Match Report

PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS: The results yesterday were not too bad and a win today should be the aim to maintain our play off chances.

CONDITIONS: Sunny intervals but cold when the wind got up.

SUM UP OUR PERFORMANCE IN ONE SENTENCE: First half performance let us down for the third game running.

TURNING POINT: Red card and penalty left Wrexham a mountain to climb, that they just fell short of achieving in the second half.

MAIN INCIDENTS AND GOALS:

Wrexham got off to a disastrous start that left them down 2-0 and a man down after only fifteen minutes. Michael Ingham was forced into an early save after two minutes when he palmed Edwards’ shot around the post for a corner and this set he tone for the first half.

Wrexham’s bad start continued and they found themselves a goal down after within two minutes when Shaun Pejic was harshly adjudged to have brought down a Shrewsbury player of the touch line. The free kick was swung in from the left where Dennis Lawrence got the only touch on the ball to divert it inside of the near post for the opening goal of the game.

It got worse for Wrexham on fifteen minutes as they found themselves a man and two goals down. It all stemmed from a hopeful free kick towards the six yard box that Ingham and the Wrexham defence failed to deal with. The ball had past the Wrexham keeper once before Bennett stopped the second effort by hand balling on the line. The inevitable red card followed and McMenamin sent Ingham the wrong way from the spot.

With Wrexham a man down, they failed to regroup and the game was really there for Shrewsbury’s taking. Despite their extra man advantage, Shrewsbury’s best chance came when Ingham failed to find touch with a headed clearance and McMenamin’s lobbed effort from a decent distance drifted wide of the far post.

Wrexham’s best chance at this point was an effort from Matt Derbyshire when he was played in ahead of the Shrewsbury defence but his shot failed to trouble the keeper.

Shrewsbury were lucky not to be reduced to ten men when Steve Hogg escaped a second yellow card for a foul on Ferguson. Gary Peters did not wait long before replacing the midfielder with Tolley to keep Shrewsbury’s one man advantage.

Danny Williams ended up in the book on the stroke of half time for a challenge by the corner flag that ended up with a Shrewsbury player rising at least four foot horizontally in the air!

Shrewsbury remained two goals to the good at half time but Wrexham thought back in the second half following the introduction of Lee McEvilly at half time. McEvilly’s presence unsettled the Shrewsbury defence with Sam Williams slotting in well in midfield at the expense of Matt Crowell.

Despite Wrexham’s promising start, it was Shrewsbury who had the first effort on goal when Burton struck the post after a decent delivery from the left. McEvilly went one better for Wrexham when he crashed a thirty yard free kick against the near post that had the Shrewsbury keeper well beaten.

Wrexham enjoyed a lot of possession at the start of the second half and the effort shown from the players made it impossible to determine that Wrexham were down to ten men.

Despite this possession, Wrexham failed to create any clear cut chances and it was Shrewsbury who had opportunities to put the game beyond Wrexham when they broke on the counter attack although their best effort, from substitute Stallard, was a cross come shot that flashed past Ingham’s goal.

Derbyshire and Mark Jones struck shots above the bar although Wrexham got within touching distance when they pulled a goal back with twelve minutes left. Ferguson delivered a corner from the left that Derbyshire poked in from close range after the initial cross was knocked down into the six yard box.

It was now game on and even more so after McMenamin saw red for a rash challenge on Walters after he was destined to break clear of the Shrewsbury defence.

Wrexham had one last chance when Ferguson delivered a corner from the left. The ball broke kindly to Mark Jones, who struck an 18 yard shot that Hart parried out to McEvilly to his left. McEvilly drove the ball back across goal that Derbyshire somehow turned it over the bar despite only being in the six yard box!

Michael Ingham came up for the last corner as Wrexham through everything at Shrewsbury but when the ball found touch from this set play, the referee drew matters to a close.

OPPOSITION: Shrewsbury played well in the first half and upset Wrexham but when Wrexham thought back in the second half they looked an ordinary side, despite having a one man advantage for the majority of the game.

OFFICIALS: Had a lot to decisions to make today! I did not see any Shrewsbury hand ball in the build up to the crucial Shrewsbury penalty and the red card for Bennett was inevitable after the spot kick was awarded. The Shrewsbury lad cannot complain either.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Matt Crowell looked good in the first half and Sam Williams was having a good game in the second half, linking up well with midfield. McEvilly just edges it because his appearance unsettled the Shrewsbury defence and gave Wrexham some hope.. His challenge on a Shrewsbury player was worth the admission alone when he simply pushed him over after the Town player had got the better of him. Classic!

