Saturday 25th August 2018
Welcome back to my review after a week of away games. The team made club history when they played Maidenhead on 14th August. They kept 4 clean sheets in a row. The defenders and goalkeeper have to be credited for the success. Sadly, the team didn’t make to 5 after the Saturday game. I will get to results later on in the review.
As the team is unbeaten on that day and at this point in the review. I asked the Wrexham AFC media team which was covering the Maidenhead’s game on Calon FM. “#askwxm I might be too earlier saying this but Sam Ricketts hadn't lose a competitive game who holds record aka new manager unbeaten record before his first @Wrexham_AFC loss #COYR”. All of my tweet was copied. Mark Griffiths had to think it over and got to me the following day. Dixie McNeil who managed Wrexham in 1985 to 1898 holds the record of first unbeaten games in charge with 8 games. However, Sam is in 3rd with 5 on-going unbeaten games.
Another question that I asked was the possibility of losing Sam Ricketts while on this amazing unbeaten run. I asked this question on the Saturday during the Eastleigh game. They said that the possibility that he will leave is unlikely. He might not have any success with a bigger club. He might lose the job at a new job due to his lack of experience of being a manager. I gave the example of Dean Keates going to Walsall. They said the major reason that Dean left because it was his hometown club. Any other clubs he might ignore until end of last season.
Enough of my questions, let’s talk about Wrexham results. After the amazing 3 - 0 win against Boreham Wood at home. Wrexham continues the winning form against Maidenhead United 0 - 2. The goals came by Mike Fondop and Jordan Maquire-Drew. Next, Wrexham went to Eastleigh and win 1 - 3. That meant our unbeaten-with-a-clean-sheet was over but we are top of the league. Our scorers were Manny Smith and Fondop with Eastleigh’s Alex Wynter scoring an own goal. Their scorer was Paul McCallum.
Bromley’s form from last 3 games is ok. On 11th August, they hosted Harrogate Town which ended 1 - 1. Then, they were away at Eastleigh when they lost 1 - 0. Their last game was at home when they hosted Gateshead and they won 1 - 0. When they got 4 out of 9 points. We got full 9 points.
Our form against them is ok-good. In 4 games, we won 1, drawn 2 and lost 1. You can say all but one of our goalscorers gone. However, we have a good keeper in Rob Lainton. Mike Fondop is on amazing form at the moment. I recognize all of the players but they are the top 2 that catches my eye at present. My prediction is 2 - 0. The prediction was recorded on 22/08/18.
I will talk about the game now. I was invited up on the wheelchair’s platform to watch the game.
Bromley lined up like this:
We started the game really well with Luke Summerfield’s good volley over the bar in the second minute. Then, Mark Carrington crossed the ball to Summerfield five minutes later. He headed the ball but David Gregory saved comfortably.
In the 16th minute, Wrexham won a corner and Summerfield took it. Summerfield took it and find the head of Akil Wright. He headed it just wide of the post. Bromley got into the game but Marc-Anthony Okoye headed the ball wide from close range on the 18th minute.
A minute later, James Jennings tried to stop Tom Adebayo-Rowling while Bromley on the attack. Jennings injured himself in progress. The ball found Omar Bugiel who was free and had a good chance to score the opener but headed the ball well wide. Jennings couldn’t carry on so Sam Ricketts replaced him with Doug Tharme. Carrington took the left-back role.
On 29 minute, the visitors had another chance to score the opener. When Frankie Raymond crossed the ball to George Porter only to headed it wide. Wrexham then had a chance to score it and they did. It was Mike Fondop and his goal was amazing. He managed to lob the ball past Gregory in the 31 minute.
Fondop had a chance to give Wrexham a two-goal lead before the halftime break. When he attempted to chip Gregory. Gregory managed to save it. The whistle blew for halftime.
For wheelchairs users, when we aren’t picked for the platform. We find it hard to concrete on the game because we move our heads to keep track on the ball. Able-bodied can buy a seat higher to better their experience at the match. We can’t but I know there are more than 6 wheelchair users attending games. So there is a rotation basis system. I enjoyed myself at the match and can’t wait for the next time that I get invited up there. Anyway, onto the second half.
There were fewer chances after the half-time interval. Shaun Pearson had a chance which was blocked in the 47 minute. Bugiel had a chance but it was into the side-netting three minutes later.
Wrexham made a chance ten minutes after the interval. It was Rekeli Pyke replacing Stuart Beavon. Summerfield saw the yellow card for a late tackle in 58 minute
Ricketts made his third and last change with Luke Young replacing Nicky Deverdics in the 63 minute. Young had the chance to score Wrexham second after Jordan Maguire-Drew passed the ball to him. Then Fondop should have gotten a penalty in my eyes when he went behind the defence. I thought Gregory tackled him but the referee shown Fondop a yellow card for diving.
Lucky for Wrexham, they didn’t need a penalty to score their second. Pyke scored it in open play after Maguire-Drew cut inside the box and crossed it low. The referee finally pointed to the spot but it was for Bromley. He spotted a foul after a Bromley’s corner. Technically, I shouldn’t judge because I didn’t see it from the referee’s point of view. However, I think he is wrong. Rob Lainton saved the penalty against Dover Athletics so I was hoping that he saves it again. But he never. Frankie Sutherland scored after sending Lainton the wrong side. Minutes later, I decided to leave and head to my car to avoid the crowd.
When I got to my car. My mum said it was 2 - 2. Summerfield headed the ball into the net to score an own goal then we got a point instead of the three I was in a mood all the way home because I know before commentators said it on BBC Radio Wales. We had too easy draws last season. In my opinion, it left us being 10th place and not in the playoff spots so that needs to change.
Wrexham’s sponsors picked Akil Wright as their man of the match. The match’s attendance was 5,714. Bromley bought 58 fans. We are top of the league by 2 points clear.
I used https://www.wrexhamafc.co.uk/news/report-wrexham-2-2-bromley for guidance.