Tonight saw Wrexham travel to face Blackburn Rovers in the fourth round of the FA Cup and were thrashed in the end. Here are our player ratings…
It wasn’t the fairytale day that Wrexham fans would have wanted as they travelled to Ewood Park to face Blackburn.
It is safe to say Phil Parkinson’s side were full of optimism coming into the game. In the end, the home side showed their quality and achieved a 4-1 win in the FA Cup fourth round.
The game began extremely well as Andy Cannon drove forward and smashed home a wonderful effort from the edge of the box. An excellent goal which saw the Reds in front.
Cannon might have had two as he took aim from range. His effort was first saved by Aynsley Pears before he made a superb second save from James McClean on the rebound. So close to 2-0.
Szmodics did have his goal after half an hour as he reached Sam Gallagher’s cutback to smash home to make it 1-1. The turnaround was complete as the latter got a goal of his own. Arthur Okonkwo rushed out, got nowhere near the ball and left the net empty. 2-1.
It was 3-1 just minutes before halftime as Szmodics grabbed his second. He let his ball run across his body and poked it home. It was over 15 minutes into the second half as Sondre Tronstad slammed a loose ball into the top corner.
This is how the game remained and sadly Wrexham were dumped out of the FA Cup at the fourth round stage. Here are our player ratings…
Wrexham Player Ratings
Arthur Okonkwo- 4/10
Okonkwo was arguably at fault for Szmodics’ first goal and was certainly in the wrong as he rushed out to stop Gallagher. It has to be said that he couldn’t do much for any of the home side’s other goals but frustrating nonetheless.
Ryan Barnett- 5/10
His slip midway through the second half saw Blackburn grab their fourth and move clear of a potential Wrexham comeback. Ryan Barnett had a decent game up until that point as he got up and down the line well.
Max Cleworth- 6/10
An assured performance from the youngster for the most part. Max Cleworth is slowly becoming a key part of the Reds’ defence and wasn’t necessarily at fault at any point in the game.
Ben Tozer- 6/10
A characteristically solid performance from the skipper. Ben Tozer was especially good in the first half but couldn’t help stop any of Blackburn’s goals.
Eoghan O’Connell- 5/10
Bar an error in the first half, it was another ok performance from a Wrexham centre-back. Eoghan O’Connell did have to be bailed out by Ben Tozer at one point and as a result, gets a lesser score in the player ratings.
James McClean- 7/10
Despite conceding four, McClean was good in a defensive sense as he kept a dangerous Tyrece Dolan quiet throughout. He also looked good going forward as he threw in many great-looking crosses.
George Evans- 6/10
George Evans is the metronome of this side for Parkinson as his passing is just so good. He couldn’t do much with the goals that were conceded and gets an average score in the player ratings.
Andy Cannon- 7/10
His opener was nothing short of superb as he broke from midfield to smash home. This looked as if it would be the start of an iconic day but it wasn’t to be. A better score for Cannon for his goal-scoring exploits.
Elliot Lee- 6/10
An average performance from the Wrexham top scorer. He did almost score from the halfway line but that is all there is to say. An uncharacteristically quiet day for the midfielder.
Sam Dalby- 5/10
Sam Dalby looked to try and hold the ball up and feed his teammates throughout. The ball just didn’t stick and he often found himself isolated and losing possession. An average score in the player ratings for the striker.
Paul Mullin- 5/10
It was clear to see that Paul Mullin was frustrated throughout. The Welshman didn’t get a sniff and as a result, he gets an average score on the player ratings.
Substitutes
James Jones- 6/10
Jacob Mendy- 5/10
Jordan Tunnicliffe- 5/10
Ollie Palmer- 5/10
Jake Bickerstaff- 5/10