DRAGONS GET CHRIS OF LIFE
VERDICT: With ruthlessness at either end of the pitch from Christian Dibble and Ntumba Massanka, Wrexham saw off battling Bromley and climbed menacingly to third in the table
WREXHAM goalkeeper Christian Dibble saved a penalty for the second time in four games and teammate Ntumba Massanka opened his season’s account with a double as the Dragons notched up a third successive victory for the first time in 18 months.
But Dean Keates’ side made hard work of it against visitors Bromley, who bat- tled on equal terms for 45 minutes before seeming to run out of steam after the break.
“I thought we deserved it, especially on our second half performance,” said the Racecourse boss.
“We owe Dibbs though because he saved the penalty, which was a bit harsh. The ref gave handball against [James] Jennings when a minute or so earlier [Adam] Mekki did the same in the middle of the pitch and play is waved on.
“Consistency is the problem, but luckily for us Dibbs got down and got his big hand to the ball.”
There was little to enthuse the crowd during a cagey, barren 15minute opening spell notable only for a potentially nasty clash of heads between Dragons’ skipper Shaun Pearson and striker George Porter. On 28 minutes, however, the visitors were awarded a controversial penalty when referee Richard Hulme adjudged defender James Jennings to have handled in the box but Dibble – who saved a penalty at Maidstone United a fortnight ago – sprang to his left to turn away Frankie Raymond’s well-struck kick. Dragons’ midfielder Leo Smith, a 21st-minute replacement for Marcus Kelly, went close to breaking the deadlock nine minutes before the break, but Gregory was alert to the curling effort and managed to tip it beyond the far post. The keeper, however, was let down by his defence two minutes after the restart, a lack of concentration and slack marking allowing Massanka to head home from a Jennings cross. Alex Reid surged into the penalty area to hit a fierce drive that Gregory did well to turn over the bar as the home side began to get into their stride and another Wrexham opportunity went begging on 64 minutes, Sam Wedgbury blasting high and wide. But Massanka raced onto Rutherford’s through-ball to make the game safe on 72 minutes and Ravens’ boss Neil Smith was left to rue what might have been. “If we had scored the penalty in the first half I think it would have been a totally different game,” he said. “We played really well in the first half, but their early goal in the second half put us on the back foot.”