Notts County 1

Stacy Long 90'

Wrexham 0

 

Tuesday 09 August 2005

 

Kick Off 19:45

Match Report
Magpies steal all three points
By: Mark Williams

PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS? Interesting to see how we play on our travels after an encouraging start to the season at home against a fancied team.

CONDITIONS? Dry with a slight breeze but temperatures were still comfortable.

SUM UP OUR PERFORMANCE IN ONE SENTENCE? Wrexham dominated the second half but paid the penalty for not troubling County’s keeper.

TURNING POINT? Last minute winner – no way back for Wrexham.

MAIN INCIDENTS AND GOALS?

Tentative start to the game from both teams with the crowd falling silent with the first attack coming from the home side. The County right winger got a yard on Andy Holt and delivered a low cross that Pejic failed to cut out but Wrexham were lucky as the ball travelled across the face of goal without a County player getting a touch.

Wrexham’s first chance of note fell to Mark Jones after his quick turn allowed him to break free from his midfield marker but his dipping shot from outside of the area went narrowly over the bar. Ferguson then gave the ball away in midfield and Wrexham were on the back foot but as McMahon approached the penalty area he sent his shot high over the bar.

Mark Jones was Wrexham’s most lively player and he again sent across over the bar but with over 30 minutes gone both keepers had not been tested with a shot on target. This was to change soon after when Ingham pulled off a superb save to deny County the opening goal.

Dave Bayliss was beaten to the throw in and the flick inside was perfect for McMahon to burst into the box on but Ingham dived low to his right to turn the shot around the post. From the resulting corner Ingham was again tested as he could only palm the initial cross out and from the rebound Wilson smashed the ball goalwards that Ingham did well to block and thankfully County skied the next shot over the bar.

Now in the second half Wrexham started confidently and stopped the County attacks coming down their wings but Pilkington was not tested as Wrexham failed to register a shot of note on target.

Notts County won free kicks around the edge of the box but when County won the initial header a red shirt was always well placed to hack the ball clear. Wrexham were getting closer with Danny Williams firing a header narrowly wide from the edge of the area but moments later County should have been down to ten men.

 

I thought we were the better team in the second-half

From Prodigal Dragon

Have your say
A well worked move from the Red Dragons resulted in Mark Jones being clean through on the edge of the area after McEvilly dummied Roche’s infield pass but as Jones was about to burst into the box he was cynically brought down by Pipe but unbelievably the referee did not show him a yellow card let alone a red for a professional foul! From the resulting free kick Andy Holt blasted the ball straight at the wall and the opportunity was lost.

Wrexham continued to dominate as Jones had a long range shot that went wide and substitute Dean Bennett, on for Lee McEvilly, failed to test Pilkington after his shot from the edge of the area lacked any power after further good approach play.

With Wrexham failing to convert their chances they were hit by a 90th minute sucker punch although it did look as if Dennis Lawrence was fouled in the build up to County’s later winner. Lawrence laid flat out and the Wrexham defence were one man down with Shaun Pejic out numbered two-to-one the ball was played outside him for substitute Stacy Long to round Ingham and slot the ball into the empty net.

Lawrence did not play the seven minutes of injury time left but there was still time for Bayliss to be booked for a high challenge from behind although he could have easily been shown red for a challenge that indicated his frustration at the late winner.

OPPOSITION AND FANS? The County defence look organised and might be a good outside bet for a play off spot if they can find a striker who can bang in the goals. The crowd went quiet in the second half as Wrexham dominated but sprang into life once the goal went in.

OFFICIALS? Referee had a good game generally but got the two incidents wrong and this affected the result. Mark Jones was clean through on the edge of the area when he was brought down but no red card and it looked as if Lawrence was tumbled over in the build up to their goal.

MAN OF THE MATCH? Difficult one this but I would go for Michael Ingham as he kept Wrexham in the match and was exposed for the eventual winner.

IF YOU WERE DENIS SMITH? Start working with the strikers on scoring goals as this again cost us three points let alone the one we at least deserved. The defence again looked solid but if you do not take your chances you are likely to be hit late on.

Match Reaction

Denis Smith: "It was more than controversial; it was a travesty of justice! Unfortunately, the major decisions in this game went against us and that is frustrating. I can only work on my team and cannot affect the officials. The players are angry and they are winners. We don't like miscarriages of justices! People around the country will just see the scoreline, all they will see if that Notts County won 1-0 but that is out of our control. I thought that we were comfortable and expected to get at least a draw. We stepped on the gas in the last 10 minutes to go for the win and it went against us. They have some good players, were well organised and it was an entertaining game to watch. They will think that they are better than us, but we will see at the end of the season. We live in a country of free speech but I am not allowed to have my say. My views on football don't matter. There were two major decisions in the match, the foul on Jonah [Mark Jones] and the foul on Dennis Lawrence in the build-up to their goal. I thought that the challenge on Jonah was in the area but I didn't have the best view from where I was. Dennis was mothered but it was not a foul because the ref didn't give it. Even I couldn't have got away with that in my day! People say that these decisions even themselves out over the course of a season, and I just hope that that is the case." [Source: Wrexham AFC]

