REPORT | Colchester United 1-2 Wrexham AFC

In the 85th minute, Max Cleworth scored a header that helped Wrexham AFC make a stunning comeback. This happened on the same day Paul Mullin made his 100th goal for the Club. As a result, Wrexham AFC achieved the second position in the Sky Bet League Two table.

The first half of the game was not very exciting and there were very few opportunities for either team to score a goal. Wrexham was unable to successfully get their shots on target at the JobServe Community Stadium.

In the second half, John Akinde scored the first goal by shooting the ball low into the net, resulting in Colchester gaining an advantage.

Nonetheless, in just a matter of eight minutes, Mullin retaliated by scoring a significant goal using his head which resulted in the Red Dragons being brought back into the game.

Towards the end of the second half, Cleworth made a goal that proved crucial for Wrexham, securing them three valuable points. This was the young centre-back's first goal of the season.

Phil Parkinson made alterations to the Starting XI from the previous match against Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday evening. He decided to include Ryan Barnett, George Evans, Jacob Mendy, and Steven Fletcher in the team.

This signified a necessary break for Elliot Lee, as he has accumulated the highest amount of playing time among all Wrexham team members this season.

Parkinson started his career as a manager with the U’s team and succeeded in earning a promotion into the Championship by leading the Colchester team in 2006.

As the competition for promotion got more intense and approached towards the end of the season, there was no space for any emotional attachment in Essex.

The match began with United taking control, but it was evident that the Red Dragons were going to face a challenging situation.

Due to difficulties with the playing field, the hosts have faced some issues lately. Therefore, the EFL has given the green light to modify the size of the pitch.

Nevertheless, the condition of the pitch at the JobServe Community Stadium was evidently not optimal due to problems with the drainage system, which resulted in several matches being cancelled in both February and March.

During the football match in Colchester, there was a moment where the home team thought they should have been awarded a penalty kick. This happened 14 minutes into the game when Jay Mingi fell over after being pressured by Mendy. However, the referee, Tom Reeves, did not agree with the appeal and instead signaled for a corner kick to be taken.

A moment after, Paul Mullin appeared to have a chance to score and give his team the lead. Unfortunately, the field slowed down a fast pass and interrupted Wrexham's advancement towards the opponent's end.

Despite the ongoing search for an opportunity, Mullin was able to take a shot towards Goodman's goal. However, his attempt missed the target and went wide.

In a fierce competition, Danny Cowley's team came close to making a significant impact against the Red Dragons when Connor Hall missed a shot at the 17th minute.

Wrexham suffered a setback when Mendy had difficulty coping with an injury he had sustained earlier at the JobServe Community Stadium.

Therefore, Lee was quickly summoned to the field because Mendy was unable to continue playing, and Parkinson was compelled to switch things up after only 34 minutes.

Towards the end of the first half, Mullin and Eoghan O'Connell both had opportunities to score, but unfortunately, neither of them were able to convert their chances. As a result, Parkinson's team headed into half time with the score remaining unchanged.

In the second half, the U's showed great strength, with John Akinde becoming a formidable force due to his imposing stature in the attack.

A signal was sent early in the second half by the 24th player of Colchester, and then a shot from outside the penalty box in the 54th minute gave them the lead.

Okonkwo tried to stop the goal, but it wasn't sufficient as Akinde scored.

Right when Ollie Palmer and Jack Marriott seemed like they were going to be subbed in, Wrexham managed to score a goal against their determined opponents.

Barnett and Andy Cannon had a great connection on the right side and eventually, the wing-back found himself with a lot of room after 62 minutes.

The player on the wing passed the ball perfectly to Mullin. Mullin then scored his 100th goal for the Wrexham team by hitting the ball into the goal past Goodman. This happened at a very important time during the game.

The festivities were somewhat restrained, nevertheless, given the significance of securing three points in a closely-fought campaign for promotion, it is understandable that Wrexham's star player immediately returned to the midfield position to resume the game.

As the clock was ticking in Essex, Wrexham's renowned personality emerged when it mattered most, leading them to a remarkable comeback victory with just five minutes left on the clock.

Previously, Wrexham was determined to secure a vital victory away from home and they managed to do so without any hindrance. The Red Dragons skillfully managed the last few moments of the match, guaranteeing that they would return to North Wales with a complete three points.

In the Wrexham AFC team lineup, we have players such as Okonkwo, Cleworth, O'Connell, O'Connor, Barnett (Bolton 83’), Evans, Cannon, McClean, Mendy (Lee 34’), Mullin (C) (Marriott 83’), and Fletcher (Palmer 65’).

The players Howard, Tozer, and J.Davies did not participate.

The football club Colchester United recently had a match and the players who participated were Goodman, Iandolo, Hall, Dallison, McGeehan, Hopper, Read, Anderson, Mingi, Akinde, and Smith. Fevrier came on in the 66th minute for Iandolo, Jay came on in the 88th minute for Dallison and Ihionvien came on for Hopper. Tovide came on in the 66th minute for Akinde and Chilvers came on in the 80th minute for Smith.

Hornby, Kelleher, and Jay were not utilized in the game.

The number of people who attended the match was 8,432, out of which 1,278 were there to support the away team.