Riding on a wave of good fortune, Wrexham defeated Shrewsbury Town in the Anglo-Welsh border derby to go to the FA Cup fourth round for the second consecutive year.
They struck the crossbar through Mal Benning, the left-back, and Arthur Okonkwo had to make multiple stops. They also missed two excellent opportunities.First-half opportunities came to Shrewsbury, who were playing in front of their first sell-out crowd since their 2020 Liverpool fourth-round clash.
Jordan Shipley put a close-range attempt to Okonkwo, Taylor Perry’s low shot was stopped, and captain Chey Dunkley’s attempt was deflected.On the 26th minute, however, they were at their best when Shipley’s cross from the left side found Tunmise Sobowale two yards out; despite Okonkwo being on him, he still blasted over from close range.
Even though they occasionally appeared dangerous, Wrexham only managed one shot on goal when Andrew Cannon’s attempt was stopped.As Dunkley’s header was scrambled clear and Perry shot over at the beginning of the second half, Shrewsbury once again appeared to be the more likely team to score.
After a long break down the left, Paul Mullin of Wrexham forced Town goalie Marko Marosi into his lone stop from a tight angle.Then Benning stole Max Cleworth on the left, drove forward, fended off two challenges, and clipped a lovely curling shot with the outside of his left foot that rebounded back off the bar, putting Shrewsbury just inches ahead.
However, Taylor then used him as one of his five late replacements. And with a bit of good fortune, Wrexham was ahead in five minutes.Midfielder O’Connor received a pass from George Evans and attempted a shot from 15 yards out, deflecting the ball off Town captain Dunkley and beyond Marosi.
Even so, Town rallied and had two injury-time opportunities to tie the score with Wrexham now the stronger side, but Perry missed the left upright on both occasions, the first coming when he could have scored as well.
Manager of Shrewsbury Town Matt Taylor stated on BBC Radio Shropshire:
“We had a lot of opportunities, but we did not seize them. Inside the six-yard box, we squandered two fantastic opportunities.”We need to improve. For this reason, we’re attempting to let goal scorers within the structure.
“We gave a really strong effort, but the outcome was not what we wanted. It demonstrates the significance of goals.
Before the goal, Marko Marosi had to make just one save, which was a deflection. It was their sole chance of winning.”
Phil Parkinson, Wrexham’s manager:
“This was a day for our supporters and not just the ones that were here but the ones back at home.”This is a local derby; sixteen years ago, Shrewsbury defeated us, virtually consigning the team to the National League.
“When you have had that pain of being a Wrexham fan during that period, it’s great that we gave our supporters a day to celebrate.”It was fascinating to watch us go head-to-head with a side that was right up there in Shrewsbury, an established League One outfit. We also improved our appearance and rode our luck as the game went on.