REPORT | Wrexham AFC 2-1 Sutton United

Wrexham AFC made their way up to the top promotion spots in Sky Bet League Two after winning yet another heart-racing match at STōK Cae Ras. They won by 2-1 against Sutton United, who have been struggling.

The first goal of the game was scored by Paul Mullin during the first half, and it was a great shot. However, in the 59th minute, Wrexham managed to eliminate their lead when Aiden O'Brien hit the ball into the net from a short distance.

Although Eoghan O'Connell and Ryan Barnett were injured, Phil Parkinson's team managed to recover and regain their advantage in the end.

As time was dwindling down, Elliot Lee emerged as the hero and secured a victory with an 89th minute volley in North Wales.

Parkinson decided to switch up the team that tied with Bradford in their previous game by replacing Steven Fletcher and Elliot Lee with Ollie Palmer and Jordan Davies, who were both added to the Starting XI.

The game began with Wrexham playing with enthusiasm, but they had difficulty generating any noteworthy opportunities during the initial stages of the match at STōK Cae Ras. This was due to their hard work not paying off.

Before long, things took a turn. Mullin, who landed a crucial header at the University of Bradford Stadium over the weekend, once again pulled off a remarkable feat by scoring the opening goal in North Wales.

After getting hold of the ball at the border of the penalty area, the player from Wrexham gently controlled it with his first touch. Then, he unleashed a remarkable shot with his right foot that went directly to the top corner, beating Dean Bouzanis, the goalkeeper from the opposing team, in just 14 minutes of play.

The home team remained in command of the ball for the majority of the game, but they found it difficult to overcome Sutton's strong defensive strategies after scoring.

Parkinson's team suffered a significant setback after 30 minutes, when Eoghan O'Connell had to leave the field due to an injury and was substituted for Ben Tozer.

In the 44th minute, Ryan Barnett almost increased the lead when he struck the ball from a long distance, causing Bouzanis to deflect it away. Shortly after, Ollie Palmer attempted a header from the corner but was denied by the goalkeeper, resulting in the home team having to settle for a single goal lead at halftime.

After returning from halftime, Wrexham maintained their superior performance, but in the 59th minute, Sutton unexpectedly equalized, surprising the spectators at the host stadium.

Once the game started to calm down, the U's suddenly became extremely active and alive. Harry Smith passed the ball back to Aiden O'Brien, who then hit the ball with all his might into an empty goal.

In the 69th minute, Jacob Mendy came in for Barnett as the Red Dragons had to make another substitution due to injury. Not long after, Parkinson made three more substitutions, bringing on Steven Fletcher, Elliot Lee, and Sam Dalby in the hopes of scoring a crucial goal in North Wales.

Mendy took a strong shot from 40 yards away, pushing the ball forward before kicking it towards the goal. The ball dipped significantly but unfortunately hit the crossbar, leaving the opposing goalkeeper, Bounzanis, unable to catch it.

Next, George Evans attempted a curved shot from the perimeter of the field, but unfortunately, his attempt was blocked by an opposing player preventing the home team from regaining their advantage.

Wrexham has gotten used to seeing goals being scored in the STōK Cae Ras stadium during the last moments of the game, and this pattern persisted during their recent match under the bright lights of North Wales. Lee once again saved the day for Parkinson's team.

After exerting a lot of pressure on the opposing team, the ball ended up with McClean on the left side of the field. He then sent a pass into the box, but it was only pushed away towards Wrexham's player wearing jersey number 38, who was waiting at the edge of the box.

As always, the 28-year-old once again followed through on his promise in front of the STōK Cold Brew Coffee Stand, hitting a powerful shot with his right foot and causing the fans of Wrexham to erupt in celebration as the clock ticked down.

Refusing to give up their advantage once again, the Wrexham football team put up a strong defense and displayed great resilience, earning them three vital points and moving them up into the positions for automatic promotion.

The starting lineup for Wrexham AFC consisted of Okonkwo as the goalkeeper, followed by Tunnicliffe, O'Connor (replaced by Dalby in the 72nd minute), O'Connell (substituted by Tozer in the 30th minute), McClean, Evans, Jones (replaced by Lee in the 72nd minute), J. Davies, Barnett (substituted by Mendy in the 69th minute), Palmer (replaced by Fletcher in the 72nd minute), and Mullin.

The players Howard (GK) and Young did not participate.

Sutton United's goalkeeper was Bouzanis, and their team consisted of Sowunmi, Goodlife, N'Geuessan, Smith, Beautyman (who was also the captain and was replaced by Patrick in the 78th minute), Clay, Kizzi, Jackson (who was replaced by Coley in the 78th minute), Milsom (who was replaced by Pereira in the 92nd minute), and O'Brien (who was also replaced by John in the 92nd minute).

The players who did not participate were Arnold as the goalkeeper, Mellor, and Fadahunsi.

Number of spectators: 10,183 (with 276 people coming from the opposing team).