Online Reporter
AT LEAST they will get a good episode out of it.
FOR so long Wrexham and their tinsel-town ownership looked to have delivered the dream storyline for their Disney documentary.
Twice they led against Chelsea, so often they made the World Champions suffer and look average. But not every story has a happy ending.
There were so many candidates for Phil Parkinson’s leading man. Sam Smith bagged the opener, set up by Callum Doyle who scored their second after a Arthur Okonkwo own-goal.
But the Blues provided the villains. Josh Acheampong forcing extra-time before Alejandro Garnacho’s winner.
It was all watched, of course, by Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, joined by the former’s wife Blake Lively.
They stood in the directors’ box with a boom microphone hovering above their heads and as many cameras trained on them as the pitch.
An ownership duo to make Chelsea’s big-spending American overlords look stuffy and reserved.
They should only take encouragement from this. Offering a true test to a much changed but still high-level side.
For a team who, three years ago to the day, were facing Dagenham & Redbridge in the National League this was always going to be a day to celebrate and further whet the appetite.
With perhaps more than one eye on Paris Saint-Germain next week, Rosenior made nine changes and also bizarrely matched Wrexham’s back three.
For a while it looked like Rosenior had been too clever for his own good.
Parkinson raised some eyebrows, benching his two top scorers in Kieffer Moore and Josh Windass, though they had their own big midweek game, against promotion rivals Hull, to consider.
Smith was the one entrusted with leading the line, given what looked to be a lonely task – but one he embraced with relish to more than make his mark.
Despite having three central defenders up against him, not one of them kept pace when he raced on to Doyle’s 70-yard thump from the back and gave the Disney cameras dotted around the Racecourse their dream moment.
The centre-half signed from Manchester City feeding the striker snapped up from Reading, another reminder of the ambition and aptitude of those in charge in North Wales.
A moment to savour, though one that left Rosenior in a rage.
His defenders near gave up the chase and Robert Sanchez, who had been dropped as first choice keeper in midweek but restored here, did not cover himself in glory – hesitating on the edge of his box before retreating and allowing Smith the space to roll his one-on-one in and spark bedlam and shake the Blues.
Sanchez was soon saving from Max Cleworth and Ryan Longman, those efforts either side of Smith passing up another huge chance, trying to cut inside but ending up on his backside.
Chelsea’s reply, for some time, was non-existent. Liam Delap was battling to make things happen to little avail as the hosts held firm.
Just before the break, however, the striker finally forced his way through with some old fashioned brute force.
Sanchez, seeking redemption, pinged a low and very risky ball to Delap’s feet on the halfway line.
The bulky No9 shoved and turned Dom Hyam in impressive fashion before charging forward and picking out Alejandro Garnacho on the left.
The Argentine let fly and watched George Thomason clear off the line but into the back of his goalkeeper, Okonkwo and in.
Chelsea hardly deserved it but they were level – an admirable response to a test of their ever-questioned mental fortitude.
Chesea upped the tempo after the break but Wrexham were not put off.
Still battling, the Racecourse still full-throated in its support and the World Champions still uncomfortable.
Chelsea were trying to make their class count, Jorrel Hato pulling off a stunning spin but firing wide, but the hosts continued to create and cause trouble.
Their pursuit of a historic upset was bolstered by Windass and Moore’s introduction – which soon bore fruit.
Windass struck as a clearance from a succession of corners fell to him, his low effort incredibly flicked in by defender Doyle. McElhenney stood, hands on head as supporters danced with replica Cups in the stands. – The Sun
