Wrexham returned to EFL Trophy action on February 11th, playing host to fellow League One side Bolton Wanderers.
The Red Dragons won two and lost one – via penalties – of their three EFL Trophy meetings this season.
They then beat Crewe Alexandra 1-0 before most recently securing a 4-1 victory over Port Vale.
Wrexham were set to face their toughest test from the competition this term so far on Tuesday, however, with Bolton Wanderers still looking to make it into the League One play-offs this season.
The two teams previously met earlier this campaign in a league fixture but neither side was able to find the back of the net.
That meeting was also away from the Racecourse Ground, with Tuesday’s tie taking place in Wales, which should have given Phil Parkinson’s men a big advantage owing to their superb home form.
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Bolton Wanderers fans in agreement about referee vs Bolton Wrexham
While Wrexham showed patches of quality midway through the first 45, it was largely Bolton who dominated the possession and had the better chances.
However, neither team was able to find the breakthrough and the players went in at half time with the scores still level at 0-0.
It was a cagey opening to the match and Bolton fans believe the referee for the meeting wasn’t great, with several suggesting there was a bias to ensure an EFL Trophy final meeting with Birmingham City and Wrexham.
One fan wrote: “I get they probably want a Wrexham vs Birmingham final, but the refereeing could be a bit less obvious..”
Another wrote: “Whilst it’s quite obvious the ref is biased, the Wrexham doc is on Disney+ not Netflix.”
A third added: “Sheehan getting booked for jumping, can tell the EFL want a Wrexham Birmingham final.”
“@EFL sort the ref out at the Wrexham game it’s so rigged this it’s unbelievable,” a fourth Bolton fan demanded.
A fifth added: “This refs got a pay cheque from Sky, TalkSport and BBC to absolutely ensure, Wrexham go through. No doubts about it what so ever, this is ridiculous.”
While a sixth wrote: “Sheehan booked for ‘kicking the ball away’. Something Wrexham have done three times already. It’s so ridiculously fixed for the Wrexham Brum final.”
Wrexham disciplinary record compared to Bolton
While Bolton fans were left angry at the referee on the night, recent history suggests their players do have a habit of committing more fouls than most.
Prior to the midweek action, Bolton sat top of the League One yellow card table with a staggering 84 – 12 more than second-place Crawley Town.
By comparison, Wrexham had picked up the 18th-most yellow cards in the competition this term with 54 dished out.
Neither side has been shown a red card in the league during 2024/25 so far.