Title races goes
TITLE-CHASING Wrexham ensured that the fate of the National League crown will be decided on the final day of the season, after a comfortable 3-0 victory over out-of-form County at the Racecourse on Sunday.
With The Hatters seeking to seal the National League title at the home of the Red Dragons, talismanic duo Ollie Palmer and Paul Mullin put Dave Challinor’s side to the sword in North Wales to take the title race to the last day of the campaign.
A brace by Palmer and a clinical finish by Mullin sent Phil Parkinson’s side top of the table on goal difference, with County removed from their position at the summit for the first time since going top in late January.
County still remain slight favourites for the crown owing to a game in hand this evening (Wednesday 11th May) against Torquay United, with Challinor’s men needing four points from the final two games of the regular season to secure a return to the Football League.
But, with County limping to just two wins in the last six, those four points look a long way off with tricky Torquay and relentless Halifax, looking to secure a top three finish, to come to Edgeley Park this week.
Wrexham will travel to Dagenham knowing that a win will likely be needed to complete a remarkable comeback from eight points behind The Hatters just over two months ago.
And, whilst County’s two remaining games to Wrexham’s one gives Challinor’s side the slight edge, few would bet against The Hatters letting the title slip through their grasp after a poor run of performances and results in recent weeks.
Defeats to Grimsby Town, Yeovil Town, Boreham Wood and now Wrexham leave County in the unenviable position of needing positive results in the mammoth final two, with only the Boreham Wood reverse one which could go down as an undeserved defeat.
Despite a bright start at the Racecourse in this top-of-the-table clash, this defeat will also go down as a deserved one against a Wrexham side who have refused to go away.
In a line-up showing three changes from the vital 0-1 win at Chesterfield last week at the Racecourse, captain Liam Hogan was recalled alongside Ryan Rydel and Scott Quigley.
Defender Ryan Johnson and target man Courtney Duffus were both ruled out through training ground injuries in the week building up to the game. With Duffus seemingly rupturing his ACL in training at Carrington, it appears unlikely that the Morecambe loanee will appear in County colours again.
Despite the eventually comfortable win for Wrexham in front of the BT Sport cameras on Sunday, County did start well in front of a sell-out crowd and should have taken an early lead.
Antoni Sarcevic saw two huge chances blocked on the goalline after striding clear through on goal, before leading marksman Paddy Madden spurned a glorious chance inside the area when opting to go for goal with the outside of his right boot and firing comfortably wide.
Wrexham, to their credit, know their strengths and know how to get results, with the remarkably long throw of centre-back Ben Tozer often causing problems inside the area.
Whilst not pretty to watch, it has taken Parkinson’s men to the top of the table in the final week of the campaign - and secured the crucial opening goal here, as big Ollie Palmer out-jumped the County defence with ease to head Tozer’s throw into the far corner.
After a stunning reflex save prior to the opener from a Paul Mullin overhead kick, Hinchliffe was called upon again to thwart Mullin from close range soon after.
If the tie had been a close-run affair up until Palmer’s headed opener, it was barely a contest for the remaining hour - and Wrexham all-but sealed the three points on the stroke of half-time when the lethal Mullin ran clean through and powered one last a helpless Hinchliffe.
The clearly struggling Quigley was replaced by former Wrexham man Connor Jennings at halftime, but even Challinor had to admit after the fact that the substitution did very little to alter the course of the game or provide County with any more of a threat up top.
Less than two minutes into the restart, a teasing in-swinging delivery by Jordan Davies was glanced home by Palmer to cap a miserable afternoon for the deposed league leaders.
Madden, enduring one of those torrid afternoons that goalscorers sometimes do in front of goal, blazed two decent openings into the stand behind the goal, whilst the unusually quiet Myles Hippolyte fired a free-kick on the edge of the area hopelessly over the crossbar.
In truth, the game was done and dusted by the time Mullin strode through on goal to make it two on the stroke of the interval, with Wrexham proving too much for County to handle on the day.
The fact remains that -
until completion of the Torquay United clash scheduled for this evening - only The Hatters can say that the title race is in their own hands.
Regardless of poor performances and results in recent weeks, with County faltering at the worst time, the simple equation is a minimum of four points from the two fixtures this week will seal that elusive return to the Football League.
Inquests into this ongoing stumble can and will be held once the curtain has fallen on a remarkable season - but for this week, all focus has to be on getting over the line any way possible for Challinor and company.
What looked at one stage to be a gallop over that line is now resembling something of a crawl.
But a place in the EFL next season is the ultimate aim, however it comes.
COUNTY LINE-UP (3-4-1-2): Hinchliffe; Keane, A. Palmer, Hogan (C); Newby, Croasdale, Hippolyte, Rydel (Crankshaw, 65); Sarcevic; Quigley (Jennings, 46), Madden.
ATTENDANCE: 10,118 (with 1,214