Wrexham 0 Hereford 2
After the disappointment of the heavy mid-week defeat to Premiership giants Aston Villa in the Carling Cup...this happens! We've now lost three games in a week, conceding nine goals and scoring only one.
This would account for some of the frustration of many Wrexham fans directing their anger at manager Brian Carey yesterday. The booing at the end was a little harsh but should remind the players of last season's struggles. The poor performance was symptomatic of so many we saw last season.
We lost influential Welsh international centre-half Steve Evans to an ankle injury after only quarter of an hour. He was replaced by Shaun Pejic. The experienced Hope, Danny Williams, Anthony Williams and Done had also been restored to the line-up in place of Murtagh, Mackin and Michael Jones.
Against Hereford we rarely looked like scoring, and always seemed a little suspect at the back. In the second-half Hereford stepped up their game. The fast and tricky Lionel Ainsworth impressed in particular.
A quick break put Wrexham on the back foot as Diagouraga and Robinson combined to create havoc in the home team’s defence. Taylor was left with only defender Richard Hope on the goal-line to beat. Hope used his hand to keep the ball out initially but Taylor put away the rebound. The goal spared Hope more than a booking for the hand-ball.
Carey was booed for taking the ineffective Llewellyn and Proctor off shortly after, replaced by Eifion Williams and Mike Carvill. However the two subs combined to create our best chance of the game. Good work by Carvill on the right produced a great cross met by Eifion just yards out. Only a brilliant save from Hereford goalkeeper Wayne Brown prevented an equaliser.
Another Hereford attack with less than 20 minutes remaining eventually sealed victory for the visitors. The ball came to the feet of the experienced Benjamin, unchallenged by Hope, to smash the ball home from close range.
Apart from the threat carried up front by Williams and Carvill, Wrexham were unable to inspire a real fight-back. We're now back in the relegation zone where we spent too much of last season.
Wrexham now have two weeks until their next home game, at home to Rotherham United, because of international call-ups.Carey knows that unless his side take their chances and improve defensively then last year’s problems will come back to haunt them.
Calls for Carey to go after four games are farcical however and he needs to be given time and support. It could take a few years before we become a team worthy of contending for promotion. However, many fans just can't show patience, especially in the heat of our worst performance of the season so far.
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Bradford V Wrexham
2-1
It’s not hard to forget that just six years ago Bradford City were a Premiership club. Their all-seater stadium and large, by League 2 standards, home crowds are a reminder of the club’s size. 13,000 were there for a thrilling game yesterday.
The first half was very entertaining, end to end, plenty of chances created for both sides. Unusually for League 2 both teams were playing positive football, trying to win the game. Young players Matty Done and Levi Mackin kept their places in the side, with the likes of Steve Evans & Mark Jones who had played for Wales in midweek and Eifion Williams on the bench. The internationals might have to wait a little longer to get their places back as Mackin had another very good game in midfield and Done terrorised the Bradford defence.
However Bradford had their own very useful players in Ndumbu-Nsungu and Omar Daley. They took the lead through Chester-born Eddie Johnson who got his shot away after a Wrexham clearance found him 20-yards out. Neil Roberts equalised for Wrexham shortly afterwards. Fine work in the Bradford penalty area from the Buckley Reds guest in mid-week Danny Williams, set up Robbo’s header. Wrexham’s performance was good enough for at least a point but Bradford sub Luke Medley’s amazing long-range winner 16 minutes from time robbed us. An inspired goal no-one could really do anything about, you just had to admire it. There are much worse ways to lose a game.
A disappointing result but a good performance again. There’s still plenty to be optimistic about especially with the arrival of Silvio Spann as a Wrexham player, and a home game against Premiership Aston Villa in the Carling Cup on Tuesday.
