Wrexham AFC 1 Stockport County 0 ( Football League 1 ) Saturday 22 March 2025

County fell to a fairly predictable defeat at the Racecourse Ground today, predictable in as much as everyone in the land knows the score as far as games against Wrexham are concerned- you play as well as you can …overrun yours hosts even….but no matter how dominant your team is, you know that inevitable controversy beckons, at some point as someone in a red shirt influences the officials to favour the home side with a game changing decision!

Today it was James Mc Clean doing the influencing by barging into Ibby Touray like a raging bull , resulting in a ball to hand moment by the County wing back.

Referee Mr Simon Mather had in fact dismissed the thought of anything other than a Wrexham corner- the liner on the main stand side calling him over convincing him to award a penalty in defiance of all the facts.

Addai saved the penalty with a supreme effort, but the ball ran loose to Rodriguez who made no mistake from the follow up!

To say this was a massive disappointment goes nowhere near covering the situation!

County dominated the whole game , monopolising possession with excellent controlled football ,even in the last 10 minutes when they were down to 10 men when a dive by Rathbone saw Matt Hills second yellowed.

Hills had another tip top game for County, (being fouled for fun apparently by the Welsh side in the first half) but it mattered not- the Hollywood Factor…..the Glitterati Effect had worked its sadly malign magic on a game once more.

So ,in the end, we were left knowing that County`s massive dominance did not amount to as much as the proverbial hill of beans when they could not crown their excellent play with a goal- and there, perhaps, is the rub- had our purposeful , well-crafted football been finished off with a raft of shots that fully tested Arthur Okonkwo in the home goal, we might have been telling a quite different tale at this point.

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The Racecourse Ground was a fizzing cauldron of noise , mostly coming from the Wrexham Lager Stand where County supporters were housed ,as the game kicked off.

Proceedings on the park commenced with a crude foul on Matty Hills by Rathbone as County mounted their first attack, but despite blue shirts swarming all over those in red, the raid ended with Hills` shot being charged down.

The blues continued to press with some neat play- again getting a free kick when Knoyle floated the ball towards the box where handball by McClean frustrated Dave Challinor`s side.

The frustration continued though as Bate`s free kick seemed to win a corner only for the referee to think otherwise.

Hills was to the fore again for County as Wrexham mounted a response , but despite winning a corner our hosts could not penetrate County`s defensive cover -their efforts looking laboured and one dimensional compared to those of their opponents.

By 10 minutes in, County`s press had forced Wrexham back in their own half for long periods, with what looked like little inclination on the Welsh side`s part, to venture forth other than by swinging boot through ball and hoping.

Of course, having just scribbled that last offering, Wrexham did break clear – Connolly doing well to repel boarders for County.

Twice in rapid order County replied via Knoyle – another free kick sending him clear – his cross picking Tanto out – whose shot, hit first time, went just wide.

We had reached 15 minutes in when Callum Camps took a heavy knock forcing the ref to give County a free kick but also forcing Camps to be substituted shortly after . Dobson was booked – Wrexham eventually clearing their lines after a melee following another free kick, but County had been compromised.

Moxon came on for Camps and quickly got in the thick of the action , which seemed still to amount to County completely fazing Wrexham with their precise football – the home side shipping free kicks with stunning regularity.

But County just could not make the free kicks count- Wootton did give Okonkwo some work to do- his shot on the turn from Touray`s pass not causing the keeper too many concerns.

Then we got a foretaste of what was to come when Wrexham made it into the County last third where Smith plunged to earth unaided(training ground routine – I offered to myself without a shred of remorse). Well ,this one went unrewarded as the Referee waved play on.

If at this point my view of Mr Mather was a fairly neutral one, matters went swiftly south next …but not immediately!

In fact, County had just blocked Wrexham`s follow up to the Smith ploy as a decidedly purposeful effort by James McClean headed their way.

Reaching the by-line McClean then launched himself at Touray knocking him over and winning a corner. But a corner would just not do for Mr Mc C whose histrionics were followed by the main stand liner calling the referee over- a short conference twixt the duo culminating in the referee now opting to award a penalty….not his original corner… or a County free kick for the deliberate barge in the back….but a penalty- the home specs surrounding the liner were jolly delighted!

