Wrexham took on Northampton Town at The Sixfields Stadium in a crucial League One clash.
Phil Parkinson named the same side that beat Crawley Town in their last League One clash, Mark Howard kept his place in goal.
Howard played a part in Wrexham’s opener as his long hopeful kick was pounced upon Sam Smith, who finished brilliantly into the far corner with his left foot.
Wrexham doubled their lead soon after as Ollie Rathbone continued his recent goal scoring form with a fine strike into the far corner after winning a second ball.
Parkinson would have been delighted with the professional way his side saw out the game in the second half and secured a vital three points in the League One promotion chase.
READ MORE: Why Wrexham’s Sam Smith has provoked a reaction from promotion rivals Birmingham City’s fans
Wrexham player ratings vs Northampton Town
Here’s how the Wrexham players rated against Northampton Town.
Mark Howard- 7
Didn’t have a shot to save in the first half but made a huge impact on the game with his long goal kicks producing the opening two goals.
Lewis Brunt- 7
Strong and dominant performance from the excellent Brunt, he is getting better and better every week in a Wrexham shirt.
Max Cleworth- 7
Mr Consistent produced again with a solid defensive display and showed composure on the ball by releasing Barnett down the right on a number of occasions.
Eoghan O’Connell- 8
After an initial shaky start to the game, O’Connell was superb at the heart of the back three. The defender organised and was dominant in the air whilst making some crucial tackles and blocks in the process.
Ryan Barnett- 7
Ran all day and was a constant outlet down the right hand side, his deliveries were always into dangerous areas for the strikers to attack.
James McClean- 6
A relatively quiet afternoon for McClean in an attacking sense however, he did produce a good cross for Rodriguez at the start of the second half. The captain showed leadership and maturity in his defensive display and battled all afternoon to help his side.
George Dobson- 7
Worked hard as always and won a lot of second balls in the midfield battle to then allow Wrexham to build momentum and control the game.
Matty James- 6
Built upon his goal scoring performance at Crawley with another excellent display at the heart of the Wrexham midfield. Used the ball well in possession and was constantly snapping into tackles.
Ollie Rathbone- 9
Worked hard in midfield battle and particularly looked to press and win the ball high up the pitch. His goal came exactly from this as Rathbone picked up on a loose second ball and fired the ball into the far corner with his right foot. Outstanding performance.
Sam Smith- 8
Showed why Parkinson was desperate to sign him with a fine finish into the far corner from a long Howard kick. Smith showed his pace and strength and composure in front of goal.
Jay Rodriguez- 6
Dropped deeper of the two strikers and was clever in his link play. Snatched at a couple of chances but will be happy with his work rate.
Substitutes-
Steven Fletcher- 5
Came on for Rodriguez with twenty minutes to go and was immediately into the action winning some aerial duels. Could have scored with a glancing header.
Ryan Longman – 5
Came on for Barnett with ten minutes to go and worked hard down the right hand side.
Jack Marriott – 5
Came on for Smith with ten minutes to go but struggled to make any impact on the game.