The young Dragons were unable to build on the previous week's victory at Shrewsbury as Stockport County gained revenge for a 1-0 home defeat back in September with a 3-1 victory at Colliers Park.

County started the brighter of the two sides, took the game to the Dragons right from the outset, and took the lead after just two minutes when their left-winger fed a forward colleague down the left channel and his centre was tapped in at the far post.

"It was a disappointing start," Steve Cooper conceded. "We tried to have a go and get back into the game but we just looked a bit tired, and there were too many poor performances."

Wrexham did have a couple of chances in the first half to get back on level terms. The first came from a deflection that the County keeper pushed up into the air and, with no Dragons' player following in, managed to pick himself up and clear the danger. Had anyone in a red shirt gambled and followed up, then it would have been an easy tap-in.

Then George Stewart got away down the right and crossed but Mark Head was a bit slow to react to the opportunity and a defender was able to get a block in.

"The second half was much the same really," Steve added. "We tried to rally them and get them going but it never really happened."

County doubled their advantage on the hour and added a third within another five minutes. But the Dragons kept plugging away and grabbed a consolation goal on 77 minutes, when Mark Head was pulled down inside the area and Lee Jones confidently slotted the penalty to the keeper's right.

"It was a lacklustre performance all round," Steve concluded.

Wrexham: Tom Bainbridge, Jamie Price, Johnny Hunt, Lee Jones, Chris Marriott, Paul Gideon (Obi Anoruo), George Stewart, Matty Hurdman (Josh Griffiths 75), Jack Jones (Rob Pearson), Mark Head, Mark Stewart.
Sub: Kai Edwards.