Tuesday, November 12, 2005
Ponton's League One West
Shrewsbury Town 3 Wrexham 1

Goals -
0-1 Reed (35)
1-1 Lyng (45)
2-1 Adggio (80)
3-1 Denny (90)

"That was never a 3-1 scoreline!" stated Joey Jones after the final whistle.

"I felt for the lads out there, because we played much better than the result would suggest and with a patched up side.

"We were so short of players that I only travelled with 13, after another one dropped out with a vrius just minutes before we left the Racecourse!

"I thought we played well and got in front through a good finish from Jamie Reed.

"Their equailser was a killer though - coming right on half time - and then they scored their third deep into time added on, as we were commmited to pushing men forward looking for an equaliser.

"Even then it came from a free kick, which saw one of our schoolboys getting booked, when I was shouting 'what a great tackle'!

The highlight of the evening though was the return to action of Jim Whitley, out of action since a substitute's appearance at Oldham Athletic in the LDV Vans Trophy area final, back in March

It was more a walk through for the ex-Manchester City defender, as he looked to stretch his legs in a competitive game and he took a couple of knocks into the bargain.

Not a match for the football purists and the first real spark of interest came on 23 minutes, when keeper Michael Jones was well placed to save from bicycle kick by Spanish-born Italian striker Marco Adaggio.

The opening goal came on 35 minutes, when from a throw in on the right the ball was stabbed through to Jamie Reed and his clinical finished saw him fire the ball low across keeper Glyn Thompson and into the far corner of the net.

As half time approached, winger Cieran Lyng got his head to a Ben Smith cross but Carrots saved well to his left. Unfortunately the ball rebound out to Lyng, who then had a much simpler task of lifting his next effort over the prone keeper for the equaliser.

On the hour mark, former Manchester United midfielder Steve Hogg fired in a spectacular overhead kick which struck Jones' crossbar from the edge of the Wrexham penalty box.

Carrots did have a let off when he came for a routine ball at the edge of his box, but failed to control it with his feet and Adaggio whipped it away from. With the goal at his mercy, he hesitated just long enough for Graham Roche to cover back, but still fired his effort into the side netting.

Marco Adaggio did get his name on the scoresheet with ten minutes remaining, as Wrexham failed to clear a Shrewsbury attack. Winger Matty Done, who had a good game on the wing, accidently stood on the ball and as the Shrews recovered possession they crossed in from theeir right and the ex-Telford striker was alone at the back post to head home.

The final nail in our coffin came several minutes into time added on, when schoolboy defender Chris Marriott, who had blossomed as the game progressed, performed what looked a great sliding tackle on Smith, but the referee saw it differently and booked the youngster!

From the free kick, Carrots pulled off a superb block to deny Adaggio, but the ball rebounded straight at the striker, who passed out wide and wehn the cross came in the Wrexham defence was out of shape and Jay Denny was free at the back post to slide home a third of the night for the Shrews.

Referee: KG Evans
Attendance: 150
Away: 5

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