Wrexham hosted Wigan Athletic on Sunday in the final game of 2024, and we’ve rated every player for the Red Dragons based on their performance.
After the win against Blackpool on Boxing Day, Wrexham were looking to secure another three points that would see them leapfrog Wycombe in the League One table.
A fairly cagey first half at the Racecourse Ground was largely dominated by the visitors, with Phil Parkinson’s side struggling to make any meaningful penetration in the final third.
The game opened up immediately after the interval with both sides having plenty of opportunities, before a deflected Ryan Barnett effort found the back of the net on the hour mark.
However, Wigan pegged Wrexham back just before the 80-minute mark thanks to a Joe Hugill header to set up a tense final ten.
Then, as the clock hit 90 minutes, it was super-sub Steven Fletcher who won the day for the home side with a nice finish inside the box to take all three points.
Wrexham player ratings from the 2-1 win vs Wigan
Parkinson’s men largely struggled overall and were lucky to get their win, with only two players really making an impact on the day, and a number of the Wrexham players looking out of sorts.
Mark Howard – 5
Made a mess of a tricky back-pass, failing to clear twice and nearly gifting Wigan an easy opportunity. Very little else to do otherwise.
Max Cleworth – 7
Put in some decent tackles and important blocks to prevent dangerous situations on a number of occasions.
Eoghan O’Connell – 6
Showed how commanding he can be in the air to shore up a few issues at the back. Does need to work on his long balls, though.
Lewis Brunt – 6
Consistently composed at the back, dealing with all the pressure down the left side. Should have done better when marking Hugill, who evaded him to nab the Wigan equaliser.
Ryan Barnett – 8
Barnett’s creative talents were largely suppressed by Wigan in the first half, but he came alive in the second and made the crucial breakthrough. Also made a couple of really important tackles to break up Wigan attacks, too.
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George Dobson – 5
Quietest of the middle three for Wrexham, and really struggled to assert his dominance in the central areas. Far too many inaccurate passes when his team could have launched counter-attacks.
Matty James – 7
Neat footwork throughout, composed on the ball, kept Wigan ticking in the middle. Will be disappointed not to have made more chances going forward, though.
Ollie Rathbone – 6
Covered a lot of ground, tried to grind out opportunities in the middle, but ultimately struggled to make a significant impact.
James McClean – 6
Guilty of a few poor set-piece deliveries. Did some good defensive work on a number of occasions but also committed a couple of silly fouls, too.
Paul Mullin – 6
Tirelessly chased every ball that came his way but wasn’t sufficiently fed by the players behind him. Inches away from a goal early in the second half. Replaced with 20 minutes to go.
Ollie Palmer – 5
Some half-decent hold-up play, but also struggled with how little the ball came his way and needed to get himself involved more. Taken off with 20 minutes left.
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Substitutes
Elliot Lee – 6
On for Mullin, occupying a more advanced role once more. Didn’t really manage to assert himself on the game, but showed minor glimpses of sharpness in deeper areas.
Steven Fletcher – 8
Replaced Ollie Palmer. Offered brilliant hold-up play and showed his football intelligence and game management by trying to help Wrexham maintain their lead. Ended up being the hero with a goal on the stroke of 90 minutes.
Mo Faal – N/A
On for Rathbone with five minutes to go. Very little time to do anything meaningful.
Sebastian Revan – N/A
Replaced Barnett in the final five. Didn’t really have sufficient time to make an impact.