 

Gudjon Thordarson: "I suppose he was just in the right place at the right time, but mostly importantly we got three points in the bag. I said to everybody we needed to be patient. I said it would be the key to everything if we could be patient and bide our time, and it proved to be right at the very end. I wouldn't have expected us to wait for a goal that long though! On the whole, we did OK. First half, we shaded it and had the better chances but Wrexham were the better side in the second-half. That said, we could have scored when Lewis McMahon had a shot well saved and the rebound went to Chrissy Palmer and he blasted it just over the bar. I felt it was a question of what would drop our way and give us an opening, and eventually we got it. Stacy kept a cool head, and put it away well. I am very pleased for him." [Source: Notts County FC]

League 2 Table

 
Pos Team                             P  W  D  L   F   A   GD Pts
----------------------------------------------------------------
1   Leyton Orient                    2  2  0  0   4   2    2   6
2   Darlington                       2  1  1  0   3   1    2   4
3   Cheltenham Town                  2  1  1  0   4   3    1   4
----------------------------------------------------------------
4   Barnet                           2  1  1  0   3   2    1   4
5   Chester City                     2  1  1  0   3   2    1   4
6   Grimsby Town                     2  1  1  0   3   2    1   4
7   Wycombe Wanderers                2  1  1  0   3   2    1   4
----------------------------------------------------------------
8   Carlisle United                  2  1  1  0   2   1    1   4
9   Oxford United                    2  1  1  0   2   1    1   4
10  Rushden and Diamonds             2  1  1  0   2   1    1   4
11  Notts County                     2  1  1  0   1   0    1   4
12  Wrexham                          2  1  0  1   2   1    1   3
13  Rochdale                         2  1  0  1   2   2    0   3
14  Lincoln City                     2  0  2  0   3   3    0   2
15  Macclesfield Town                2  0  1  1   3   4   -1   1
16  Bristol Rovers                   2  0  1  1   2   3   -1   1
17  Mansfield Town                   2  0  1  1   2   3   -1   1
18  Northampton Town                 2  0  1  1   2   3   -1   1
19  Shrewsbury Town                  2  0  1  1   1   2   -1   1
20  Torquay United                   2  0  1  1   0   1   -1   1
21  Stockport County                 2  0  1  1   2   4   -2   1
22  Boston United                    2  0  1  1   1   3   -2   1
----------------------------------------------------------------
23  Bury                             2  0  0  2   2   4   -2   0
24  Peterborough United              2  0  0  2   0   2   -2   0

Notts County

Starting XI:

01 Kevin Pilkington
06 Brian O'Callaghan
08 Julien Baudet
20 Kelvin Wilson
17 Robert Ullathorne
02 David Pipe
04 Michael Edwards
24 Lewis McMahon
12 Chris Palmer 74'
25 Andy White 88'
16 Steve Scoffham 81'

Subs:

07 Matthew Gill 88'
10 Glynn Hurst 81'
14 Saul Deeney (GK)
22 Stacy Long 74'
26 Daniel Martin

Stats:

Shots on Goal: 12
Shots on Target: 8
Possession: 51%
Fouls Conceded: 12
Corners: 3
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0

Wrexham

Starting XI:

01 Michael Ingham
18 Shaun Pejic
04 Dave Bayliss
06 Dennis Lawrence 90'
15 Lee Roche
08 Danny Williams
17 Mark Jones
10 Darren Ferguson
07 Andy Holt
09 Jon Walters
11 Lee McEvilly 75'

Subs:

03 Alex Smith
12 Dean Bennett 75'
13 Michael Jones (GK)
19 Levi Mackin 90'
20 Simon Spender

Stats:

Shots on Goal: 14
Shots on Target: 6
Possession: 49%
Fouls Conceded: 11
Corners: 5
Yellow Cards: 2
Red Cards: 0

Match Notes
Venue Meadow Lane
Attendance 4,382
Half Time Notts County 0 Wrexham 0
Referee Mike Thorpe (Suffolk)

Other Games

League 2 Results:

Bristol Rovers 1 Grimsby 2
Bury 1 Leyton Orient 2
Carlisle 1 Peterborough 0
Chester 2 Lincoln City 2
Darlington 2 Stockport 0
Macclesfield 2 Cheltenham 2
Mansfield 0 Rushden & Diamonds 1
Northampton 1 Barnet 2
Notts County 1 Wrexham 0
Rochdale 1 Wycombe2
Boston Utd 1 Shrewsbury 1 (Wed)
Oxford Utd 1 Torquay 0 (Wed)