That was a bugger of a decision- Rodriguez stepped up for Wrexham hitting his kick low to Addai`s right, but the County keeper flung himself down and across to make the save.

The cheers of County supporters were still piercing the warmish Welsh afternoon air when the ball ran loose to Rodriguez who netted this time giving his side the lead against the run of play!

County did their best to ignore the setback, pressing on with a will and no small amount of eye-catching football - Hills was for ever picking himself up off the deck following multiple fouls by Wrexham defenders, unable to cope with County`s quality attacking play – sadly the blues did not make these set pieces count.

I thought that McClean, who had already been booked, would get a second yellow , with half time almost upon us, for a foul on Collar, but he didn`t. County got the free kick of course, but when Bate put that out of play Wrexham`s tactic had declared a divi again.

County were looking good…still….but the half ended with them remaining 0-1 down .

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A decent run by Tanto ,with a minute gone, promised much for County, but after our number nine had won a corner, nothing came of it as the blues looked in vain for a shooting chance.

Moxon had a tilt, his run into the box blocked by weight of red shirted numbers.

That was 51 minutes in, just one minute later we almost squared the circle as Hills` ball to Tanto saw him win a corner -teeing Connolly up for one of his `party-piece` headers , and it was going in when Okonkwo rose to tip the ball over the bar at the last gasp- a terrific save!

If Bate was clearly running midfield for County, the attack looked to be a collection of individuals at times.

By way of a response, Wrexham were not managing to come up with much, true…..Smith burst clear beyond the hour mark, but Addai made a decent save to deny him , and he was offside anyway, or would have been had the near side liner been remotely up with play, so I will stick with not much!

Five or six minutes later activity on the County bench saw Diamond and Fevrier on for Connolly and Touray- an interesting attacking move, but would it work?

Well Diamond wanted it to , feeding Fevrier but a screamer from him flew inches wide of Okonkwo`s far post.

Collar did too, being to the fore as Diamond buzzed the Welsh team`s back line , getting fouled for his pains- Moxon`s kick headed out , Collar shooting wide after Fevrier had kept the move alive.

Bate and Tanto probed for an opening with less than 15 minutes remaining to play, and whilst there was no sign of a breakthrough, there might have been, as there was more than a hint of hand to ball by a home defender midst the County attacking that the officials totally missed.

Then…Rathbone went centre stage- his dive impressing no one bar himself and the referee who quickly produced a second yellow for an aghast Hills who you will recall was leathered from pillar to post earlier by the men in red- let`s be charitable to Mr Mather and say it was a poor decision…..another poor decision, that probably signalled to Wrexham that they had pretty much now won the match.

Nobody told County that, and their 10 men gallantly continued to take the game to Wrexham.

Inevitably however the advantage in numbers did allow Wrexham some notional breathing space…space that saw Smith head over the top with 5 minutes of normal time remaining, and Fletcher break clear with a real chance on 92 minutes but this action only served to underline Ethan Pye`s quality as he tracked back to accompany the recent substitute into the box doing sufficient to ensure the eventual shot went wide.

There was just time for me to throw a mini wobbler as a late break by Fevrier suddenly morphed into a free kick that County had to defend.

County did not deserve to lose by 2, in fact they did not deserve to lose at all , it is so sad to see games decided in this way by officials iffy decision making, but a small relief that Wrexham were not gifted a second goal.

Oh……and it can only get worse should we go up either directly or via the play-offs as VAR awaits to darken our days in the future.

Best to keep taking the tablets folks!

Wrexham line up:-

Okonwko, Cleworth, O’Connell, Brunt, Longman (Barnett 70) James, Dobson (Lee 75), Rathbone, McClean, Rodriguez (Fletcher 70) Smith (Marriott 88)

Subs Not Used: Howard, Scarr, Revan

Stockport County line up:-

Addai, Knoyle, Touray (Fevrier 67) , Bate, Camps (Moxon 20’) , Olaofe, Collar (Bailey 79) , Pye, Connolly (Diamond 67) , Wootton, Hills

Subs Not Used: Metcalfe, Horsfall, Norwood

Attendance: 13,317 ( 1259)

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