Captain glad to be on right side of ref justice
By Mark Currie, Daily Post
27 December 2005
WREXHAM
skipper Darren Ferguson admitted that fortune favoured the Racecourse side
during the 2-1 win over Rochdale.
It lifted them into sixth place in League Two and for the first time this season
above rivals Chester City, who provide the opposition tomorrow.
The Scottish midfielder's superb 65th minute strike - his third goal of the
campaign -clinched the points after the visitors had dominated the opening 45
minutes.
But it needed a disputed 40th minute penalty, converted by Matt Crowell, to haul
the Dragons back into the game, and Ferguson said: "It was a soft penalty, but
the referee didn't even think about - he gave it straight away.
"I felt he stopped the game a lot, far too much in fact than he should have
done, but these things even themselves out and we've had a few bad decisions
against us in games this season so we'll take the penalty and the result.
"It was a big win for us at the start of four games in a week and it's a welcome
three points against a decent team."
Of his match-winning goal, Ferguson added: "As the ball fell I thought to myself
I'll hit this and as soon as I did I knew it was in. It was one of those that
sometimes ends up in the stand or sometimes goes into the net and, to be fair, I
caught it well.
"Overall, I thought they were the better team in the first half because we
didn't keep possession very well, but we changed the system and it seemed to
suit us better. We kept the ball a lot better, further up the pitch and I think
we deserved to win it on our second half showing."
Racecourse boss Denis Smith said the half-time change, which saw substitute Dean
Bennett take up a midfield role while Mark Jones pushed up to replace striker
Robbie Foy, had paid dividends.
He said: "People talk about a game of two halves and this was definitely one of
them. In the first half we were extremely poor and they were by far the better
team so we were fortunate to go in level.
"In the second half I took a gamble by changing the system and I think it worked
because we gave them a few problems and were on top after the break.
"We changed the system to get Darren Ferguson and Mark Jones further forward and
one of them scored, while Mark gave them all sorts of problems as well.
"It got us back into the game. Then Darren came up with that goal. It was
pleasing, even though it was not one of our more convincing wins.
"But we've been very unfortunate in the last two away games, which I felt we
deserved to win except that decisions went against us. Possibly the decisions
went for us today.
"From where I was, I would not have been happy with the penalty decision.
"But things like that have cost us six points in the last two away games.