Wrexham salvaging a late point thanks to a Paul Mullin penalty papered over the cracks last night, although there was one player who could hold his head high.
Wrexham continued their worrying trend of struggling away from home as they drew 1-1 against Forest Green Rovers on Tuesday night.
The hosts began brightest in the contest as Emmanuel Osadebe opened the scoring inside the first three minutes.
From there, it was all one-way traffic with the Reds dominating 75% of the ball without creating meaningful opportunities.
Phil Parkinson’s side had to rely on a Paul Mullin penalty in the 93rd minute to salvage a draw.
There weren’t many positives to take from the game, although the performance of centre-back Max Cleworth was one of them.
Max Cleworth’s statistics v Forest Green
Cleworth has now started in 11 of Wrexham’s last 13 League Two matches.
The 21-year-old struggled at first to acclimatize to the demands of league football and only featured for 59 minutes across their first 22 fixtures.
Now, the youngster is playing a prominent role in the heart of their back three and last night, he put in a performance to remember.
He set the tone for the Reds in possession as he showcased his ball-playing capabilities. Cleworth made 146 touches, served up a 90% pass completion (112/125), placed five accurate long balls and made two key passes.
In possession, he was near faultless and his work off the ball supplemented what was a superb defensive display, winning three ground duels, six aerial duels, three tackles and blocking two shots.
Parkinson’s defensive titan showed real maturity with his performance and although his teammates were subpar as a whole, he stood out like a sore thumb.
Cleworth was Wrexham’s shining light
Cleworth had to bide his time this season but injuries and suspensions opened the door for him to take his opportunity.
And performances, like the one against Forest Green, have shown he belongs in the starting XI as he continues to develop rapidly.
It isn’t easy for a youngster to match the physical demands required in League Two and although he can fall short sometimes, he makes up for it in other areas, such as his reading of the game and passing ability.
Parkinson certainly has a real talent on his hands in Cleworth and it will be interesting to see how much he develops in the coming years.
One thing is for certain, if he performs like that consistently, clubs higher up the pyramid will be on red alert.