WREXHAM striker Andy Morrell collected his fifth two-goal haul of the season at Rochdale to salvage a point after the Dragons had found themselves 2-0 down after only 20 minutes play.

Morrell (left) struck either side of half-time to take his personal tally for the season to 18 - 17 of them in the league - and afterwards claimed the Dragons should have taken all three points.

"I thought we had enough of the game to have won it really," he said. "We didn't start off too brightly and found ourselves 1-0 down and then when it was 2-0, it was shades of our home game against them when we lost 5-2.

"We were thinking it couldn't happen again but we fought back and I thought we played exceptionally well in the second half. We pinned them back in their half."

Morrell said manager Denis Smith had used the interval teamtalk merely to encourage his players. "We knew that if we kept working hard and winning the battles, we'd get something from the game," he added. "But both teams were creating chances so I suppose the draw was the right result."

Rochdale player-manager Paul Simpson squandered an 87thminute penalty when Brian Carey was judged to have fouled substitute Patrick McCourt, but Morrell insisted Wrexham had earned that break and might have won their own spot-kick when substitute Hector Sam appeared to be held back in the 18-yard box.

"Brian says it was not a penalty but I don't know and I'd like to see it on television again," Morrell added.

"It was given though, and we got a little bit of luck when it was missed. I thought we might have had a penalty too when Hector went down, but you never know." 

The result improved Wrexham's third division standing by one place, moving them up to seventh, and Morrell said the remaining holiday fixtures were both very important.

"There are two big games coming up now, both at home," he added. 

"Neither Shrewsbury nor Macclesfield are doing particularly well and are in the bottom six so we have to win them both to stay in the promotion hunt."

Andy Morrell

Brian says it was not a penalty but I don't know and I'd like to see it on television again