Wrexham Reserves 5
NEWI Cefn Druids 0
Reserve Friendly

Match Report

With the Welsh Premier side without a league game, Wrexham manager Dean Saunders took the opportunity to run the rule over a number of trialists in a hastily arranged fixture at Colliers Park. In a match played over two 40-minute periods, the Dragons dominated throughout with Saunders’ himself lasting the full 80 minutes.

Wrexham took the lead after just 39 seconds when former Manchester United and Barnsley winger Tom Mellor cut in from the right-flank on a mazy run which took him past four defenders before his low shot found the net off the inside of Chris Mullock’s right-hand post. Worse was to follow for Druids when on 14 minutes Michael Proctor doubled the lead. A short corner from Saunders was launched into the area by Chris Marriott but his cross was only partially cleared to Mellor. The youngster calmly lifted the ball through to the former Sunderland man who finished with ease, despite protests for offside from the visitors, and within a minute Proctor had added a third following good work by co-striker Steve Abbott.

The home side were forced into a reshuffle on the half-hour mark when Senegalese international Allesane N’Dour limping off, Christian Gyan coming on in a central midfield role. To their credit, Waynne Phillips’ side stuck to their task manfully and it took a fine flying save from Chris Maxwell to preserve Wrexham’s lead, Ricky Evans’s 20-yard effort having seemed bound for the top corner until the intervention of the Welsh U19 international keeper.

The second period followed a similar pattern with Wrexham dominating territorially and Tom Kearney clipped the bar before Mullock made the save of the match from Mellor on 50 minutes. The Druids custodian injured his hand in the process and was forced to go off, physio Jon Morris taking over between the posts. Further goals always seemed on the cards but it was not until the 72nd minute that Wrexham extended their lead. A find break down the right by Spender saw the full-back’s cross expertly finished by Proctor, who completed his hat-trick in the process.

Steve Abbott rounded off the scoring three minutes from time when Spender’s cross sailed over the head of Morris. Phillips did well to prevent the ball going over the line but the ex-Team Bath player was on hand to score from close range. Although not seriously tested, the central defensive pairing of trialists Mansour Assoumani and Calum Reynolds coped well and provided effective distribution from the back, whilst the lightening speed of Mellor was the game’s highlight for the small crowd.