It felt a little bit like shooting fish in a barrel by the end, but coming out with a win over bedraggled Lewes was just what the doctor ordered after the embarrassment of Eastwood.
Having enjoyed such a fine start to his managerial career, the part-timers' efforts in the F.A. Cup represented a serious set-back for Dean Saunders, but this victory allowed him to equal the greatest ever league start by a Wrexham manager, matching the four straight wins with which John Neal started out in 1968. Okay, the opposition was poor and Wrexham's inability to take their chances worrying, but three points are three points.
With two on loan debutants in the side and a further three changes from the midweek debacle, Wrexham had an unfamiliar look and they took their time to settle, but such was the paucity of the opposition that they were still able to control the match, and after ten minutes they carved out their first effort. Angelos Tsiaklis, a busy midfielder with a desire to move the ball quickly and accurately, whose similarity to Joe Allen served to illustrate just what Dean Saunders is looking to achieve at The Racecourse, did well to feed Louis, who rolled his man and teed up Baynes to shoot wide from twenty five yards.
Opportunites remained rare until the nineteenth minute when the breakthrough arrived. Mike Williams took his time arriving at the near post, gesturing all the time to Baynes to wait until he'd taken his position, and the reason soon became apparent. As Williams peeled away Baynes whipped a fine ball into the space he'd created and Ashley Westwood met the ball with a firm header which was destined to hit the net only for Shaun Whalley to cheekily nip in and deflect it over the line, thus claiming the winnings from a bet with his manager that he'd score!
It shouldn't have been long before the second goal came: Baynes did well to beat his man and lash in a shot which was deflected but still saved by Banks, who did well to readjust but could only parry the ball into the goalmouth, just behind Tsiaklis. Then a long De Laet throw was flicked across goal by Louis to Whalley, whose free header from six yards out was brilliantly tipped over by Banks, although for the second home game in a row Whalley ought to have converted a simple headed chance and given the keeper no chance.
Lewes' only spell of danger came after the half hour mark and was down to a remarkable piece of refereeing. A ball to the left flank found Chamal Fenelon in an offside position, but the referee ignored the linesman's flag and Fenelon's lay-off allowed Thomas to whip in a cross which Anthony Barness drove towards goal, forcing Gavin Ward to parry the ball behind. The referee then went across to consult with his linesman, who still held his flag aloft, but remarkably decided to over-rule him and award a corner, from which Adam Hinshelwood planted a free header well over the bar. If either had gone in Saunders might have been provoked into precipitating a second enforced trip to the stand!
As it was, Wrexham regained the initiative with Marc Williams glancing another impeccable dead ball from Baynes narrowly wide and the half gently drifted to a conclusion.
Tabiri had already been booked, so when he lunged wildly from behind at Tsiaklis to foul him as he wriggled free on the edge of the D there was only going to be one outcome. The erratic referee got the placement of the free kick wrong though, making Baynes take it from a lot wider than he ought to have done, but he responded with his best strike of the game. Having squandered a number of free kicks in shooting positions, he ripped this one round the wall, forcing Rikki Banks into a good low tip-round the post. It was to be a temporary reprieve though; baynes again provided excellent service from the corner and Mike Williams rose to head the second goal of his career-and his second in consecutive starts-firmly past the keeper.
It was a difficult performance to judge. After the Eastwood debacle it was essential Wrexham got back to winning ways, and in doing so they allowed Saunders to match the club record for the best league start by a manager. Having said that, it was hard to escape from the negging feeling that they ought to have put six past a hapless Lewes.
