Wrexham AFC’s Under-18 side produced an impressive performance on the road against Bolton Wanderers, as they claimed a 5-0 win in EFL Youth Alliance action.
The visitors started the game strongly against Wanderers as they quickly established their dominance after just five minutes, as a corner from Alex Moore bypassed Bolton’s defence and drifted straight into the net.
Just five minutes later the lead was doubled, as Harry Ashfield found the top-right corner with a brilliant strike from outside the box to capitalise further on the Red Dragons control in the match.
Things went from good to even better as Wrexham added a third goal just ten minutes before the interval.
Ashfield then found Aaron James with a low cross which the defender picked up calmly, before finishing well past Bolton’s keeper to give Wrexham a three-goal advantage at the break.
The Red Dragons continued their rich vein of form in the second half, as they put the game out of sight just three minutes after the restart.
Liam Hall found Mikey Hayman with a brilliant long delivery upfield, before Hayman took the ball down and produced an excellent delivery to finish well past the keeper.
Wrexham wrapped up the match in the 69th minute, as Callum Edwards found Hayman with a smart delivery which bypassed Bolton’s backline.
Hayman then finished well into the bottom-left corner, netting a brace to confirm an emphatic victory to climb above Bolton in the league table, rising up to fourth place.
Speaking after the victory, Lead PDP Coach Nick Chadwick said: “I thought that we equipped ourselves really well in terms of our professionalism, discipline and approach to the game.
“Going to a club in Bolton that is well established as an academy, I thought that our approach to the game and the belief and the confidence that the lads showed when taking on the challenge was really pleasing.
“When we look back at the first game that the lads played at this level when they got beaten 5-0 away from home against Carlisle United, to go to a much more established academy in Bolton and to reverse that scoreline just shows how far the players have come.
“That’s not only in terms of individuals, but also the group as a whole - we talk a lot about the development of the players and I do think that technically and tactically we have improved, but their mentality towards these games and their professionalism is something we have been able to build upon.
“The players love coming in every day and they’re working hard, and results like on Saturday are key indicators of the work that they are putting in.”
Wrexham AFC: Hall (Pilkington 79’), James (Nicholas 79’), Dean, Purvis, Kelly, Moore, Cruise (Connolly 70’), Edwards, Hayman, Ashfield (Hayes 79’), Rainbird (Roberts 70’).