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Match Report |
Late 'penalty' seals win for Wrexham
By: Mark Williams
PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS: Surely Wrexham will celebrate the first home
game after the court case with their third straight win at home.
CONDITIONS: Overcast and damp although the rain held off.
SUM UP OUR PERFORMANCE IN ONE SENTENCE: Lethargic but the referee
played a blinder at the end!
TURNING POINT: 89th minute penalty meant there was no time for
Darlington to respond.
MAIN INCIDENTS AND GOALS:
In a game that offered nothing in the first 89 minutes, except for
countless fouls committed by Darlington, it suddenly sprung into life
when many fans had written the game off as a drab goalless draw. When
the arguments had ended following the award of a ‘penalty’, Lee McEvilly
kept his composure and waited for the keeper to dive before he thumped
the ball down the middle for the only goal of the game.
Anybody watching the opening fifteen minutes would have found it
difficult to predict that the remaining 75 would be such boring. Lee
McEvilly came the closest to open the scoring when he collected the ball
25 yards out and sent in an rasping right footed shot that just cleared
the cross bar.
You could still sense the nerves in the Wrexham defence and these were
not helped by a mis-judgement from Michael Ingham when he tried to
shield the ball back in the area but he allowed Neil Wainwright to nip
in but his touch took the ball too wide and the resulting shot from the
ex-Wrexham player was cleared from the six yard box by Dave Bayliss.
Wrexham then won a free kick midway in the Darlington half that Ferguson
swung in to the far post. Dennis Lawrence directed a header back across
goal and Walters was unlucky when he saw his header from ten yards
striking the post and rebounding out for a goal kick.
 Wrexham lost Levi Mackin
just after the half hour mark and his
replacement Robbie Foy almost opened the scoring when he was played in
down the right channel of the area but he could only find the side
netting when a better option would have been to drive across the face of
goal.
The second half started with Wrexham forcing an early free kick
following a foul on Walters but McEvilly missed the near post by inches
after he had successfully bent the ball around a sparsely built wall.
Alex Smith had a chance when a Wrexham free kick was only cleared to the
edge of the area but he found the back of the Kop rather than the net
and this was to be Smith’s last contribution as Wrexham changed
formation.
Matt Crowell replaced Smith with 12 minutes left and this allowed Foy, who
looked lost in midfield, to form a three man strike force with Crowell
slotting in midfield as Wrexham switched to 4-3-3.
With Foy now up front he was allowed more freedom to run the channels
and one of these runs in the last five minutes resulted in the ‘penalty’
being awarded. A high ball was played down Wrexham’s right channel and
as Foy took the ball forward he was clattered into by Matthew Clarke. If
was definite foul but you could have imagined the ground’s surprise when
the referee was pointing to the spot, especially as Foy was at least a
yard outside the box!
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It wasn't a penalty, Foy was miles
outside the the box
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From Llay Dragon
Have your say |
The foul happened in the 85th minute but the penalty was not taken until
the 89th as it took the three officials four minutes to calm down the
resulting melee and as a result Darlington’s Russell and Clarke ended
up in the book with Crowell also collecting a caution for Wrexham.
During the four minute delay McEvilly kept away from the melee and when
it was tine to take the ‘penalty’ he waited for the keeper to dive to
his left and then sent the ball down the middle for the crucial winner.
There was still time for Walters to be booked for time wasting and even
when the final whistle was blown there was still more disciplinary
problems for Darlington, as their defender Joey Hutchinson was sent off
for foul and abusive language although he did have a point!
OPPOSITION AND FANS: Darlington are the most physical side we
have played this season and this is backed up by them conceding and
impressive 25 fouls during the game and this did not add to flowing
football. Not a bad turn up of 181 away fans but they will go home
frustrated after going down to a late ‘penalty’.
OFFICIALS: Garry Sutton had a stinker, even before the penalty
decision. Lawrence was booked for a foul that was not even a foul and
despite Darlington conceding 25 fouls not one of their players were
booked for persistent infringement. It got worse for Mr Sutton with
the penalty decision despite Foy being a yard outside the box.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Sponsors chose Lee Roche but they must have
been watching a different game to me. I would have gone for McEvilly as
he looks a lot sharper after coming back from his injury and kept his
composure well having to wait four minutes to take the decisive
‘penalty’.
IF YOU WERE DENIS SMITH: Buy the referee a drink! This was not
the best display of the season but the defence at least looked more
solid as a unit and the three points are always welcome. |
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Match Reaction |
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Listen to Denis Smith
speaking to BBC Radio Wales
Listen to Darren Ferguson
speaking to BBC Radio Wales
Denis Smith: "I'll take the points and run! It wasn't
a classic, but today was a day when we didn't play well, but we got a break
and ultimately the three points. Sometimes it is a break like this that can
turn the season. It was three points but to be a player with us at the
moment you have to be capable of adapting to several situations in the match
because of the way that the teams shape is being continually disrupted by
our ongoing injury nightmares. Playing for us should carry a government
health warning! From where I was, all I could say was that it was a foul, I
could not see whether it was inside the box or out. However, once it has
been given Lee [McEvilly] has done really well, as there was a long delay
before it was taken with everything else that was going on but at the end of
the day he has put it away. Big Denis put a bit of pressure on him and Matty
Crowell said that he didn't fancy him taking it. In the lead up to the
incident we had switched our formation again to push Robbie Foy up front in
a 4-3-3 and it was a gamble which ultimately paid off for us. We've done a
lot of travelling over the last two weeks and played in three tight away
games which has take it's toll on the players, now I'm just glad that we
don't have a midweek fixture in the build up to Friday night's cup tie at
Port Vale." [Source:
Wrexham AFC]
Dave Hodgson: "The ref said that it was in the box and he's going to
say that. My concern at the end of the game was that my player had been
red-carded and I approached the officials at the end to find out what had
been said. I wanted to see if he deserved to be disciplined and from what
the officials have said to me, I don't think that it should have been a red.
I thought that the foul was outside the box and I was disappointed with the
match officials. However, putting that fiasco behind us, I'd like to talk
about the first 87 minutes when I though that we did extremely well. We
dealt with them in the first half but could have played more football. We
put that right in the second half and played with more desire and it was
essential that we gave them more problems. I though that it was 0-0 all the
way against a side who had not lost at home all season."
[Source:
Wrexham AFC] |
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Match Notes |
| Venue |
Racecourse Ground |
| Attendance |
4,881 |
| Half Time |
Wrexham Darlington |
| Referee |
Garry Sutton (Lincolnshire) |
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Match Incidents |
| 85' |
Wrexham awarded a
penalty when Robbie Foy was fouled even though he was clearly outside of the
box |
| 89' |
Lee McEvilly finally
takes the penalty and waits for the keeper to dive before thumping
the ball down the middle |
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31'
78'
31'
78'
