All the talk since the Altrincham game of Wrexham's away form letting them down melted away after this terrific showing at the league leaders. Salisbury came into the game on a run of four consecutive wins, threw the kitchen sink at Gavin Ward's penalty area for the first twenty minutes, but ultimately were utterly outclassed as Wrexham did a heck of a convincing impersonation of serious contenders.
Yet that opening period could have taken the game completely away from them. Salisbury are a long ball team and for the first twenty minutes the game was played totally on their terms. With Andy Sandell an effective target man-the first one we've come across this season who has been able to trouble Darran Kempson and Steve Evans in the air,
Wrexham were hardly helped when Nat Brown, back in the side to provide some height and strength in midfield, pulled up in the first ten minutes with a pulled groin. He was replaced by Levi Mackin who made a disasterous start. Immediately after his introduction he received the ball on the edge of the Wrexham box, dallied, and was caught in possession by Matt Tubbs, whom he tripped a foot outside the box. Sandell made him pay for his error, drilling the free kick into the wall, where it took a wicked deflection off Wes Baynes and flew inside the left post with Ward committed in the other direction.
Salisbury were enjoying easy possession in Wrexham's half, so they were able to deliver the sort of service they wanted to their strikers. A couple of minutes after the goal Tubbs could have made it two when he ran to the edge of the box and hit a curling shot into the side-netting. The usually solid Simon Spender and Carl Tremarco were struggling while Wrexham's midfield, penned in on the edge of the area were unable to get any meaningful possession.
However, the home side failed to take advantage of their advantage, and slowly things began to turn around, especially on the wings. Wes Baynes started to make inroads down the right, working a neat 1-2 with Simon Brown to go clear, but his shot was hurried by Jon Bass' challenge and James Bittner saved sharply low to his
Substitutions:
Wrexham
Mackin for N Brown 8
Aiston for Louis 82
G Evans for Baynes 84
(UNUSED SUBS: A Williams, Smith)
Salisbury
Matthews for Sandell 61
Bartlett for Clarke 61
Griffin for Bass 78
(UNUSED SUBS: Dutton, Sangare)
Yellow Cards:
Wrexham
Whalley
Salisbury
Matthews, Tubbs
Red Cards:
-
right. More significantly though, on the other Shaun Whalley began to cut in and cause problems, setting off on one fine run which ended in him teeing up Brown for a chance which he pulled meekly wide.
However, there was still to be one moment of alarm at the other end. A diagonal ball into the box from Bass was nodded down by Sandell to Tubbs, six yards out, but his volley drew an excellent reflex save from Ward, stretchng to his left. It was to prove a crucial intervention.
The tide was inexorably turning. A short corner to Tremarco allowed him to cross to the far post where Evans, six yards out, hit a powerful shot which Bittner did well to deflect over. However, it looked like Wrexham's improvement would go unrewarded until, a minute before the break, came the crucial breakthrough. It was created by a quick piece of thinking from Tremarco, who took a quick throw while he was still up against the terrace wall after retrieving the ball. The recipient, Whalley, cut in from the flank, ran to the edge of the box as City's defenders backed off, and curled a sublime shot into the bottom right corner from the edge of the box.
The timing of the goal was perfect; Wrexham's efforts to haul themselves back into the game had been rewarded and now they could set out looking for the winner at the start of the second half. That they did; Wrexham came out of the traps flying after the break and treated their fans to the most one-sided half they'd seen for years-certainly with them dishing it out rather than being on the receiving end!
Soon after the resumption Louis turned Tim Bond and lashed a shot just wide from the edge of the area, then Baynes raced clear again, only to be halted by an excellent sliding tackle by Matthew Robinson. The breakthrough finally came in bizarre circumstances. A good spell of pressure seemed to have culminated in a Baynes shot which was charged down, but Spender was quickly onto it to whip a first time cross into the danger area. Louis, unmarked six yards out, mistimed his header completely and made at best a glancing contact, but Aaron Cook, racing in behind him, couldn't stop himself from deflecting the ball goalwards, and it rolled agonisingly across the scrambling, wrong-footed keeper and inside the right post. Cheekily Louis made an ostentatious attempt to claim the goal as his own, racing along the away terrace in celebration, and it appears his chutzpah has satisfied the media!
The wheels were now falling off for Salisbury. Almost immediately their assistant manager provoked the refree for a second time and he was sent off, so he was unable to witness his team's dismal effort to get back into the game. Their long ball game now being handled comfortably, they had no alternative approach and were totally toothless in attack; it's hard to remember a one goal Wrexham lead looking so secure!
Comfortable in possession, and threatening through Whalley and Baynes on the flanks and Louis through the middle, Wrexham looked to have more goals in them, and the third arrived in emphatic manner. Louis received a Mackin pass on the halfway line, turned Cook and showed all his pace and power to hold the defender off, charge to the edge of the box and slot the ball inside the far post.
Salisbury threw three subs on in quick succession but could change nothing. Evans was again thwarted by Bittner from six yards when a scramble ended with the ball breaking to his feet but his blasted shot was parried. There was to be a final cap on the afternoon though. A poor headed clearance was picked up by Whalley, who set off once again on a run straight at the heart of the retreating defence before hitting a twenty-yard shot which deflected off Robinson and looped over the stranded keeper. He deserved his luck, and the scoreline didn't flatter Wrexham. Who said their away form was ropey?
