Accrington Stanley Reserves 2
Wrexham Reserves 1
Central League

Match Report

A battling second-half display was not enough to prevent a youthful Wrexham side from slipping to a 2-1 defeat at Accrington Stanley, Ryan Austin’s 65th minute header proving a mere consolation in the Central League clash at the Stanley Sports Hub.

The hosts included first-team regulars Seamus Conneely and Mitch Clark in a strong starting line-up, both players making their way back from recent injury setbacks. By contrast, the entire Wrexham team, player-coach David Jones excluded, could muster just three first-team appearances between them.

That difference in experience was particularly evident in the first period as Accrington enjoyed plenty of possession. Indeed, Stanley should have taken the lead just past the quarter hour mark when Josh Woods pulled the ball back for Conneely, but the former Republic of Ireland youth international fired wildly over the bar.

Owen Cushion was booked for a foul on the lively Woods after 28 minutes, but the Stanley striker was soon in the thick of the action, creating a chance for Bailey Sloane but the left-back fired straight at Kai Calderbank-Park. Leslie Adekoya should have tested the Wrexham keeper moments before with a close-range header, but his effort flew wide of the target.

With the pressure building, the Reds’ custodian was forced into a double save after 36 minutes when he first parried a fierce 35-yard strike from Ollie Patrick before then deflecting Woods’s follow-up for a corner. However, the Australian U23 international was finally beaten five minutes before the interval when Jack Nolan broke down the left wing and his low cross was met at the far post by the unmarked Woods.

After the interval, David Jones made a couple of positional changes with Will Mountfield moving into midfield and Dan Jones reverting to right wing-back. The switch soon paid dividends as Wrexham gradually got a foothold in the game and began to threaten the Stanley goal. Austin headed a David Jones corner narrowly wide before Jacob Milner jinked his way into the penalty-area only to drag his shot past the post.

Accrington then doubled their lead after 59 minutes with a goal of real quality, Woods converting Nolan’s driven cross with a spectacular diving header. Wrexham responded almost immediately with Louis Lloyd earning a free-kick out on the right after good work from Dan Jones. David Jones stepped up and his superb cross was met at the far post by Austin who headed home from six yards out.

Wrexham pressed hard for an equaliser but the closest they came was ten minutes from time when Dan Jones found Dan Davies inside the box. The young defender showed great strength to hold off his marker and set up David Jones, only for the player-coach to curl his shot agonisingly the wrong side of the post.