Wrexham 3 - 0 Nuneaton Town

[dutchman]

[dutchman]

Wilkin comes out on top as Wrexham see-off Nuneaton Town



KEV Wilkin managed to come out on top in the meeting with his old team in a fairly routine win for the Dragons.

The best of the opening chances came in the 28th minute and not surprisingly it was the home side who fashioned it.

Theo Bailey-Jones was enjoying a strong opening and it was from his through ball that Rob Ogleby found himself through on James Belshaw, the Nuneaton keeper fortunate to see the effort flash just wide.

Belshaw was required to make a save just minutes later, though, as the Boro stopper got down low to tip a fierce drive from Bailey-Jones wide of the post. Belshaw needed to use every inch of his frame to get his fingertips to the ball.

Wrexham were simply dictating the tempo of the game at this stage and Andy Bishop really should have tested Belshaw again – at the very least in the 37th minute, but he could only direct an Ogleby cross over the bar when he was unmarked from six yards out.

Caretaker boss Mark Noon was obviously worried about the threat Bailey-Jones was offering throughout the first half as he brought Sam Magri on at the break – taking off Jordan Cranston – as he moved the athletic Theo Streete out to deal with the pacy winger.

That plan seemed to work in the opening five minutes, but Bailey-Jones was still the danger man.

Belshaw had to be at his best again in the 53rd minute to deal with the winger as a chipped ball flew over the head of Streete, and found Bailey-Jones. The winger then calmly side-footed an effort that Belshaw reacted quickest to, to keep it out.

If Bailey-Jones was having a good game then Belshaw was a having a great one – although there was nothing he could do to stop the Dragons from going ahead in the 54th minute.

A driving effort from Joe Clarke was superbly stopped by the Boro keeper, but he could not get up fast enough to deny Johnny Hunt who buried the rebound from 10-yards out.

The Boro looked as if they had booked their summer holidays already as they just could not stop the Wrexham pressure.

It seemed to be a matter of when, and not if, the second goal would come and it duly did in the 74th minute.

A whipped in cross from Neil Ashton bypassed the Boro defence, and from ten-yards out Bishop made the most of it, superbly volleying the ball past Belshaw with ease.

The game looked to be easing out, with both sides accepting the result, but there was still time for the home side to put the icing on their impressive performance.

Bradley Reid chased down Magri on the wing, nicking the ball off the full-back before running in on goal.

He managed to jinx past Gaz Dean, with the Boro defender unable to move his leg away fast enough to prevent the forward from going down.

Belshaw capped his own impressive performance by saving the resulting spot-kick from Ashton, but once again the keeper was left helpless as the same player slammed home the rebound.

NUNEATON TOWN: Belshaw, Streete, Cranston (Magri HT), Cowan, Dean, Trainer (Adams 65), Sleath, Armson, York (Moult 65), Hibbert, Brown.

Subs not used: Gordon, Walker.

WREXHAM: Mayebi, Ashton, Livesy, Clarke, Bishop, Keates (Evans 88), Ogleby (Reid 75), Hunt, Bailey-Jones, Artell, Carrington.

Subs not used: Wright, Williams, Tomasses.

Attendance: 2,706.