Wrexham 1-2 Hull

Match Report

I did not go to this one, as I have chosen to go to West Bromwich on Saturday. Instead, I watched this from home.

After defeats to Ipswich and Millwall (two fellow play-off contenders) this game became one of the most important of the season, and it was a vital win. If we had lost, Wrexham would have overtaken us in the league and taken a three-point advantage, with a game in hand. We would have slid into sixth. One moment we were a couple of points outside the automatics; now we are fighting to stay in the top six.

Wrexham are unbeaten in their last five, winning four and drawing one, as they begin their charge into the play-offs. They also gave Chelsea a run for their money in the FA Cup tie on Saturday, making it difficult for the World Club Champions to progress as they took them to extra time. They were going to be a test, but if we had any chance, it would be away from home.

Sergej made further alterations to the starting eleven as he struggles to find a set line-up he is confident in. Out went Ajayi, Lundstram, Joseph and Coyle; in came McNair, Koumas, Amir and Egan. That meant, in our typical away 3-4-2-1 formation, we lined up as follows: Pandur between the poles; Egan, McNair and Hughes as the back three, with Millar and Drameh down the flanks; Amir and Slater as defensive midfielders; Gelhardt and Koumas in the middle; with McBurnie leading the line.

It was a slow start to the game as both teams took time to find their feet. The first real sign of danger came from us in the 20th minute. Drameh cleverly intercepted a loose pass from their player and drove towards goal before his goal-bound strike deflected over the bar and went out for a corner. We had a strong spell after this as we tried to break down Wrexham’s back line, which held up well. We should have capitalised on this as we had them on the ropes, but despite holding the ball, we did not pose much of a threat.

To highlight our dominance: in the first 25 minutes we had four shots to their zero and 53% of the possession, but had nothing to show for it. The home side were very sloppy as they struggled to settle. Their only good chance came in the 28th minute from a counterattack. They caught us lacking numbers at the back and, with Longman (formerly of our parish) on the ball, he passed it through to Windass, whose shot from the edge of the box forced a great parry from Pandur.

We took the lead out of the blue in the 40th minute. We were awarded a controversial free kick from a shootable position after Hughes was taken to the ground following a collision with Doyle. Gelhardt was the man behind the ball, and from the right-hand edge of the box he beautifully curled the ball into the top-right corner. The first set piece we have scored this season. Lovely stuff.

Two minutes later we won a penalty after our goalscorer was taken down in the box by their player before he could get his shot off. The build-up was excellent after some intricate one-two passes on the edge of the box. Gelhardt was given the responsibility, but his strike towards the bottom right corner was saved by Okonkwo, their keeper. Would this come back to haunt us at the end of the game?

We did continue to apply the pressure and did not let the miss affect our momentum. We kept hold of the ball and dominated, but Wrexham made it difficult for us as they parked the bus and were desperate for the whistle. They did not play well in the first half, mostly because we did not allow them to have any of the ball. We also outperformed them and executed our game plan well. They certainly had to step up in the second half. But if they had been keeping track of our record, they would know they have a better chance of beating us as we are more vulnerable when leading matches. Nevertheless, we headed into the second half with the lead.

The Hollywood Fairytale stars came out of the blocks much quicker than us, trying hard to find a way back into the game. But, like the first goal, we doubled our lead virtually out of nothing. We had a counterattack which resulted in a corner. The ball was crossed too deep and Millar collected it on the left flank. He recycled it back into the box, and Koumas’ glancing header was guided into the far corner of the net. After this, we stepped up the gears and pressed for more.

But the next goal came from the home side, not us, in the 76th minute. A one-two on the right side freed up Kabore, who sent an accurate ball into the box which fell to an unmarked Broadhead to slot into an open net. The dynamics suddenly changed after this as Wrexham started putting up a fight. It was squeaky-bum time.

The pressure was relentless from Wrexham as they fought hard to get an equaliser. They were forcing corners and putting us on the back foot. Five minutes were added and we had to keep our composure and stay tight at the back. We managed to hold them off, securing the three points.

That was a massive win, and I now feel a sense of regret for not going. It was a solid performance and made up for those two recent defeats. We just have to continue this into Saturday when we face 22nd-placed West Bromwich.