Wrexham v

Shrewsbury Town

Sunday 25 February 2007

 

Kick Off @ 12:00



The Match

The late goal conceded at Grimsby has left us back in the relegation zone and the final game of the week is virtually becoming a must win, especially if Saturday's results go against us.

The Opposition

Shrewsbury's midweek win over Notts County has left the Shropshire side in twelfth position with 44 points from 30 games but they do have two games in hand on teams above them in the table and six points from these games would leave them on the fringe of the play offs.

 

Shrewsbury are on a decent run of form at the moment with their last defeat coming on Boxing Day when they lost by a single goal at Walsall. Since then, wins have been recorded against Darlington, Stockport, Boston and Notts County with encouraging draws against Lincoln and Hartlepool plus another point at Mansfield.

 

This run has left Shrewsbury in fifth place in the form table with 14 goals scored in the last eight games with only 7 conceded. Shrewsbury have a good record on the road this season with 5 wins from 16 games and this has Shrewsbury ranked in 9th position in the League 2 away league.

 

Top overall goal scorer for Shrewsbury is striker Michael Symes with 12 goals this season but Andy Cooke takes this honour in league games with 10 goals this season compared to Symes who is on 8.

Past Encounters

Last 5 Meetings

Apr 06: Wrexham 1 Shrewsbury 2
Jan 06: Shrewsbury 1 Wrexham 0
Apr 03: Shrewsbury 0 Wrexham 1
Mar 03: Wrexham 3 Shrewsbury 3
Apr 97: Shrewsbury 0 Wrexham 1

Shrewsbury completed the double over Wrexham last season with Glynn Hurst scoring the only game at the Gay Meadow back in January 2006.

 

This was Shrewsbury's first win over Wrexham since December 1994 and was followed up with a 2-1 win at the Racecourse with Matt Derbyshire grabbing a consolation goal after the away side raced into a two goal lead after Dean Bennett was sent off in the first half.

 

Our last win over Shrewsbury came back in the 2003 promotion season when Lee Jones grabbed the only goal of the game in the final minute and this result helped secure our promotion and Shrewsbury's relegation to the Conference.

 

The head-to-head in the league is close with Wrexham edging it with 16 wins to Shrewsbury's 15 and their have been 9 draws in the 40 game splayed.

League Form Guide

Team Last 5 Games League Form Last Win
Wrexham LLLDL 23rd 24th 11 games
Shrewsbury DDDWW 12th 5th Last game

Team News

Wrexham Team News: Captain Neil Roberts and midfielder Jeff Whitley are available for this game but Shaun Pejic remains out with a hamstring injury along with long term casualties Matt Crowell (knee) and Juan Ugarte (hamstring). Neil Roberts missed out in midweek following the birth of his daughter and Jeff Whitley has recovered from illness after a course of antibiotics.

Shrewsbury Team News: Andy Cooke is a doubt after turning his ankle at Boston last weekend and this ruled the striker out of the midweek win over Notts County. Neil Ashton also missed this game following an illness but he is expected to return after playing for over an hour in the reserves later on in the week. Manager Gary Peters has hinted that striker Leo Fortune-West will start after the much travelled striker impressed against the Magpies and
the Shrews expect Steve Leslie to return following a gashed leg.

Other Games

League 2 Fixtures:

Accrington Stanley v Lincoln City
Boston United v Hartlepool
Bristol Rovers v Stockport
Bury v Peterborough
Hereford v Rochdale
Macclesfield v Grimsby
Mansfield v Wycombe
Notts County v MK Dons
Swindon v Chester
Torquay v Darlington
Walsall v Barnet
Wrexham v Shrewsbury (Sunday)

The six pointer at the bottom end of table sees fourth bottom Macclesfield entertain in form Grimsby who are on a run of four straight wins and are virtually in mid table as a result.

Both Accrington and Boston face difficult home games against Lincoln and Hartlepool respectively with bottom placed Torquay fancying their chances at home to Darlington.

 

Venue Guide

Address: Racecourse Ground, Mold Road, Wrexham, LL11 2AH

Telephone Number: 01978 262129

Fax Number: 01978 357821

Web Site: www.wrexhamafc.co.uk

Shrewsbury Websites

How to get there?

By Car: Head up the A5 towards Wrexham and upon reaching Oswestry turn right at the roundabout (An ESSO Service Station will be on your left), staying on the A5. Continue straight through the series of roundabouts to join the A483 and leave this road at junction A541. At the roundabout turn right towards Wrexham and after going straight over the next roundabout the ground is ahead of you on your left.

By Train: Wrexham General is next to the ground and there is a service every two hours between Chester and Shrewsbury. There is also an hourly service between Wrexham and Liverpool. Click here for the Rail Track Online Timetable or call national enquiries on 08457 484950.

When you are there
Car Parking: NEWI College just before the ground and a local car park just before the Shell Garage on the opposite side of the road and both cost around £2.00. Free parking is available on the retail parks by turning left at the second roundabout but do not park in ALDI or you will get clamped! Avoid B&Q as they have a maximum stay of two hours and issue parking tickets for £125 and the new Central Retail park just passed the train station operates a time restriction policy.

Beer and Grub: The Turf is right next to the Kop but it gets very busy in the hour leading up to kick off, so arrive early. The Official Supporters Club has use of the Centenary Club on matchdays and this is located behind the Sainsburys Stand with the entrance off the club car park. The Plas Coch Retail Park has a pub and is normally a favourite for away supporters. The Railway is located down the side road along the Remploy factory at the opposite end of Crispin Lane to the ground. There are plenty of pubs in the town centre and the closet to the ground is a Wetherspoons Pub by following Mold Road into the town centre and is found on your left hand side. If you continue into the town centre McDonalds will be on your left and the next pub you reach is The Horse and Jockey and opposite that under the archway is a good chip shop. There are more pubs on High Street and to find them continue pass the Horse and Jockey, passing Burger King on your left, and High Street is the junction with Burtons.

Cash Machines: The Shell Garage on Mold Road with further machines at Sainsburys and Boots on the Plas Coch Retail Park. If you are heading into the town centre you will pass a number of banks on your way to the pubs.

How much to get in?

This match is all ticket and none are available on the day of the game.

Disabled Facilities

Wrexham have 45 disabled places available at the front of the Pryce Griffiths Stand. There are 22 parking spaces and two disabled toilets with dedicated refreshment kiosks. Admission is £10 for the disabled supporter (£5 concessions) with the helper admitted free. Please contact Tony Millington at The Racecourse on 01978 262129.

Weather Forecast

Cloudy with temperatures reaching 9 degrees Celsius and a 12 mph north westerly wind.