Youth Alliance - League Cup - First Round
The young Reds suffered a disappointing League Cup defeat to Hull City at a breezy Colliers Park, but it was a game that we dominated for much of the 90 minutes without really taking advantage of the chances that came our way, especially in the first half.
From an impressive opening spell from the home side, striker Nick Rushton flicked a header wide from a long throw by Declan Walker while at the other end Reds keeper Tom Bainbridge was forced to race from his goal to bravely head clear.
Against the run of play it was the visitors who stole in front on 12 minutes as a long ball saw the impressive Mark Cullen outpace the Wrexham rearguard and he showed his class to produce a calm finish, from 10 yards out, which went across Bainbridge and into the far bottom corner of his net.
Within minutes Rushton had the ball in the Tigers net but his effort was ruled out for offside and while the Premiership visitors were generally on the back foot, Cullen put a header wide from a dangerous position.
On 34 minutes, the scores were level; Walker's long range cross-cum-shot was deflected wide for a corner, with Rushton desperately trying to reach the ball at the far post, but, from Ed Moss' flag kick, central defender Leon Clowes rose the highest in a crowded penalty area to power his header home from a few yards out.
Within a minute, Louis Moss thumped the Hull crossbar from fully 25 yards and soon after Rushton had a low shot which beat Bill Ward in the City goal from a tight angle but rolled agonisingly wide of his far post.
After we had dominated much of the first period, the second was more even as the drizzle started to fall. We had an appeal for a penalty rejected by the referee when the ball struck the hand of one of the visiting defenders but within five minutes, the visitors were ahead.
Midfielder Dean Beadle's cross to the near post saw Cullen, the best player on the pitch, steal in between a Reds defender and the goalkeeper from where he headed home.
With seven minutes left, the visitors made the game safe when Cullen's shot from an angle beat Bainbridge, however, the ball was hacked clear off the line by Clowes but, unfortunately, whacked back off Connor Townsend, who was a couple of yards out, and the linesman ruled that the ball had crossed the line this time.
Five minutes later, the young Dragons reduced the arrears from a right-wing Aaron Malton corner which Clowes jack-knifed to flick-on and Walker headed home from virtually on the goal-line.
In time added on, Rushton, at full stretch, didn't quite manage to get proper contact with his head on the end of a cross from the left wing and The Tigers progressed to round two.
Wrexham: Tom Bainbridge, Declan Walker, Rob Pearson, Aaron Malton, Leon Clowes, Josh Marsh, Ed Moss, Brian Summerskill (John Jones 78), Nick Rushton, Jordan Kane, Louis Moss (James Colbeck 67).
Subs: Liam Shipton, Andy Leach, Jack Deaman.
