Match Report

By: Mark Williams

PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS: On Saturday we had the performance and not the result but the same level of performance should see us to three points and back into a play off spot.

CONDITIONS: Damp and misty.

SUM UP OUR PERFORMANCE IN ONE SENTENCE: We lacked any threat from open play.

TURNING POINT: Shrewsbury’s goal – it was the only shot on target for the whole game until this point and Wrexham never forced the keeper into a save until the last five minutes.

MAIN INCIDENTS AND GOALS:

The first fifteen minutes was a non event with both defences on top and the opening chance of the game came after sixteen minutes when Jon Walters latched onto a long clearance from Ingham inside of the box. With the keeper off his line Walters attempted the lob but with Walters you never have confidence that he will score and it came no as no surprise that the ball ended on the roof for the net.

Shrewsbury best chance came when debutant Hurst headed a right wing cross back across the area but there was no Town player to latch onto it with the ball going out for a goal kick.

At the other end Mark Jones spurned a great opportunity to open the scoring when he latched onto a ball into the box but he got his angles completely wrong and placed his effort high and wide of the target.

Shrewsbury came into the game on the half hour mark but hardly threatened Ingham in the Wrexham goal. This was mainly down to the quality of their crosses with Wrexham just inviting pressure on themselves by allow time and space for Shrewsbury to cross into the box.

Wrexham created a couple of opportunities towards the end of the half when Ferguson delivered decent balls into the box. Lawrence got on the end of a deep cross but his header at the back post flashed across the face of goal without any Wrexham player being able to turn the ball in. The best Shrewsbury could muster was a thirty yard free kick that cleared the away end by that distance as well! With no shots on target it came as no surprise that the half ended goalless.

Why have we stopped passing the ball around and using the wings?

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Wrexham stuck with one man up front for the start of the second half, which was surprising as although Walters was winning his share of high balls up to him, there were no players supporting him and Shrewsbury were normally first to the second ball.

Wrexham’s main tactic for the second half was to pump free kicks up to Lawrence to flick on at the edge of the box. Gone are the days it seems where Wrexham got the ball on the deck to get the wing backs to the by line to deliver crosses. Saying this, Lawrence did win his fair share of headers but too often the home defence were able to clear the second ball.

The only time the tactic of lumping free kicks forward worked was when it was played to Bennett on the edge of the area as he had the better of the full back on each occasion and directed the ball goalwards with his head. This resulted in scrambles in the Shrewsbury area but Wrexham failed to get any shots on goal, let alone on target.

Shrewsbury were at least trying to get the ball played down the flanks in the space vacated by Wrexham’s wing backs and this ultimately resulted in the only goal of the game in the last twenty minutes.

Ben Herd was allowed far too much space and time to measure a cross from the right to the centre of the area where new signing Glynn Hurst steered a header home into the bottom corner from about ten yards. It was bad enough allowing the cross in but it appeared that Hurst was unmarked in the box but it was difficult to see the opposite end of the pitch from the away end, as the mist descended down in the latter part of the second half.

Despite trailing by a goal Wrexham failed to create anything from open play and Robbie Foy and Paul Warhurst were introduced up front in attempts to salvage a point. It was substitute Paul Warhurst who recorded Wrexham’s first effort on target, and he came on in the 85th minute, but his effort from the edge of the area was more like a pass into the arms of an under worked Hart in the Shrewsbury goal.

Warhurst had another chance when a ball from Ferguson played him in on the edge of the area but he slipped at the vital moment and again steered his shot, while off balance, into the arms of the keeper. Foy also went close after he came on but when Bennett lost control of the ball on the edge of the area he could only whip a shot narrowly over the bar.

The two minutes of injury time summed Wrexham’s performance up when Foy attempted to prevent conceding a throw in by blasting the ball out for a gaol kick! This was later topped off when Wrexham had a throw in deep in their half and this was played to Ingham only for the keeper to side foot the ball out of play even deeper in our own half!

