Wrexham fans had a lot to say about Sam Smith after watching their side in action against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.
A victory for Wrexham over the weekend would have seen them climb into the automatic promotion places ahead of their opponents.
Phil Parkinson made several changes to his starting lineup after suffering a defeat at the hands of Reading earlier this week.
Ryan Longman started at right-wing-back, while James McClean was on the opposite flank following knocks picked up by Ryan Barnett and Sebastian Revan versus Reading.
There was no room in the squad for George Evans, while George Dobson came back into the midfield alongside Matty James and Ollie Rathbone.
Meanwhile, when the team news was revealed, Paul Mullin responded to rumours that he has fallen out with Parkinson amid a lack of playing time – no appearances in nine after missing the Wycombe game.
Wrexham fans spot Sam Smith problem vs Wycombe Wanderers
While Mullin was the talk of the town prior to kick-off, supporters’ attention quickly turned to the matter at hand, trying to secure a win over Wycombe.
It was a cagey game, as was expected given what was at stake, but Sam Smith nearly netted the opener early in the second half when he hit the post after pouncing on a poor backpass.
There wasn’t much Wrexham fans could cheer about for much of the tie, but Smith was one of the few bright sparks.
His shot deflected off a Wycombe defender to make it 1-0 in the 78th minute, following a long break in play.
However, supporters think the ex-Reading man is not living up to his true potential because the Red Dragons are not playing to his strengths and leaving the number nine isolated.
One fan wrote: “Wow, so unlucky from Smith! Can’t fault his workrate, just wish we weren’t making it so hard on him!”
A second questioned Smith’s current strike partner: “Smith has been great. Rodriguez…not so much.”
A third wrote: “Get it to Smith’s feet. The centre backs are too big for him to win in the air.”
“Actually feel sorry for Smith… he has no support whatsoever, the long balls do not work. Get the ball on the floor and play football. So hard to watch at the minute,” stated a fourth.
While another Wrexham fan agreed: “It’s so frustrating!”
And another supporter furiolsy added: “Same old —–, there keeper has not had a shot to save yet, we dropping deep and leaving Smith isolated, rinse and repeat I’m afraid so far.”
Wrexham could bring Paul Mullin back into team
Yet again, it was Jay Rodriguez who started the tie up front despite now failing to score a single goal in 10 outings for Wrexham.
Instead of the former Burnley man, it may be time for one of Mullin or Jack Marriott to be handed a chance next to Smith.
The former of that duo quashed rumours of a bust-up with Parkinson ahead of Saturday’s game, so if there is indeed no issue between the pair, the Wrexham boss should be looking to bring the striker back into the fold.
Alternatively, even if he can’t complete 90 minutes, Steven Fletcher was excellent again when he came on and played a key role in Smith’s goal.