THE GAME
A point gained away from home against a side second in the table prior to kick off has to be a positive, but with games running out three were needed and this result left Rovers in a relegation place with just three games to play.
Head Coach Inigo Calderon made two changes to his starting lineup for the visit the face Wrexham with Taylor Moore and Luke Thomas replacing Sil Swinkels and Grant Ward.
In front of their home fans, Wrexham made a strong start and the first chance of the game fell to Max Cleworth with just nine minutes on the clock. His fierce shot took a deflection off of Connor Taylor, but Jed Ward was able to touch the ball behind for a corner.
Ward was called into action again shortly afterwards when, at full stretch, he tipped a curling shot from Ollie Rathbone over the bar.
The home side continued to dominate possession and Elliott Lee tried his luck from distance, without success, while Sam Smith rounded Ward, who had come off his line to clear the danger but the home side were unable to capitalise and the ball was eventually cleared to safety.
Rathbone had a goal disallowed when he touched the ball in from close range, but the offside flag had already been raised and his effort was chalked off.
Rovers responded through Kofi Shaw, who drove down the right and his cross found Matt Butcher who fired over the bar.
It was Rovers, though, who drew first blood when, following Butcher’s corner from the left, on 32 minutes, Moore escaped his marker and glanced a header into the bottom corner of the net.
The home side went in search of an equaliser after the break and Smith’s diving heard drifted wide of the target and Ward touched an effort from substitute Steven Fletcher’s effort over the bar.
There were just 14 minutes remaining when the hosts drew level when Matty James fired home after collecting Ryan Longman’s ball into the box.
Wrexham applied more pressure on Rovers’ back line in the later stages of the game but Calderon’s side battled hard to preserve a well deserved point that may yet prove to be vital as they fight to avoid the drop.
THEY SAID WHAT?
‘We have been talking a lot about deserving, and for me, it’s what you get. I’m quite happy with the point. Obviously, when you are winning, you want the three and conceding that late makes you feel worse, but I think it was really important to stop the bad run that we were on. So, to get something from here is massive, and especially to see how the boys performed. I think you could see that the teams are alive.
‘At the end, we were disappointed because of the goal we conceded because we have been working on that in the week and knew, more or less, their strengths. But at the same time, you know if they are going to score, they are going to score like that. But I think we dealt with it really well for the majority of the game. It’s not easy because you cannot forget where we are coming from. We are coming from a bad moment.
‘The effort has been like that every single day, especially in the training ground because that’s why I was feeling so disappointed when we didn’t get a result after a game because the way we train this week was perfect. It’s not easy to lose again and again and still try to go to the training ground at their best. They have to do that, but it’s not easy. So, I am really, really positive. I’m happy with the boys today. (Rovers Head Coach Inigo Calderon)
‘It’s a positive result. In the situation we are in at the moment, every point counts. There’s obviously frustration as well. Going 1-0 up the way we did, holding on for a good part of the game and then conceding what we consider a bit of a soft goal. So, it’s a positive result, but there are still little things to improve going into the last few games. I think, all in all, that was a really good performance from us. We haven’t been pretty all season, and now’s the time that we’re not worried about being pretty, we’re worried about results.
‘The fans that were here created an incredible atmosphere for us as well, and full credit to them. They travelled all that way to help us get over the line. In the last three games, they are going to be massive. I’m incredibly proud of the boys today because that was a battling performance and something that we can take into the next three games.
‘What a time to score my first goal for the club. I think from set pieces, we thought we could maybe take advantage during the game today. So, we’ve worked on them during the week a little bit. I had a little chat with Romaine Sawyers. He blocked my man, and I managed to get across the front and glance it. Once you’ve glanced it, you’re watching it got into the back of the net, but everything goes in slow motion. I’m absolutely delighted to get my first goal. It’s been a long time coming, but the most important thing is that point. I’m happy about the goal but would have rather taken a win today.’ (Rovers goalscorer Taylor Moore)
‘I thought the first 30 minutes we were okay. We had decent control without producing the final pass or a cross of quality or any type of quality in the final third. We thought that would come because we were controlling the game. Obviously, all goals from set plays are soft, and that one was from our point of view. After that, up until half time, I thought we went into our shells a bit
‘There was not enough players to grab hold of the game and be the man to inspire us back into it. Second half was better, and we got back in it, but still we didn’t feel like we produced anywhere near enough quality today to go and win the game. I just want the lads to enjoy the situation that we are in more than it looked like today, because we have down brilliantly to be where we are. We are still in a great position, and whether we succeed or fall this season, I want us to be playing better over thye course of 90 minutes than we did today. (Wrexham Manager Phil Parkinson)
