THE WREX FACTOR!
Rookie Ricketts’ Dragons top the early charts
SAM RICKETTS’ dream start in management continued as his Wrexham side chalked up a fourth win of the season at ten-man Eastleigh.
Andrew Boyce was sent off for the hosts after Manny Smith and an own-goal from Alex Wynter had put the Reds in front and despite Paul McCallum pulling one back, Mike Fondop wrapped up the points late on.
FC Halifax Town and AFC Fylde are hot on their heels after notching wins over Dagenham & Redbridge and Dover Athletic, while Salford City beat Chesterfield 3-2 in a thriller.
Elsewhere, the Southern League Step 4 divisions and Northern Premier League got underway, where South Shields began life at Step 3 with a 2-1 win against Witton Albion in front of 1,677.
DELIGHTED Graham Alexander praised the attitude and application of his Salford City team after Danny Whitehead’s late strike earned them all three points in a see-saw affair at Moor Lane.
Twice the Ammies were pegged back after going ahead, yet the National League North champions showed just why they are tipped by so many as a promotion contender this season with Whitehead firing home a 20yard winner a minute from time.
“It was a physical battle and we had to stand up against a powerful side and a very good side,” said Alexander.
“We gave great character throughout the whole squad and today we had to dig in to take the points.”
The Spireites started well and just six minutes in Charlie Carter got in a shot that Chris Neal did well to turn around his left-hand post.
Zavon Hines saw his shot blocked following a Chesterfield corner but it was Salford who took the lead. On 19 minutes, Lois Maynard’s pass to the right found Adam Rooney in space and he placed a low finish wide of Shwan Jalal and inside the far post.
The Ammies almost made it two within minutes but Rory Gaffney’s low drive from the left came back off the inside of the far upright.
Chesterfield, though, recovered from their rocky spell and began to impose themselves on the game. New signing Kyel Reid flashed a shot wide and Laurence Maguire’s header from a Hines corner dropped just over. Six minutes before the break Maguire crossed from the left and Hines’ downward header at the far post was brilliantly blocked by Neal.
But just when it looked as if Salford had weathered the storm, they handed the visitors an equaliser two minutes before half-time. Carl Piergianni’s backpass deceived the advancing Neal and although the keeper clawed the ball back off the line Hines was on hand to apply a close-range finish.
Alexander’s Salford restored their lead in the 56th minute as Piergianni met Danny Lloyd’s corner with a six-yard header that beat Jalal. The Ammies had little time to enjoy their lead as they were pegged back within two minutes. Hines squeezed past Piergianni on the right before pulling a pass back to the edge of the sixyard box. Marc-Antoine Fortune was never going to miss from that position and the game was level at two-each. Scott Wiseman’s first-time effort came back off a post with seven minutes left and it looked as if the game would end an honourable draw. Salford had other ideas and Wiseman tucked a pass inside for Whitehead to drill home from 20 yards with just a couple of minutes left.
Chesterfield manager Martin Allen said: “We competed and I thought at times we were the better side. We certainly didn’t deserve to lose but we have to defend set-pieces better. We will learn from our mistakes and prepare for next week.”