Thanks again to Rory Sheehan who will be providing match reports and feature articles
Wrexham 0 Histon 0
This was a desperate game of football that most who were present at the Racecourse will hope fades from the memory as soon as possible. The game was dire, mainly because of the approach of the visitors who set the tone for the night early on.
Mali international Mansour Assoumani made his debut at centre-half, while Jon Brown and Aurelien Collin also returned to the line-up. In turn, Obi Anoruo, Ryan Flynn and John Curtis were absent from the starting line-up.
The visitors were big, strong but lacked players of any ability on the ball whatsoever. Much of the time the ball was launched down the channels or Histon played for long throw-ins so Gareth Gwillim could launch it towards the area.
To their credit, if they could, Wrexham tried to get the ball down and play. Chances were few and far between however, with Histon coming closest. An unmarked Jack Midson headed against the bar from a free-kick when he was seemingly odds on to score.
With minutes to go to the break a good delivery from Silvio Spann was met by the head of Ashley Westwood only for a last-ditch clearance on the line to deny the Dragons. Unsurprisingly, it remained 0-0 at half-time.
The second-half saw little improvement. There was plenty of head tennis played in midfield without either team really offering anything in the final third. Aurelien Collin and Assoumani looked impressively assured for Wrexham, while Histon were similarly well organised at the back.
Dean Saunders made three substitutions in quick succession as Wes Baynes and Sam Williamson joined the action, replacing Silvio Spann and Neil Taylor. Ryan Flynn took over from Jon Brown as the game entered the final 20 minutes.
In between the changes Andrew Crofts burst forward and stung the fingertips of Histon goalkeeper Danny Naisbitt with a long-range drive on target. Ironically, the Dragons next shot at goal came directly from goalkeeper Gunnar Nielsen!
In keeping with the game, Nielsen booted the ball long, missing everyone. It began to dip with Naisbitt realising he had to get back in his own goal, just getting there in time to palm the ball over for a corner.
That was as good as it got for Wrexham and while Histon had the odd half-chance they should probably have been a man down with Patrick Ada handling the ball as the last man with Wrexham on the break. Ada escaped with a yellow card.
The game couldn’t end quickly enough for most and when it did, the atmosphere was muted. It’s pretty much certain that Wrexham will spend another season outside of the Football League, facing the prospect of more games like this.
It’s difficult to see how a team that plays as Histon do, have been so successful this year, a part-time village team under the influence of long-ball guru John Beck. Perhaps it speaks volumes about the overall quality of this division, and is something Saunders must ponder this summer. The rest of us will be trying not to dwell on it....
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