]…Hopefully now he’s resolved that problem and it looks like he has. He trained really well [on Monday] and he wants to go and play somewhere, so we’ll respect that and give him the opportunity.
The move is for the best, as Lee needs to see some minutes in order to truly complete his recovery…but I’m not sure this loan has the same feeling of finality that Mullin’s did. Before coming to Wrexham, Lee was a Championship player. He’s older now, of course, but I think he can still reach that same quality. We’re midfielder-rich at the moment, but if he can have a successful Spring with another club, I think he can position himself to fight for a spot come next season.
That said, it’s just as (if not more) likely that this is the beginning of the end for one of Wrexham’s most prominent stars.
Bickerstaff Signs with Cheltenham Town
Striker Jake Bickerstaff, who was loaned to Cheltenham Town at the start of the season, has now signed a permanent deal with the club. Bickers was a product of the Wrexham academy, appearing twenty-eight times and scoring six goals. After loans with Accrington Stanley and Altrincham, he’s finally found a permanent place at Cheltenham.
The move is not a surprise. Jake has no realistic future at Wrexham in the Championship and needs regular playing time to further his career. Wrexham, meanwhile, need to shed some players, so this move was always anticipated, if not now, then at the end of the season.
Best of luck, Bickers!
First Years Loaned
Three of Wrexham’s newest academy graduates, Alex Moore, Rio Owen, and Tom Kelly, all first-year professionals with the club, have been loaned out for the remainder of the season. Moore moves to Colwyn Bay and Owen to Caernarfon Town, both Cymru Premier clubs, while Kelly will play for eighth-tier English club Bootle FC.
Purvis Loaned
Also announced last week, Max Purvis will be sent to Flint Town United for the remainder of the season, another Cymru Premier club. Purvis has been a big part of the reserve squad since leaving the academy, so it’s encouraging to see that Wrexham want to get him some competitive experience this Spring.
Women’s Match with Briton Ferry Postponed
Wrexham had to postpone this past Sunday’s match with Briton Ferry due to a frozen pitch. With The Rock not set to host the game on Sunday, the semi-final in the Adran trophy has been moved to this coming Sunday, the 18th, meaning the league match with Barry Town had to be rescheduled as well. That match will now be Wrexham’s final game of the first phase of the season, which will now conclude on Sunday, February 1st.
The Week Ahead
1/17 vs Norwich City
US: Paramount+, iFollow. UK: Skysports+
10am EST / 3:00pm BST
It’s back to the league this Saturday as Wrexham face Norwich City at the Racecourse. The Canaries are fighting a relegation battle, currently sitting in 22nd, one point from safety and sixteen behind the Reds. While Wrexham have scored fourteen goals over their last five games, Norwich has scored just eight; however, the underlying metrics do suggest they are underperforming. They rank sixteenth in expected goals, one position behind Wrexham, so they’re not to be brushed aside as a non-threat.
On that note, winger Jovon Makama is their top scorer with nine goals, closely followed by striker Joshua Sargent with seven, who leads the squad in overall goal contributions. Midfielder Pelle Mattsson ranks as their top player overall and has logged a string of quality performances in recent weeks. They usually lineup in a 4-2-3-1, just like Forest did. This squad should be easier to handle than the top-tier club, and after such a stellar showing on Friday, I’d expect Wrexham to play just as well against this struggling team.
1/20 vs Leicester City
US: Paramount+, iFollow. UK: Skysports+
3pm EST / 8:00pm BST
A second league match will follow next Tuesday against Leicester City, also at the Racecourse. The Foxes have also underperformed this season, currently sitting in twelfth after being relegated from the Premier League last season. It would be a shocking fall if they remained that low on the table, so if they remain three points behind us as they currently are, we can assume a determined squad of Foxes will be greeting us next week. Loanee Jordan James is their top scorer with eight goals, which is notable considering he mostly plays as a defensive midfielder in their 4-2-3-1 system. Main striker Jordan Ayew has just five, tied with winger Abdul Fatawu. Centerback Jannik Vestergaard, however, ranks as their top player with a FotMob rating of 7.30, good for sixteenth overall in the league. In a reversal from Norwich, the Foxes rank seventeenth in expected goals, suggesting they are actually overperforming at the moment.
These are favorable stats for Wrexham. Considering Leicester don’t look nearly as strong as they were expected to be, the outcome of this match could have big implications for both squads as we head toward the January transfer deadline.
Women - Adran Trophy:
1/18 at Briton Ferry Llansawel
US: iFollow. UK: Skysports+
9am EST / 2:00pm BST
As I said above, the Wrexham Women will play the postponed Adran Trophy semi-final this Sunday at Briton Ferry Llansawel. Briton Ferry are in fifth and still have a chance to hit the top four in the league before the end of the first phase, but scoring-wise, they have some catching up to do. They are sixteen goals behind the Reds, a stat that highlights what an upset a win would be for them. Wrexham enter this match as the expected victors here, and that’s exactly how I think they’ll leave it.