IF YOU WERE DENIS SMITH: Wish we started in the first half as in the last three games our poor start has cost us as many defeats.

Match Reaction

Denis Smith: "We just didn't start the game. For the first 15 to 20 minutes, we just didn't get going, we had no defence and any ball played forward caused us problems. You will always find it difficult to get anything from a game when you are 2-0 down and down to ten men. Dean was always going to get sent off for the handball, but when they score from the penalty you are in effect getting punished twice for the same offence. In those situations, it is more of a reflex reaction; you don't think about what you are doing, it's just a natural thing to do. To my way of thinking, we should still have had eleven men on the field but then again the people at UEFA will not change things on my say so, although I'm sure all professional footballers would agree with me. However, I've got to accept officials may see things differently. At half-time we tried to give the lads focus and we could have pulled off a result. We tried to change it, but the fact is that we shouldn't have got into that position in the first place. It was a crunch game, and while local bragging rights are important to the supporters, it doesn't win you things. To me the three points were the important thing today and we need to pick up points if we are to achieve the play-off place that we all want. It is the first time that we have lost two on the trot all season, but you can't play like we did early on and expect to win games. When Macca (Lee McEvilly) came on, he gave us an extra dimension. It was a great free-kick that hit the post and he just gives us something different, although he is still not match fit." [Source: Wrexham AFC]

Dean Bennett: "It's my first ever sending off. I just did it instinctively when I saw the ball coming to me. As soon as I raised my arm I knew I was in trouble and it was no surprise to see the referee sending me off. I wish I hadn't done it, because they were always likely to score from the penalty and we then had to play on for another 75 minutes down to 10 men. The lads were obviously knocked back by those opening 15 minutes, but what I saw in the second half we played much better and were a little unfortunate not to even draw level." [Source: Wrexham AFC]
 

Gary Peters: "It was an exciting game and our supporters made it so, we had 2000 of them here today and they got behind us from start till finish and our play made it exciting as we came here to win. We had three up front and went at them hell for leather to get into front, but in the second half it was always going to be tough and you have to admire Wrexham for the way they came back with 10 men. Wrexham had the better of the second half, no doubt, but we could have scored one of two on the break but we had to withstand the pressure they put on us. I'd been cautious during the game and took Steve Hogg off to protect hi, I thought that if he mistimed a tackle he'd be off so I switched it, the same with Glynn Hurst as I thought Mark Stallard would do a good job and wouldn't have a booking. With Colin McMenamin I'll look at the video and make comments on it afterwards." [Source: Shrewsbury Town FC]

Wrexham

Starting XI:

01	Michael Ingham
18	Shaun Pejic
08	Danny Williams
06	Dennis Lawrence
12	Dean Bennett
16	Matt Crowell 45'
17	Mark Jones
10	Darren Ferguson
07	Andy Holt
14	Matt Derbyshire
27	Sam Williams 73'

Subs:

09	Jon Walters 73'
11	Lee McEvilly 45'
13	Michael Jones (GK)
20	Simon Spender
25	Mike Williams

Stats:

Shrewsbury Town

Starting XI:

01	Joe Hart
12	Ben Herd
28	Sagi Burton
25	Richard Hope
11	Neil Ashton
19	David Edwards
06	Neil Sorvel
17	Steven Hogg 40'
07	Colin McMenamin
08	Kelvin Langmead
23	Glynn Hurst 60'

Subs:

02	Stuart Whitehead
04	Jamie Tolley 40'
09	Mark Stallard 60'
16	Gavin Cowan
31	Lance Cronin (GK)

Stats:

Match Notes

Other Match Reports

BBC: Wrexham 1-2 Shrewsbury

TEAMtalk: Wrexham slump to home defeat

Shrewsbury Town FC: Town 2 Wrexham 1

Wrexham AFC: Wrexham 1 Shrewsbury 2

Wrexham MAD: Firey derby ends with defeat for Dragons

League 2 Results

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

Wrexham 1 Shrewsbury Town 2

League 2 Table

Next Game

Chester City (a), Coca Cola League 2

Wednesday 12 April 2006, Kick Off @ 19:30