United 1
(Hall, 8′)
Wrexham 0
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Asa Hall’s early header sealed three points for Gary Johnson’s men on Saturday, as United secured a superb 1-0 win over Wrexham at Plainmoor.
Things started perfectly as captain Hall gave his side the lead, and after producing an immaculate display of passion and desire, it proved to be enough to seal a wonderful win for those in yellow.
The Gaffer made three changes to the side that lost out to Solihull last time out, with Danny Wright, Ali Omar, and Chiori Johnson replaced in the starting XI by Tom Lapslie, Dean Moxey and Joe Lewis.
It was United in the ascendancy early on, bar a near-post close-range flick from a Wrexham right-wing cross that Ollie Palmer, that was sent over the bar in the third minute.
It was the home side who struck in the 8th minute though.
With Stephen Wearne’s trickery winning a free-kick on the left-hand byline, Armani Little’s ball was delivered to perfection towards the back post, where Hall rose to plant his header home.
The hosts seemed to have been caught out by United’s pacy start to proceedings, and it took them some while to adjust.
On 20 minutes however, it took a heroic block inside the box from the returning Lewis to prevent Palmer from seeing his strike hit the back of the net, as the Welsh side slowly began to find their feet.
That said, The Gulls were proving a tough nut to crack, and were continuing to look a threat at set-pieces themselves, to go alongside some classy football in open play.
With Johnson’s men showing astonishing workrate throughout the side, they forced their illustrious opponents to feed off scraps, with things remaining decided tight, and little to report in the way of chances during the remainder of the first half.
Once things got back underway, Wrexham made the most of kicking off the second period by forcing United back, and it took a fine stop from Shaun MacDonald to keep out Young’s 20-yard volley, following a half-cleared corner.
On 53 minutes, MacDonald followed that up with an unorthodox, but equally effective, parry to deny James Jones’s left-footed strike from distance, as Phil Parkinson’s expensively-asssembled team began to impose themselves on the game for the first time.
Nine minutes later, one of their most recent signings, Palmer, found himself in a bit space on the right-hand side of the 18-yard box, however with no support on show, the striker tried an ambitious cross-shot that drifted wide of the far post by some margin.
A mix-up between Lapslie and Lewis nearly presented him with another opportunity to restore parity in the 68th minute, yet despite having plenty of alternative options on this occasion, he chose to fire at goal from the edge of the area, with the end result seeing his effort scuffed well off-target.
United’s Welsh opponents were by now enjoying the territorial advantage, however The Gulls’ determination to maintain their lead meant that clear-cut opportunities were kept to a premium.
Not even seven minutes of additional time could deny them, and backed by their raucous Plainmoor backing, time eventually ran out for Wrexham, leaving those in the crowd to match the celebrations out on the turf.
Only three points of course, but it certainly sends out a message to The Gulls’ National League rivals ahead a trip to bottom-placed Dover next weekend… Don’t write us off.
United: 37. Shaun MacDonald, 2. Ben Wynter, 3. Dan Martin, 4. Tom Lapslie, 7. Connor Lemonheigh-Evans, 8. Asa Hall (c), 10. Armani Little (30. Dan Holman, 79′), 12. Stephen Wearne, 15. Stephen Duke-McKenna (5. Ali Omar, 90′), 21. Dean Moxey, 31. Joe Lewis.
SUBS NOT USED: 1. Mark Halstead, 19. Klaidi Lolos, 29. Joe Felix.
Yellow Cards: Moxey 38′, Wearne 69′, Lapslie 83′, Holman 87′
Wrexham: 1. Rob Lainton, 2. Reece Hall-Johnson, 5. Aaron Hayden, 6. Ben Tozer, 8. Luke Young (c), 17. Bryce Hosannah, 19. Jordan Ponticelli (20. Dior Angus, 62′), 22. Thomas O’Connor, 30. James Jones (11. Liam McAllinden, 61′), 32. Max Cleworth (39. Kwame Thomas, 75′), 35. Ollie Palmer.
SUBS NOT USED: 15. Tyler French, 21. Christian Dibble.
Yellow Cards: Jones 8′, Ponticelli 22′, Tozer 87′
Attendance: 3,181 (790 Away)