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Half-time: Wrexham 2-0 Nottingham Forest
Will Wrexham rue that Smith chance? They’re in a good place anyway. Forest have been disjointed and when the chances have fallen to the Championship team, they have gobbled up with notable efficiency.
45 min: One minute added on. And it might have been three…Sam Smith sent through but he dallies and Sels comes out to block what would have game, set and match.
44 min: Forest try to probe away at Wrexham’s defence, after five minutes where their night turned bad. Douglas Luiz wafts a ball out of play. We are treated to Ryan Reynolds, with Aspen tan, doing a jig of joy. You don’t get that from Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
43 min: Forest have looked rather less than a cohesive unit; that’s what eight changes will do to a team. This is great streaming content and no mistake.
41 min: Max Boyce’s Hymns And Arias is ringing out. Beautiful noise from the home noise. Their team is in a beautiful place.
Goal! Wrexham 2-0 Nottingham Forest (Rathbone, 40)
Another Forest mistake, another great finish. Morata gets done, and the ball opens up for Rathbone to hit early and true.
38 min: Forest wanted a foul but Cunha was dozing as Dobson took the ball. After that, the move was executed perfectly. Ryan Reynold loving it.
Goal! Wrexham 1-0 Nottingham Forest (Cacace, 37)
The ball goes loose as Cunha loses the ball to Dobson, and it’s slipped to Cacace to smash home. What a finish. Perhaps a deflection.
33 min: Wrexham look to a counter but Longman is forced to check back and the choice is to retain possession. The ball is pumped to the lonesome Smith, who has three defenders all over him. He’s really putting in the effort.
32 min: Forest corner, knocked behind, and so there will be another. Hutchinson takes, and it goes straight to Longman, who hammers the ball clear.
30 min: Best chance of the game. Morata makes a mistake and Wrexham break at speed, and Sam Smith fires with venom but not enough accuracy. He’s annoyed with himself there.
29 min: Some hurly burly in the corner sees Forest awarded a free-kick when it looked as if their defender was the guilty party.
27 min: Forest come up in numbers, McAtee, who has been quiet, is robbed by Ben Sheaf as the ball falls to the former Manchester City man.
25 min: A free-kick, from Douglas Luiz, zips in, and it’s a fine save from Okwonko, who pushes the ball away from danger.
22 min: The second Dobson corner went out and back in, so Forest can breathe and have a goal kick.
21 min: A Rathbone shot rasps in, and Sels deflects behind. Jair Cunha has to head behind for a second corner, that George Dobson will take.
20 min: Forest smelling a bit of blood here? It seems so. The TV footage shows the new stand being built. Wrexham’s ambitions in bricks and mortar.
Goal disallowed! Still 0-0
Yes, Luiz handballed it to control it and volleyed home, and referee Paul Tierney, to his credit, thought about it. And gave the correct decision. Common sense reffing: it will never catch on.
Goal! Wrexham 0-1 Nottingham Forest (Luiz, 18)
Was that handball? It looked it?!
15 min: Wrexham win a throw in a decent position but don’t seem to have a Semeyo/Kayode. It’s taken short. Still, Broadhead and Cacace, the Kiwi, are making progress down the left, at least.
14 min: Some long hoofs from end to end, to reflect what has been a disappointing contest so far.
11 min: Wrexham finally get near the Forest box but Sels in the Forest goal is under no threat from the cross and it’s headed away in any case.
8 min: Boos as Sayona takes his time over a throw. This game yet to catch light. Suppose that’s always likely with two unfamiliar teams facing each other.
7 min: Forest are back in numbers, showing respect for their opponents.
6 min: Wrexham’s style under Phil Parkinson is often up and at ‘em, but no Kieffer Moore. Morata concedes a free-kick, and there’s chance to get the ball into the box. And yet they take it short.
4 min: A Zinchenko pass finds an offside teammate. Is Sean Dyche still in shorts? Confirmation needed.
2 min: Early Forest chance, as Bakwa as is sent away down the left, and his ball inside is met by Igor Jesus, who cannot keep the ball on target.
Away we go at the Racecourse
1 min: Ryan Reynold is in the house. Rob Mac is at home, presumably. Boos as Forest pass the ball round the back as the home fans create quite a decent atmosphere.
The teams take to the field. Wrexham have a stories FA Cup history, while Forest have won this trophy twice, the last in 1959, when Elton John’s cousin scored one of the goals.
Big noise from both sets of fans on a chilly night in what used to be known as Clwyd.
Sean Dyche, of course, is wearing shorts as he carries out his pre-match duties.
Phil Parkinson, the Wrexham manager, spoke to the BBC: ““When the draw came out we sat down as a staff and said that the aim was to get through the Christmas period in good form, and we managed to do that, and tonight I want the supporters, players and staff to enjoy the occasion. But, we will only enjoy it if we play somewhere near our maximum.”
Sean Dyche has been speaking to TNT: “We’ve got a quiet week next week and then it all picks up again in the Europa League. We’ve got some good players out there tonight so I expect a performance.
“We’ve had eight injuries to players, some that have proved themselves at this club and others who want to prove themselves, so the true fitness is not there in some of them, but we’ve got no choice but to use them. These are tricky games. I’ve made it absolutely clear to the players that our attitude has to be spot on.”
Four changes for Wrexham, Dan Scarr, Liberato Cacace, Ollie Rathbone and George Dobson in, with Max Cleworth, Matty James, Josh Windass and George Thomason out.
As predicted, Sean Dyche makes eight changes. Igor Jesus and Omari Hutchinson are the only survivors from this week’s win at West Ham.
Other FA Cup games tonight:
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MK Dons v Oxford
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Port Vale v Fleetwood
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Preston v Wigan
The teams
Wrexham: Okonkwo, Scarr, Hyam, Doyle, Dobson, Sheaf, Longman, Rathbone, Broadhead, Cacace, Smith. Subs: Burton, Coady, McClean, Barnett, Thomason, O’Brien, Ashfield, Windass, Rodriguez.
Nottm Forest: Sels, Savona, Jair Cunha, Morato, Zinchenko, McAtee, Douglas Luiz, Hutchinson, Ndoye, Bakwa, Igor Jesus. Subs: Gunn, Williams, Murillo, Hudson-Odoi, Awoniyi, Gibbs-White, Dominguez, Milenkovic, Abbott.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire)
Not everyone has bought into the Wrexham fairytale, of course.
Here’s a preview of the weekend, in the usual way.
Preamble
Would it be an FA Cup giantkilling if America’s team, the mighty Wrexham, beat Nottingham Forest? Though the Robins have play-off hopes very much alive their concerns are not as deep as Forest’s. Relegation is still a serious concern for Sean Dyche’s men, and their manager has some previous for concentrating on the league. It’s bound to be a decent atmosphere at the Racecourse so let’s consider the third round open, and let’s hope it starts in style.
Kick-off is at 7.30pm. Join me.
