County firm up
WREXHAM ....................... 0 COUNTY ............................ 3
AN emphatic showing in North Wales saw in-form County breeze to a 0-3 win at play-off chasing Wrexham in the National League on Saturday, as The Hatters extended their unbeaten run to eight games with a resounding three points at the Racecourse Ground.
Following last Monday’s frustrating 0-0 draw with Bromley at Edgeley Park, a second-half John Rooney penalty added to top goalscorer Alex Reid’s firsthalf brace sealed a big victory on the road for County, who solidified their position in the top four of the division with ten games remaining.
Hatters boss Simon Rusk named a starting line-up showing just one change to the side which started in Monday’s stalemate, as Reid returned to replace holding midfielder Will Collar, who took a place on the bench alongside fellow midfielder Lois Maynard, featuring for the first time since returning from international duty with St. Kitt’s & Nevis – where the former Salford man played two full fixtures in The Sugar Boys’ World Cup Qualifying campaign.
A minute’s silence was observed prior to kick-off by both sides following the sad news of the passing of HRH Prince Phillip – and following a prematch warm-up routine in which both sides donned t-shirts showing their support for Hatters and former Wrexham forward Connor Jennings in his ongoing battle with a rare form of cancer.
Jennings was in attendance against his former club, as the ex-Tranmere man watched his current side emphatically make a statement of intent against a fellow promotion-chasing side.
Although the Red Dragons have struggled for form over the past month under former player Dean Keates, the hosts sat in 8th place prior to kick-off on Saturday knowing that a win against Rusk’s men would see Wrexham back to within two points of fourth-placed County.
The former Football League outfit have enjoyed a surge of press attention from around the globe this season following the takeover of the club by Hollywood celebrity Ryan Reynolds – but it was The Hatters, under the stewardship of their own wealthy benefactor in Mark Stott, who showed the way for the home side with a dominant performance on the road.
The warm sunshine at the Racecourse had all the hallmarks of last season’s memorable 1-2 win for County at the same ground – albeit with a mammoth away following in attendance that day.
Despite the eventually comfortable win, it was Keates’ men who started the brighter of the two sides in this one when striker Dior Angus saw back-to-back efforts blocked by former Wrexham man James Jennings inside the area.
With a quarter of an hour gone and the home side looking more likely, route one did the trick for County when Ben Hinchliffe’s long ball fell in behind for another former Wrexham man in Alex Reid – following good pressure from Harry Cardwell – with Reid flicking past Christian Dibble to give The Hatters an early lead.
The third former Wrexham representative in the County side then went close as John Rooney fizzed one over the bar, with that early goal seeming to give County some impetus in the affair.
A big handball appeal was waved away inside the Wrexham area as Paddy Madden looked to get his shot away soon after, but County did have their second just moments later.
Skipper Liam Hogan did superbly to press the hosts high, force the error and see possession con
ceded to John Rooney. Rooney found Tom Walker out wide, with the Harrogate loanee’s cross headed on by Harry Cardwell and converted at close-range by the lurking Reid.
Things almost got even better for County when Walker again breezed down the left and crossed for Madden to sting Dibble’s palms with a volley from inside the area moments later, as The Hatters continued to probe on the break.
The hosts, who saw their bright start fade somewhat as the half rolled on, saw an effort dribble harmlessly wide of Hinchliffe’s goal via the left boot of Jordan Davies, and Rusk’s side made it into the half-time interval with their two-goal lead intact.
County resumed for the second half without any changes made at the break, with top goalscorer
Reid looking to add to his tally – two for the day, and seventeen for the season, thirteen of which had come in National League action.
One of Reid’s strike partners on the day, Paddy Madden, almost had County in for a third on the hour mark when the former Fleetwood forward released Macauley Southam-Hales in on goal, with only the heavy touch of Madden’s former Fleetwood teammate seeing the ball roll unfortunately out of play in a good position.
Fiacre Kelleher glanced a near-post header off the post and away following a Jamie Reckon corner as the hosts started to run out of time to reduce the deficit, whilst Rooney saw a fierce drive blocked en route to goal at the other end.
As the hosts committed men forward, however, it left space open for The Hatters – space which was gladly taken advantage of with twenty minutes remaining.
Ryan Croasdale cleared a near-post-delivery, with the sheer pace of Southam-Hales beating captain Mark Carrington to the ball. SouthamHales raced clear on goal from his own half, with the Welshman hacked down inside the area.
Referee Andrew Kitchen pointed to the spot – much to County’s relief after the glaring first-half blunder by Kitchen in which a handball against Madden went unpunished - with Rooney stepping up to slot his first goal since returning to the side from injury low past a helpless Dibble.
Reid almost had a superb hattrick when he curled inches wide of the far post into the 75th minute, while Harry Cardwell also saw a close-range effort deflected wide of goal.
Elliot Newby and Lois Maynard entered the fray late on as The Hatters looked to ease their way to an impressive three points, whilst Sam Minihan replaced the tireless Harry Cardwell.
James Jennings almost made it a remarkable treble of former Wrexham goalscorers when he curled a free-kick agonisingly wide of the near post into the last minute, before Maynard drilled a volley over the crossbar in stoppage time.
Despite that late pressure, The Hatters settled for their three-goal haul and secured a fine victory in Wales.
Next up for Rusk’s Hatters comes an Edgeley Park double header, with King’s Lynn the visitors on Tuesday evening as the Express went to print – before the visit of Alan Devonshire’s Maidenhead Utd this Saturday, with an earlier kick-off time of 12.30pm owing to the 3pm funeral of HRH, The Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh. COUNTY LINE-UP (3-4-1-2): Hinchliffe; Hogan ©, Palmer, J. Jennings; Southam-Hales, Croasdale, Rooney (Maynard, 83), Walker; Madden (Newby, 80), Reid, Cardwell (Minihan, 87).