Wrexham won 3-2 in their opening League One clash vs Wycombe Wanderers.
Wrexham played Matt Bloomfield’s Wycombe Wanderers in their opening game of the 2024/25 League One season on Saturday evening.
Phil Parkinson lined out his new-look first-team squad at the Racecourse Ground for what promised to be a tough opener against a seasoned League One team in Wycombe.
The Red Dragons have signed seven new players during the 2024 summer transfer so far, with the latest addition seeing Wrexham sign Ollie Rathbone from Rotherham United for a club-record fee.
Saturday’s game got off to a slow start thanks to an injury in the Wycombe team but Wrexham were able to take the lead after just nine minutes.
22-year-old Max Cleworth flicked on a corner from Elliot Lee to score the club’s first-ever goal in League One.
The home outfit continued to dominate after finding the opener, adding a second shortly before the half-hour mark.
Lee was involved once more, pinging a lovely ball into the Wycombe box, which Ollie Palmer teed up for Jack Marriott to smash in a superb volley.
Wycombe began to test Wrexham late in first-half injury time, hitting the woodwork in the 49th minute.
And the away side found a way back into the game in the 57th minute when a loose ball deflected off George Dobson and into the path of Richard Kone who smashed it past Arthur Okonkwo.
Any chance of a Wycombe comeback was killed off in the 82nd minute after Steven Fletcher picked up the ball on the edge of the box and curled in Wrexham’s third of the day.
Sam Vokes did pull another goal back for the away team in the 89th minute but Wrexham were able to hold out for the three points.
After a game of two halves, here’s how we rated Parkinson’s Wrexham players today…
Wrexham player ratings for Wycombe Wanderers
Arthur Okonkwo 5/10
Did not have a lot to do for much of the fixture and there was not a lot he could have done to prevent Kone’s effort shortly before the hour mark.
Ryan Barnett 4/10
Wycombe had a lot of joy down Barnett’s side of the field throughout the 90 minutes, including in the build-up to Kone’s goal.
Thomas O’Connor 7/10
Barring one or two loose passes, O’Connor was solid throughout, working in tandem with James McClean to limit Wycombe’s threat down Wrexham’s left.
Eoghan O’Connell 4/10
Had a hard time dealing with the pace and power of Kone, who was Wycombe’s best player on Saturday.
Max Cleworth 7.5/10
Opened the scoring on Saturday by flicking in a corner from Lee. Was defensively sound for the most part, making some key clearances late on.
James McClean 7/10
McClean led by example during his first game as Wrexham captain. The wing-back put in a solid defensive shift as well as providing an attacking output, creating a few chances with his runs down the left flank.
George Dobson 7/10
George Dobson pressed well and dominated the midfield battle in the centre of the pitch, forcing Wycombe to search for openings out wide.
Andy Cannon 6/10
Was booked early on and this impacted his ability to commit to challenges and prevent Wycombe from attacking down his side of midfield.
Elliot Lee 9/10
Lee provided the assist via a corner to set up Cleworth for Wrexham’s opening goal and produced a quality pass to pick out Palmer in the build-up to their second of the day.
Jack Marriott 8/10
Has previously struggled for goals in a Wrexham shirt but scored a superb volley to make it 2-0. Barring his wonder goal, however, he was pretty quiet.
Ollie Palmer 6/10
Struggled to take his early chances but set up Marriott to score a very well-worked goal in the first half. His impact dwindled in the second half before he was taken off.
SUB: Steven Fletcher 7/10
Chased the ball down well during Wrexham’s limited attacks after he came on and killed the game off with a calm finish.
SUB: Sam Dalby 4/10
Didn’t offer an awful lot when he was introduced, highlighting the need for Wrexham to strengthen their striking ranks while Paul Mullin is out.
SUB: George Evans 6/10
Provided a calming presence in midfield during his 14-minute cameo, keeping the ball well and starting some attacks.
SUB: Seb Revan N/A
Only came on for the final two minutes and hardly touched the ball.