OPPOSITION AND FANS: Shrewsbury had more urgency in the midfield than Wrexham despite only having two central players compared to Wrexham’s four! Overall this was a poor game contested by two average sides, at best, on the night. Their fans were full of voice with the usual derby banter exchanged.

OFFICIALS: There were a few heavy challenges tonight without any bookings and it was surprising that Ferguson got away without a yellow after another tantrum at a refereeing decision.

MAN OF THE MATCH: It is hard to pick one after this performance but if pushed then Darren Ferguson would get the nomination, as he was the only player in red who looked like creating anything from open play.

IF YOU WERE DENIS SMITH: If anything this was a typical away performance this season so the defeat will come as no surprise. Wrexham dominated play without ever creating too many clear cut chances and were undone by poor marking in the box. The formation today did not work as Walters was seriously lacking support throughout the game.

Match Reaction

Denis Smith:

Gary Peters: "Performance wise I don't think we played any better than we did on Saturday but tonight we got the goal instead of them. We looked more threatening in the second half and in the first half I thought we were poor in the final third again, we got there but didn't get balls into the right areas. Second half we were more effective and we played better but the result is what counts and we got the right result tonight. I've always seen Wrexham as a footballing side but they only way they were trying to hurt us tonight was by pumping the ball up there, we got down the sides and got crosses in. We went back to 4-4-2 and I know that's what a lot of supporters want but to do that you've got to have the right players in place, Kevin Sharp was injured for a while and that meant Neil Ashton went in at left back and we had no one to go in on that left side. It was my first taste of a Wrexham derby and I did enjoy it, the atmosphere was very good and it was a lot more heated than Chester and Kidderminster and I hope I get the same result everytime we play them. I'm trying to get more and more pace in my side all the time and the fact that Ben Herd got the ball into the and we've players in their who can finish with Colin McMenamin and Glynn Hurst, if you get the ball into them they will finish. Glynn didn't get many chances, he had one in the first half and then the second one he got he scored. In the first half I thought our quality of ball into the box was poor and told them at half time, they responded well and we were much better. The result is a big one for me as if it means that much to the supporters then it means that much to me, and I'd like to see the same result each time we play them." [Source: Shrewsbury Town FC]

Shrewsbury Town

Starting XI:

01	Joe Hart
12	Ben Herd
02	Stuart Whitehead
25	Richard Hope
03	Kevin Sharp
19	David Edwards
04	Jamie Tolley
06	Neil Sorvel
11	Neil Ashton
07	Colin McMenamin
23	Glynn Hurst 83'

Subs:

08	Kelvin Langmead 83'
09	Mark Stallard
16	Gavin Cowan
21	Jay Denny
31	Richard Brush (GK)

Stats:

Wrexham

Starting XI:

01	Michael Ingham
18	Shaun Pejic
04	Dave Bayliss 85'
06	Dennis Lawrence
15	Lee Roche
16	Matt Crowell 75'
17	Mark Jones
10	Darren Ferguson
07	Andy Holt
09	Jon Walters
12	Dean Bennett

Subs:

02	Jim Whitley
03	Alex Smith
05	Paul Warhurst 85'
13	Michael Jones (GK)
14	Robbie Foy 75'

Stats:

Match Notes

Other Match Reports

BBC: Shrewsbury 1-0 Wrexham

TEAMtalk: Wrexham tamed by shrews

Shrewsbury Town FC: Town 1 Wrexham 0

Wrexham AFC: Shrewsbury 1 Wrexham 0

Wrexham MAD: Shrewsbury Town 1 Wrexham 0

League 2 Results from Monday

Boston United 1 Leyton Orient 2
Chester 0 Oxford United 1
Darlington 3 Torquay 2
Grimsby 1 Carlisle 2
Mansfield 0 Lincoln City 0
Notts County 1 Barnet 0
Peterborough 4 Bury 1
Rochdale 1 Northampton 1
Rushden & Diamonds 2 Bristol Rovers 3
Stockport 2 Cheltenham 2
Wycombe 4 Macclesfield 5

League 2 Table

Next Game

Lincoln City (h), Coca Cola League 2

Saturday 07 January 2006, Kick Off @ 15:00