Posted: Mon 1st Apr 2013

Wrexham FC Slip To Another Home Stalemate

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the Wrexham area
This article is old - Published: Monday, Apr 1st, 2013

A record Racecourse crowd for the season of 4,351 were exposed to a demoralising afternoon as Wrexham’s automatic promotion chances slipped further from reality with a 0-0 stalemate at home to Macclesfield Town.

Much was made in the build-up of the effort put in by over 100 volunteers to shift the inches of snow that had covered the Racecourse ground for a week. But all that effort and hard work was left feeling short changed in a first half that was lifeless, bereft and devoid of anything related to entertaining football, and a second half that was little better.

There was little to suggest this was Wrexham’s first game since the onset of British Summer Time; snow lay shoveled against the advertising hoardings as the Racecourse shivered in temperatures close to freezing.

The atmosphere around the ground was decidedly flat, perhaps also in recognition of Wrexham’s fading automatic promotion chances following their damaging defeat at Hyde on Saturday. The first half stank of a Wrexham line up that knew they could not win this league, that victory would be inconsequential in the final standings and as a result the football offered up was turgid and unimaginative.

A prophetic moment arrived on the half-hour mark as 33-year old Stephen Wright and 38-year old Andy Morrell lay crumpled on the floor, along with hopes of that much coveted place at the top of the league.

Wrexham created little in the way of clear-cut chances throughout the 90 minutes, with Adrian Cieslewicz and Dean Keates bringing good saves from Rhys Taylor in the Macclesfield goal. Chris Maxwell made possibly the save of the game in the 81st minute when he dived at the feet of Mathew Barnes-Homer to deny the Macclesfield striker a late winner.

Player-manager Andy Morrell was left to rue small margins after his vicious header from a Keates cross in the 53rd minute hit the underside of the bar before bouncing off the goal line. Without the luxury of a replay it is impossible to determine whether the ball crossed the line or not, with only Morrell adamant that it had.

Rob Ogleby was full of energy and running but didn’t appear to know what he was doing and his withdrawal in the 69th minute for Brett Ormerod was inevitable. Adrian Cieslewicz started his first game at the Racecourse since Boxing Day, but was reduced to a peripheral figure for much of the game as play became bogged down and scrappy in the middle third.

The 90 minutes illuminated why Wrexham will not finish the season at the top of the Blue Square Bet Conference. The Dragons have now dropped 20 points at the Racecourse this season, the majority of which have been draws that have followed in the vein of this stalemate with Macclesfield.

It is as much down to their own failings as that of a pitch which is not conducive to free-flowing attacking football and deteriorating with each passing week.

Last season automatic promotion was consigned to fantasy by a relentless Fleetwood. Kidderminster and Mansfield have embarked on similar winning runs in the second half of this season, but it would be too convenient to lay the blame at another’s door.

Wrexham have failed to find the target in their previous three league games, it is now 390 minutes without a goal from open play and two consecutive goalless draws at the Racecourse, where the Dragons have not scored since the first half against Ebbsfleet at the beginning of March.

The stalemate has seen Morrell’s side slip down to fourth in a table they were topping a month ago. The alarming drop off in form, which predates their appearance at Wembley, sees Wrexham now peering over their shoulders at Forest Green Rovers who sit just eight points behind with another 24 to play for.

Promotion rivals Mansfield – fresh from securing their 12th consecutive league victory over Gateshead – are due at the Racecourse on Thursday evening, and anything other than victory will surely sound the death knell for automatic promotion aspirations. In reality though, it is an opportunity for Wrexham to test their muscle against opponents of play-off quality.

The remaining six games should now be viewed as a dress-rehearsal for the showpiece season finale in the ongoing search for form and consistency.

You can read the managers post-match thoughts by clicking here



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