Wrexham progressed to the quarter final of the FA Trophy for the fourth time with a confident win over in-form Boreham Wood before a club record home crowd for the competition.
Wrexham progressed to the quarter final of the FA Trophy for the fourth time with a confident win over in-form Boreham Wood before a club record home crowd for the competition.
Phil Parkinson made three changes from the side which lost 1-0 at Torquay last Saturday. Callum McFadzean came in for his debut, with Jordan Davies returning from his COVID lay-off and Dan Jarvis making his first start since he was injured against Bromley.
The opening stage were scrappy as the strong wind and biting cold hardly lent itself to a display of samba football. Jacob Mendy had the first meaningful effort of the match, latching onto a loose ball after Jamie Reckord’s long throw and lashing in a fierce shot which was well-blocked.
Wrexham’s first threatening moment came when a Reckord back pass was hurriedly stabbed away into midfield, where Davies made an excellent interception and drove forwards before lashing a wicked 25-yarder just over the bar.
That effort was a warning of what was to come though, as within a minute Wrexham were ahead. The goal was made possible by a superb piece of awareness from Max Cleworth, who saw the chance to create an overload on the left, stepping up into midfield and, when he received the ball from Ben Tozer, flicking it cleverly on to McFadzean. He lofted a cross invitingly to the far post, where Ollie Palmer’s cushioned header drifted over the keeper and inside the far post.
Boreham Wood thought they’d struck back swiftly when Danilo Orsi prodded home, but the ball had ricocheted off ex-Wrexham striker Scott Boden, who was standing in an offside position. Within minutes the visitors would be frustrated again as Wrexham doubled their lead.
A forwards pass by McFadzean was perfectly weighted for Davies who, in a similar manner to his previous effort, ran onto the ball and smashed it sensationally into the top left corner. Practise makes perfect!
There was nearly another copy-cat moment when Tozer did well on the left to float a cross to the far post, where Palmer came close to replicating his opener, but his header hit the outside of the near post.
Boreham Wood continued to pursue a goal energetically, but the Wrexham defence saw the half out solidly, and Luke Young nearly conjured up a bonus in the second minute of added time when he fizzed an early ball in from the left flank which left Jarvis with just too much to do as he tried to control the ball in front of the exposed goalkeeper.
Wrexham started the second period on the front foot, with a Tozer throw causing a scramble in the goalmouth, and another throw from the Wrexham skipper nearly brought a third goal when it was headed to the edge of the box: O’Connor nodded it down t Palmer, who flicked it over his man before blasting a shot from 15 yards which whistled just wide of the far post.
The Wood really ought to have pulled a goal back when a long ball into the box was nodded down by David Stephens to Tyrone Marsh, who looked to cushion the ball beyond Rob Lainton but also placed it beyond the post.
The half played out with Wrexham’s defence again looking very solid, and the incisive attacking play tended to come from the home side. Palmer burst down the right and fed Jarvis, whose cut backheel nearly teed Bryce Hosannah up for a tap-in, and late substitute Dior Angus was nearly sent clear by a clever Davies pass.
The final goal came as the match enter added time. A corner was cleared to Reese Hall-Johnson, whose exquisite cross was glanced home by the head of Aaron Hayden.
Marsh had a volley easily held in the closing moments by Lainton, but a clean sheet was the final reward for Wrexham after a confident, composed performance.
WREXHAM: Lainton, Hosannah, Hayden, Tozer, Cleworth, McFadzean (Hall-Johnson 67), O’Connor, Young, Davies, Jarvis (Angus 80), Palmer. UNUSED SUBS: Dibble, McAlinden, Ponticelli.
BOREHAM WOOD: Ashby-Hammond, Reckord, Ricketts (Rees 65), Evans, D Stephens, Boden (Lewis 77), Marsh, Raymond, Mendy, K Smith, Orsi (Clifton 71). UNUSED SUBS: Roach, C Smith, Ranger.
Referee: James Marsden
YELLOW CARDS:
Wrexham –
Boreham Wood – Boden (dissent, 43)
RED CARDS:
Wrexham –
Boreham Wood -
Attendance: 3,444 (Away fans: 44)