Score and Scorers

Starting Line Ups

Southend United

Substitutes

Southend United

Yellow and Red Cards

Southend United

57'

62'

Stat Attack

Southend United

Match Notes

By Alun Thomas

PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS? Like the man said, you couldn't make it up. After everything that's happened, and with the future of our club seemingly as far away as ever from being resolved, our first major final affords the opportunity for the Wrexham supporter to take a break from worrying and just to enjoy the day.

CONDITIONS? No way was it going to rain on our parade. Bright, warm sunshine. The pitch looked to be showing signs of wear, though, and several players had trouble keeping their feet during the game.

SUM UP OUR PERFORMANCE IN ONE SENTENCE? Just to be there was good ; to win was better ; to win in style was best!

TURNING POINT? I reckon it came on 66 minutes, when an incisive Southend break found their Bentley swivelling on the six-yard line to shoot. Ben Foster's sharp, instinctive save kept us in the game.

MAIN INCIDENTS AND GOALS?

No sooner had the hesitant early probing that is the hallmark of all cup finals died down than we suffered a blow. Steve Roberts limped away from a challenge and was clearly unable to continue. On trotted Pej, doubtless to inward groans from many, but he slotted in seamlessly and ultimately was not far off being our best performer. (In fact, had it not been for his goal at Meadow Lane in the first round, we might not have been here at all).

It soon became apparent that we were the stronger, as befitted our status as (just) the senior of the two sides. Some of our football was sweet although, as ever, the final ball (or lack of it) proved to be a stumbling block. Holty was almost always available in space on the left, but we seemed strangely reluctant to utilise him, preferring instead the tried and trusted option of Carlos on the right. That pothole in faraway Trinidad has a lot to answer for. It has robbed Carlos of a yard of pace and, although his silky skills are as easy on the eye as ever, the byline is no longer an option for him and his crossing on the day was poor.

Full Time: Southend United 0 Wrexham 2

Actual, clear-cut chances were at a premium, but our penetrative passing gave constant cause for optimism. Juan was in on goal but shot straight at the 'keeper whilst ignoring the unmarked Llewellyn, whose disgust was understandable. Juan, unperturbed, took the same option, with the same result, minutes later. Greed - the prerequisite of a good striker!

As for the Shrimpers - their football was tidy enough, but the feeling persisted that the force was with us. Defensively we were very capable and there didn't seem undue cause for concern, even when their Eastwood tried to, erm, make their day with a snap shot from distance which clipped the outside of a past. Foster had it covered comfortably.

Half time, as we all know, often interferes with our rhythm, but, as a welcome change, we continued in the same vein as the second period got under way. However, I felt that Ferguson's influence waned as the half wore on, and we were glad of Mark Jones's increasingly industrious and creative performance. (The watching John Toshack will have been impressed, as he should also have been with Craig Morgan). A foul on Jones resulted in the game's first booking as we enjoyed the rare luxury of bossing a game.

You're never comfortable at 0-0, of course, and we were grateful several times for Foster's impeccable handling.

Midway through the half, Holty won the ball, slipped, lost it, regained it, and through sheer determination surged to the byline to curve a head-high cross away from 'keeper Flahavan - only to find that Juan and Llew had given up on him and were nowhere to be seen. "Oh ye of little faith" as Holty might have said. Or he might have muttered something less polite.......

Southend were far from out of it and hearts were in mouths as Pej seemed to trip Eastwood in the area. The ex-Grays man, to his credit, tried to stay on his feet before going down and this persuaded the referee not to blow. Looking at the incident later on video it definitely looked like a penalty. It's a thin line and all that - Pej's life wouldn't have been worth living if we'd lost to a penalty he'd conceded!

By now we had a compelling contest on our hands. Southend, enjoying their best spell, saw Foster save from Bentley (see Turning Point) and were given encouragement by Ferguson's violence of the tongue, for which the referee moved the free-kick for our skipper's original foul forward ten yards to the edge of our penalty area.

Then we thought we'd cracked it as Ferguson's free-kick was headed against his own bar by a defender, Juan bundling the rebound against a post before Flahavan clutched the ball just short of the line.

