Wrexham and Stevenage went head-to-head in a League One meeting on Tuesday evening, here’s how the players rated.
Wrexham kicked off at the Racecourse Ground looking to keep their unbeaten streak going having secured a 1-1 draw against league leaders Birmingham City last time out.
Though a positive result against Tom Brady’s team, it does mean that the battle for second place is now very tight.
Huddersfield Town and Wycombe Wanderers are in close contention with the Red Dragons, making this game a must-win.
Wrexham lost to Stevenage in the reverse fixture earlier this campaign but given their home record, a win for Phil Parkinson’s side did seem likely.
However, Arthur Okonkwo spilled the ball in the 12th minute, allowing the home side to take the lead.
The goalkeeper didn’t cover himself in glory seven minutes later either, getting a weak hand to a Jamie Reid strike that ended up in the back of the net.
Parkinson made two changes at half-time, bringing on two strikers to try and salvage something from the tie.
It worked fairly well as Ollie Rathbone saw his shot from the edge of the box make its way through a crowd of players in the 54th minute to make it 2-1.
The comeback was killed off in the 70th minute, however, when Jake Young made it 3-1 in the 70th minute.
Max Cleworth pulled a goal back in the 90th minute but it was too little, too late.
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Here’s how the Wrexham players rated vs Stevenage –
Arthur Okonkwo – 2
Should have held the initial effort he spilled that allowed Stevenage to open the scoring. Poor attempted save for the second goal as well. A really rough night for the keeper.
Max Cleworth – 7
Carried the ball forward well and won a number of his aerial duels but his marking on the night wasn’t great. Scored a late goal.
Thomas O’Connor – 4
Made a few decent blocks but his closing down was poor and allowed Stevenage attackers too much time on the ball.
Dan Scarr – 3
Looked rusty against Birmingham City, which was to be expected given his lack of minutes, but was similarly off his game this evening.
Ryan Barnett – 5
Produced a few inviting crosses during the 90 minutes. Not the weakest Wrexham defender on the day but did give the ball away a few times.
George Dobson – 4
A lively showing from the midfielder who got stuck into a number of challenges and chased down players well, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Stevenage from dominating in the final third.
Matty James – 3
Tracking back on the night wasn’t great, often being left behind by the marauding Stevenage players. Needed to provide a lot more cover for the shaky backline. Taken off after 45 minutes.
Ollie Rathbone – 6
A fairly anonymous showing from the usually lively Rathbone in the first half but much better after the break, seeing his strike in the 54th minute make it 2-1.
James McClean – 4
Failed to have any real impact at the top end of the pitch and wasn’t great defensively either.
Elliot Lee – 5
Offers basically zero goal threat when playing up front. It is baffling he continues to be selected as a second striker. Got the assist for Wrexham’s second.
Ollie Palmer – 2
Another subpar display up top, with it becoming very clear he’s not a real threat in League One and his partnership with Elliot Lee just isn’t working. He simply has to be dropped for the weekend.
Substitutes
Paul Mullin – 5
Had a lively start after coming on and did appear to get the final touch on Rathbone’s shot for the third goal of the night.
Steven Fletcher – 5
Another solid substitute appearance for the Scotsman. Dominant in the air and a threat in behind despite his age.
Jack Marriott – 5
Tested the Stevenage keeper but didn’t manage to produce enough to rescue anything for Wrexham.
Ryan Longman – 5
Performed ok on his debut at right-wing-back but didn’t do an awful lot of note.