Wrexham missed the chance to pull five points clear of Wycombe as they were held to a 2-2 draw away to Cambridge.
George Dobson shined in Wrexham’s 2-2 draw with Cambridge and opened the scoring early on with a stunning strike from 25 yards that flew into the bottom left corner.
The equaliser for Cambridge came just before half time as Arthur Okonkwo could only parry a deflection from Max Cleworth onto the post before Liam Bennett slammed home.
Seconds after half time, Lewis Brunt gave away a soft penalty for Josh Stokes to convert and leave Wrexham chasing the game.
Ryan Longman stood an exquisite cross up to the back post and Sam Smith rose the highest to plant the ball back across goal and rescue a point for the Red Dragons.
Wrexham will be disappointed with the result, especially after Wycombe were held to a 0-0 draw by Shrewsbury, here are the winners and losers from the League One clash with Cambridge.
Winners from Wrexham’s clash with Cambridge
George Dobson
An outstanding goal and his first for the club, Dobson has been excellent in recent weeks and his goal in the opening exchanges was his reward.
The strike itself was so pure and left the Cambridge keeper with no chance, despite coming from a fair distance outside the penalty area.
Dobson also played a fantastic through ball in the second half to Smith with the score at 2-2 but the striker saw his first touch go away from goal and then couldn’t beat the keeper from a tight angle.
Sam Smith
There is no keeping Smith quiet within a football match. He looked isolated and lost for large parts of the game yet has come up with a moment of brilliance to rescue his team a vital point.
His header was a true striker’s finish, planting the ball back from where the cross came from and the power he generated was remarkable as he was falling backwards.
Another vital goal on the road for Smith and Wrexham will be hoping he has a few more in him from now until May in the promotion push.
Losers from Wrexham’s clash with Cambridge
Lewis Brunt
Brunt has been exceptional in recent weeks on his return to the side but looked shaky from minute one as the Red Dragons were put under real pressure from the home side.
With six clean sheets in their last seven, the Wrexham defence were posed their toughest test in a while as they were pressed and knocked off their stride from constant Cambridge pressure both aerially and on the ground.
Brunt’s lacklustre display came to the fore early in the second half when after losing a header he fouled Ryan Loft to give away the penalty kick.
Not the best evening for the young defender but he will be looking to bounce back quickly with the visit of Burton in the next fixture.
James McClean
The captain struggled to make an impact yet again from the left hand side and with Ryan Barnett waiting in the wings, it begs the question as to whether Parkinson dares to drop his skipper.
There were moments where McClean was in real space in a good crossing position and his final ball was consistently below par.
His output in attacking areas needs to improve as he has shown he has the quality to deliver for the likes of Smith and Rodriguez.
Paul Mullin
The twelfth consecutive matchday squad that Paul Mullin has missed and this one would have hurt against his former side.
Mullin shared a heartfelt message pre match showing his love for both sides and his own personal disappointment at not being involved in the clash.
It remains to be seen whether he is yet to have a say in Wrexham’s season but it looks increasingly as the weeks progress.