So - there was to be extra time. There were some tired legs out there, as commentators like to inform us, and before long we saw Dean Bennett and the returning Danny Williams on for Matt Crowell and Mark Jones respectively. At this point you had to feel sympathy for Hec Sam of Wrec Sam, who seemed to spend the 90 minutes warming up - but Denis Smith got it right.

Reinforcing midfield was the key. I felt brief trepidation when Lawrie Dudfield came on for Southend - he scored against us for both York and Boston during the promotion season - but we still looked the better side, and on 99 minutes the deadlock, along with Essex hearts, was broken by Ugarte. Ferguson's menacingly-placed corner found Lawrence's head, and with a swarthy leap the Basque spirited the ball past Flahavan. Great was the rejoicing, but there was still work to be done, and we are invariably vulnerable just after scoring.

Morgan's towering presence and huge clearances gave us breathing space, though, while Lawrence's vital, last-ditch challenge on the marauding striker Gray was a pivotal extra time moment, along with Foster's save from a Barrett header.

We haven't got enough experience of time-wasting to do it effectively (we are, after all, usually chasing the game towards the end) and when Carlos tried to run down the clock he became involved in an unseemly scuffle with a defender. Carlos unwisely thrust a hand into said defender's face and was lucky that referee Brian Curson chose to flourish a yellow card and not one the temporary colour of his hair (Carlos's hair, that is, not the referee's).

A minute later, though, and all that was forgotten. Llew's low shot shot was parried by Flahavan, who on reflection will feel he should have held it. A defender hesitated - and was lost - as Ferguson, forging into the area, saw his momentum get him to the ball first to crash home. Cue pandemonium.

OPPOSITION AND FANS? Their supporters were friendly beforehand - but I was shocked to see their end almost empty before their players got the chance to applaud them. It was probably glory-hunters who hurried away. Glad we didn't have any there on the day.......

OFFICIALS? A uniformly excellent all-round performance. Well done.

MAN OF THE MATCH? Well, Darren Ferguson was officially MOTM, but he's had better games than this. I've already mentioned Shaun Pejic, and of course no-one played badly, but of the outfield players I thought Morgan's show was pretty awesome. He, and not the senior men Roberts and Lawrence, seems more likely to assume the Carey role - if we can keep him. The Championship vultures will be gathering. (Talking of the great man - one the day's many highlights was him accepting the trophy along with DF - well done, whoever organised that!)
Man Of The Match, though, has to be Ben Foster. Kept us in the game when we started to flag and his handling and kicking was flawless. He catches balls others would be happy just to get a hand to, and it must as comforting for the defence as it is for the fans to have such a capable, confident lad as the last line. He'll go far.

IF YOU WERE DENIS SMITH? I'd be waiting for my invitation from the palace! No, I'd be quietly pleased that my team had showed, on live TV, what they are capable of - but I'd also be aware that some hard rain's gonna fall between now and the season's end. From my own point of view : In an industry largely populated by oafish, one-eyed loudmouths (not you, Sir Alex) it was refreshing to see this pleasant, unassuming man enjoy his day in the sun.

POST-MATCH THOUGHTS? Call me perverse or contrary, but I felt a bit uncomfortable amongst all the razzamatazz and almost enjoyed it more in a windy, sparsely populated stand at Oakwell the previous Tuesday! Strange....... A great day, don't misunderstand me, and one we'll never see the like of again, but amid all the euphoria it all felt surreal and left me subdued, almost detached from the proceedings.

Nurse, the screens...............

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BBC: Wrexham clinch LDV final glory

Red Passion Audio Report with Mark Williams  (WindowsMedia Format)

Denis Smith: "I hope we can take this victory in to the next six games, win them and stay up" said Smith, whose team are third bottom of the League One table. If you look at our team, there are some good young Welsh lads who have not done themselves any harm here. Hopefully someone will now think that Wrexham is a club worth saving. It is up there [in terms of my managerial career] because of the problems we have had. It makes it more difficult to do. We've been banging our head against the door but have now got some reward." [Source: BBC Sport]