Rebecca Pritchard and Rosie Hughes were on target before Wrexham held off a TNS comeback to cause a cup upset and book their place in the FAW Women’s Cup quarter-finals.
Wrexham – who went into the game having lost both matches against Adran Premier opposition last season, without scoring in either game – showed the improvements in their squad since to pull off a famous win.
Pritchard – an FAW Women’s Cup semi-finalist with the original Wrexham Ladies – opened the scoring before Hughes rifled home a penalty; her 12th goal of the season.
TNS responded well after the break, but a combination of post, bar, goalkeeper Del Morgan and a resolute back four, kept the Saints at bay.
Lexie Harrison finally pulled a goal back with a minute remaining, but it proved too little, too late as Wrexham celebrated a notable victory.
Manager Steve Dale made just once change from the league win against Llandudno last weekend, as Libby Mackenzie returned in place of Mia Roberts, with Lili Jones dropping into the defence.
On the 3G surface, neither side had a grip of the game in the early exchanges until Wrexham won a corner in the sixth minute.
From it, TJ Dickens whipped a dangerous ball across the six-yard box and Pritchard arrived late to slide in and open the scoring.
TNS grew into the game, however, and Morgan parried a long-range effort clear on 19 minutes before a header hit the bar moments later – though the referee had already spotted an infringement in the build-up to the latter.
At the other end, Hughes dribbled around three defenders, Dom Vose-style, only for her shot to take a slight deflection and loop over the bar on 24 minutes. She then also saw her header saved from the subsequent corner.
That spell of pressure paid off for Wrexham, however, when Libby Mackenzie was brought down in the area a minute later. The referee waved Wrexham’s appeals away, but the linesman had spotted the foul and Hughes stepped up to rifle the penalty high and hard and into the back of the net.
The excellent start did come at a cost, a Phoebe Davies hobbled off injured on 26 minutes and Amber Lightfoot followed her off in the 41st minute.
But Wrexham still carried a two-goal lead into the break – albeit aided a brilliant reflex save from Morgan on the stroke of half-time when a low corner was miscued goalwards.
After the break, substitute Lauren McCaffrey wasted no time getting in but she shot just wide on her right foot on 46 minutes after good footwork in the area.
TNS were starting to really apply some pressure, however, to try to make their top-flight experience tell.
Morgan was equal to a brilliant dipping effort by Danielle Staley on 59 minutes, clawing the ball clear.
Chantelle Teare’s shot then clattered the inside of the post on 73 minutes and somehow stayed out as it bounced across goal, and Morgan denied Staley again in the 77th minute.
Staley went closer still in the 79th minute – her effort this time hitting the underside of the bar and bouncing down and clear.
Caitline Chapman then shot over from a 20-yard free-kick on 82 minutes, and Staley missed the target with an ambitious long-range effort four minutes later.
It took backs-to-the-wall defending from Wrexham to keep their Adran Premier opposition at bay, although the Saints finally found a way back in when Lexie Harrison ran onto a long ball and finished low in the 89th minute.
Wrexham stood firm through stoppage time, however, to claim a famous win – ensuring they add their names to the long list of the Club’s giant-killing cup teams.
Line-up: Morgan, Davies (Suckley 26), Sharp, L.Jones, Lovett, Dutton, Dickens, Pritchard, Mackenzie (Hodson 90+1), Lightfoot (McCaffrey 41), Hughes
Unused subs: Roberts, Buckley