Score and Scorers

Starting Line Ups

Peterborough United

01

Mark Tyler

33

Xavi Valero

32

Guy Branston

18

Shaun Pejic

12

Sean St Ledger

15

Craig Morgan

16

Mark Arber

06

Dennis Lawrence

33

Christopher Plummer

02

Jim Whitley 81'

11

Adam Newton

16

Matt Crowell

18

Steven Thomson

10

Darren Ferguson 70'

03

Andy Legg

19

Andy Holt

07

David Farrell

23

Hector Sam

20

Calum Willock

30

Juan Ugarte

23

Richard Logan 28’

11

Chris Llewellyn

Substitutes

Peterborough United

Yellow and Red Cards

Peterborough United

None

89'

Stat Attack

Peterborough United

Match Notes

Dragons fight back for valuable point

By Alun Thomas

PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS? My second visit to this unlovely city since lunchtime, the first being to take my daughter to the orthodontist. Which of the two trips will be the more painful remains to be seen. This has suddenly become a vital relegation game, and with our injury and suspension problems it has come at a bad time. Look on the bright side, though. Over the last six League games, Peterborough's record is even worse than ours - and we have a new signing on display. Veteran 'keeper Eamonn de Valera (formerly Ireland's number one) has signed and goes straight into the team.

CONDITIONS? Not too cold although a strong wind blew throughout.

SUM UP OUR PERFORMANCE IN ONE SENTENCE? We persevered after a nightmare start and ultimately deserved our point.

TURNING POINT? There were probably two. At 2 - 0 the home striker Calum Willock hit the post. If that had gone in, the final score doesn't bear thinking about. And Juan's goal, on the stroke of half-time, was a massive boost for the team.

MAIN INCIDENTS AND GOALS?

Posh, the wind at their backs, were all over us like an ill-fitting suit from the word go. Defensively we were disorganised and Willock was quickest to react to a loose ball to open the scoring after only two minutes. Andy Legg's howitzer throw-ins caused us problems all game, and after one of these the ball was returned from the opposite wing for the big stopper Guy Branston to head in on twelve minutes. Five minutes later, Willock's header came back off the post and you feared the worst, but to our credit we didn't buckle and gradually eased our way back to some sort of parity, although the wind proved an extra adversary along with referee Gurnam Singh, who waved away penalty claims after Sam was bundled over heading for goal. On the half-hour Matt Crowell hit a crashing, out-of-the-blue volley from distance which beat the 'keeper but hit the post and rolled along the line - the sort that go in when you're at the top of the League. However, in the last minute of the half, a free-kick was played in, Branston mistimed his header and Ugarte blasted home.

With the wind behind us expectations were high for the second half, but it was Posh who started the second period looking stronger. Ugarte and Sam pose problems on the deck but there's little point in aiming high balls at them. Holt, as ever, was solid on the left along with Llewellyn, who was more effective - but only just - in midfield than up front. Some of our football in the middle third of the pitch was pretty to watch but the final ball invariably found a blue shirt. Juan, twice half breaking clear, shot onto the roof of the stand each time as Posh started wasting time from the hour mark. They did hit the post again, though, and Valero, blameless for both Peterborough goals, brought off two spectacular saves. After 70 minutes Ferguson came off after treatment and Green came on. Fergie had been instrumental in everything we did, and his absence might have been critical, but our sporadic attacks began to look as if one of them might bear fruit and so it proved. After a spell of ping-pong in the home area, Holty drove powerfully and low into their six-yard box. I thought Juan got the final touch although it seems to have been credited to Branston. Crowell was booked late on after a collision, and Spender came on with ten minutes remaining for Jim Whitley, whose performance tonight was desperately poor.

OPPOSITION AND FANS? Posh didn't look that bad going forward, or on the back foot for that matter, which makes our point all the sweeter. An ironic cheer went up when their fans finally raised a chant - I made it 75 minutes when we were treated to "Come on, Boro". Memo to their club, though - it doesn't do to be too greedy. Normally it's £11 to stand, and if away fans are denied the right to stand, as we were tonight, then surely the price should be held for the seating area and not remain at the usual £16.

OFFICIALS? That penalty shout apart, not too bad.

MAN OF THE MATCH? Ferguson - no question. Influential and involved throughout.

IF YOU WERE DS? I'd be patting myself on the back for hitting on a team selection that might just stand us in good stead for the rest of the campaign. The opening horrorshow apart, we defended stoutly, the fringe player Crowell impressed and the Sam/Ugarte combo looked far more threatening than Armstrong/Llewellyn. (I'd best shut up. If I carry on in this vein there'll be no place for Carlos when he's fit).

POST-MATCH THOUGHTS? Mixed, really. To claim a point after being two down in twelve minutes is a praiseworthy effort, yet it was disappointing that we had so little of the play in the second half with the wind behind us. Could have been worse, basically. And a huge thank you to those Sunderland fans (one from Skegness, one from Ipswich, not sure about the others) whose non-stop chanting was a major feature of what was, ultimately, an enjoyable contest.

Jump To: Match Stats, Match Report, Match Reports, Audio Reports and Quotes, Your View, Press Conference Quotes, League 1 Results, League Table.

BBCi: Peterborough 2-2 Wrexham

Red Passion Audio Report with Mark Williams  (WindowsMedia Format)

Denis Smith: "We were hoping to get the three points here but tonight it shows what theory does in football. You only have to look at the way that they played with two wide lads and we thought that the way to deal with it was five across the middle and a flat back four and after 11 minutes we were two down so that's how much theory goes in football. We reverted to what we had been playing previously to try and find a way back into it and Juan has scored twice inside the six-yard box which is great. Xavi has come in and done a job for me as well. He must wonder what he's come to with British football, especially when he sees the amount of ball that they put into the box. It was a testing time for my back three and we didn't handle it particularly well early on but we got better as the game went on. They'll get plenty of practice! The [Peterborough] keeper had made an unbelievable save from Matt Crowell just before we scored and I'm thinking that that is in the back of the net as soon as he's hit it. After that we've had look in the second-half and Xavi has had to make some good saves so we can't complain after being 2-0 down. We've got to look at it and say if we are going to play a flat back four then I'm possibly going to have to spend the summer working on it. Holty has been involved in the two goals, we've scored from a long throw and he's driven the other across and Juan's certainly got a touch." [Source: Wrexham AFC]

Draigfach: I thought the goalkeeper looked a bit dodgy at first but settled as the game went on. Hector seemed to be trying hard and was involved a lot but same stuff as normal beat two players then give it away or fall over. In many ways we looked comfortable as usual for three quarters of the pitch but didn't look like scoring. To be honest without Juan I'm not sure we would have. Posh were pretty damn average. I thought we did well to fight our way back into this game. I can't see how you can say we had no fight to come from 2-0 down and get a draw.

Results

Peterborough United

Willock 2'

Branston 12'

2-2

Wrexham

Ugarte 45'

Branston 79' (og)

3,048

League Table