Wrexham comfortably dealt with Ebbsfleet 4-1 at home to
cement their place at the top of the Blue Square Premier, but Newport were
involved in a much closer tie, grabbing a last minute winner in a 3-2 victory
at Hereford’s Edgar Street.
In the Blue Square North, Colwyn Bay also picked up a vital
win in their fight against relegation by coming from behind to win 2-1 at
Harrogate Town, while Cardiff City and Merthyr Town picked up a point each in
their respective promotion pushes.
Wrexham went in to their game against struggling Ebbsfleet
as favourites and flew out of the blocks. On three minutes, on-loan Rochdale
striker Dele Adebola tucked home a rebound after a Danny Wright shot had been
blocked, and he expertly played in Kevin Thornton on 11 minutes who cut the
ball back for Brett Ormerod to double the lead.
Thornton then notched his third goal in as many games as a
static Ebbsfleet defence watched him curl a shot home from the edge of the box,
before Rob Ogleby, who had replaced a limping Adebola, celebrated his new
contract at the club by making it 4-0 on the stroke of half-time.
Nathan Elder pulled a goal back for the visitors on 77
minutes, but the impressive victory ensures that the club now have a
three-point cushion between themselves and second-placed Kidderminster, plus
they have a game in hand.
Player/manager Andy Morrell was pleased with how clinical
his side were in the first 45 minutes, saying: “I thought we were really good
first half. It helps getting an early goal, but we did that on Saturday
(against Alfreton) and we didn’t continue at the same tempo as we did out
there.
“When we get the tempo and move it we are a handful, and it
was enjoyable to watch in the first half. The second half was difficult because
it was harder to say we have to go again. We created chances but were not as
clinical in the second half as we were in the first.”
Newport County showed character of their own in a tricky mid-week
visit to Herefordshire – twice coming from behind and then nicking it to send
the away support, who numbered more than 1,100, delirious.
Captain David Pipe wasn’t at the races on this occasion and
three times he conceded penalties, but the hosts only took advantage of two of
them – former Chelsea stopper Lenny Pidgeley dealing with the first.
Midfield enforcer Lee Minshull twice equalised for the
Exiles with headers, and with their fans probably happy to be escaping with one
point, substitute Robbie Willmott popped up to nick all three.
With promotion rivals Kidderminster and Forest Green both
losing, Newport move level on points with second-placed Kiddy, three behind
Wrexham, but hold three games in hand over The Dragons.
County boss Justin Edinburgh was delighted that his team had
never given up, saying: “The players deserved all the applause they received
tonight because they could have let their heads drop and could have felt hard
done by, but credit to them they have gone right to the end and got themselves
back in the game.
“We had to dig in, it was a derby with a fantastic
atmosphere, and we had to come from behind twice. That is testament to the
character and belief in the dressing room right now. We just edged it and just
deserved it.”
Colwyn Bay conceded the opening goal at Harrogate after just
75 seconds. But rather than capitulate as they might have a few weeks ago, they
fought back to claim a vital win that gives their survival chances a real
boost.
Newly appointed player/manager Frank Sinclair saw his
attempted clearance from a long ball canon off home striker Dominic Knowles, who
ran through and slotted home.
But on 11 minutes The Seagulls equalised: a Shelton Payne
cross was blocked, but when the ball ran back to him on the edge of the box he
curled the ball deliciously in to the far corner.
The Bay pushed on, and on 25 minutes they were ahead when
Payne again was involved, dribbling in to the area and cutting back for Mike
Lea to score.
Harrogate hit the bar and had a goal rightly disallowed for
handball as they pushed for an equaliser, but Bay hung on to make it four games
unbeaten for Sinclair, and he was full of praise for two men he has brought
back to the club – Danny Meadowcroft and Frazer McLachlan.
He said: “I’ve been thinking about the team we had when I
first came to club and how difficult we were to beat. Danny Meads and Fraz
(McLachlan) were a big part of that team and I am chuffed to bits to have them
both back.
“Danny is Colwyn Bay through and through, and with Robbie
Williams likely to be joining Hyde this week, he is a timely signing and
provides another option for us in defence.
“Fraz has been wanting to come back and he showed his
experience tonight. He got his foot on the ball, broke things up and made a
super reverse pass to start the move which led to our second goal.”
In the Championship, Cardiff City's mini wobble continued as
substitute Craig Noone rescued a point in a 1-1 draw with Derby County at
Cardiff City Stadium.
Derby had looked the better side for much of this encounter,
and Cardiff will probably feel a little indebted to the officials who perhaps
wrongly ruled out a Chris Martin first-half goal for offside, missed what
looked a pretty obvious Ben Turner block with his arm inside the penalty area,
and who could have sent off young defender Ben Nugent, who grabbed an opponent
with both arms when clean through. But again, referee Darren Deadman waved play
on.
Conor Sammon capitalised on a Craig Conway error to put
Derby ahead with 15 minutes left, but Noone capitalised on Derby ‘keeper Adam
Legzdins first mistake of the evening in running out for a cross he was never
going to get to by coolly nodding home.
The former Brighton winger could have won it late on but his
delightful curler after cutting inside just drifted past the far post.
Despite the result and fairly subdued performance, boss Malky
Mackay refuted claims his side were feeling the pressure, saying: “It’s not
always going to go the way you want it to, everyone is fighting for everything
in this league. If there were nerves, surely we don’t come back at the end,
score the goal and nearly get the winner.
“There was two or three individual errors that culminated in
Conor Sammon scoring. At any point if one person had done something differently
they don’t score. They know that. That’s disappointing because if they score a
fantastic goal, you hold your hands up. That hasn’t happened on many occasions
this season, certainly not at this stadium.”
A slightly patchwork Merthyr Town also continued their
play-off push with a goal-less draw with Cirencester Town at Pennydarren Park.
Both sides created chances, with Merthyr in particular
having two efforts cleared off the line and hitting the bar in the first half.
Cirencester were giving as good as they got, starting the
second half much the better, but the Martyrs again began to take control and
Ryan Prosser sent a header straight at the visiting ‘keeper as the draw was
ground out.
The result leaves Merthyr fourth in the Evo-Stik League
Southern – Division One South & West, level on points with third-placed
Swindown Supermarine. They are 15 points behind leaders Hungerford Town, but
have five games in hand over the table toppers.
The club’s Twitter feed said of the game: “0-0…but don't
know how”.
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