Sam Dalby and Paul Mullin were the heroes as Wrexham beat Mansfield 2-1 to book their place in the second round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
- Wrexham on top at Mansfield
- Dalby opened the scoring in the first half
- Mullin looped in their second goal
TELL ME MORE: Wrexham were on top throughout the first half and it seemed only a matter of time before they took the lead, with Dalby going close before opening the scoring. The pivotal moment came after 23 minutes when Andy Cannon fed him with a superb pass and Dalby took on smoothly before curling it past the keeper and into the top corner.
Wrexham continued to bombard the Mansfield goal throughout the half as Dalby saw a shot deflected onto the post by goalkeeper Christy Pym before another effort was denied and then Paul Mullin fired in a stinger which was also kept out.
The second half was much less smooth sailing for the visitors, however, as Mansfield found their feet and began to cause problems. Arthur Okwonko pulled off a powerful save at his near post and despite going close a number of times, the hosts struggled to find the target.
As the home side went into the game, however, Malin found the net in the 58th minute to give them a mountain to climb. It was Dalby who found him, taking advantage of Mansfield’s poor clearance before teeing up Mullin for a superb finish from the star striker.
The fun didn’t stop there, though, and Mansfield showed they weren’t down and out as they responded immediately with Rhys Oates firing past Okwonko.
The MVP: A threat even before finding the net, Dalby had an impressive game for the Red Dragons. The 23-year-old forward kept pulling away for the second goal and was his side’s biggest threat alongside Mullin, who he did well to set up for the second goal. For the rest of the game he was constantly looking to create something and the Mansfield defense just couldn’t keep him quiet.
THE BIGGEST LOSER: It wasn’t the best night for the Wrexham defender George Evans. He was the only player booked in the game and made a mess of the clearance which allowed Mansfield to go on and score.
MATCH IN PHOTOS:
WHAT’S NEXT FOR WREXHAM? The Welsh side will now turn their attention to the EFL Trophy, facing Port Vale on November 7.
MATCH RATING (OUT OF FIVE): ⭐⭐⭐