Wrexham player ratings from the 2-0 defeat against Championship playoffs rivals Millwall at the Racecourse in the 31st league matchday.
Wrexham have got a welcome Championship reality check against top sides from the 2-0 Millwall defeat. The Lions rarely gave Phil Parkinson’s side any breathing room, apart from a Sam Smith 1v1 chance. Ahead of playing Ipswich Town twice and jetting off to Ashton Gate to face Bristol City, this 2-0 defeat can be the blueprint for Wrexham to better approach these high-stakes games.
Sam Smith vs Kieffer Moore debate is one of the biggest talking points right now. In the first half of the season, Moore was Wrexham’s most resourceful striker but his form has completely gone south in the past two months. With Sam Smith, the Reds looked more recognisable from their dominating 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday win.
But again, it was too late and then Millwall added more misery with a sensational 2-0 counter attack goal. That said and done, below are the Wrexham player ratings on a scale of 10 from the 2-0 home defeat to fifth placed Millwall.
Wrexham player ratings from 2-0 home defeat against Millwall
GK: Arthur Okonkwo – 5
Was bored for most of the evening. When the Millwall attacks came in the second half, Okonkwo was left disappointed by Max Cleworth on the first own goal and Dominic Hyam for letting the keeper with no chance to prevent the 2-0 strike.
CB: Callum Doyle – 8
Doyle split the Millwall midfield with nice passes to Lewis O’Brien on multiple occasions. Delivered a couple of strong crosses for Kieffer Moore but the Welshman was man marked by Crama every time.
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Doyle didn’t stop trying though. The 24-year-old went for a thunderous long-ranger that came off of Crocombe’s gloves. Overall, Doyle was Wrexham’s biggest standout from the night.
CB: Dominic Hyam – 6
Dominic Hyam denied Mihailo Ivanovic from winning a ton of headers. Even got hold of a free header which he couldn’t keep it down.
Despite those hardworking efforts, Hyam was late in reading Femi Azeez’s crosses and even slipped in the build up to Millwall’s 2-0 goal.
CB: Max Cleworth – 5
Cleworth laid the assist for Wrexham’s opener against Millwall back in August. On the weekend, he was the culprit by tapping Azeez’s cross into the Reds net.
Not at all a special evening from Max Cleworth on the day he became Wrexham’s most appearance maker under Phil Parkinson.
LWB: Liberato Cacace – 6
Looked electrifying with crosses and passes down the left before going down injured. George Thomason took his duties and fulfilled it well.
Thomason made an error on the 1-0 goal with his poor marking, but did everything in his capacity to compensate for that. Took a right-footed shot that deflected away and a rocket strike from his left that just went wide off target.
CM: Matty James – 6
Sat deeper at the base of midfield but a toe injury restricted his impact. Similar to Cacace, Phil Parkinson brought in a top-notch replacement for Matty James.
George Dobson curled in a free kick for Moore to head, but the chance went begging in the end. Later, Dobson also tried a shot from distance but it was downright poor to say the least. A good job filling in Matty James shoes, nonetheless.
CM: Ben Sheaf – 7
Sheaf always looked out for Lewis O’Brien and Doyle to initiate Wrexham attacks. Opened up spaces in the midfield for Thomason and Doyle to aim for goal but nothing came out of it.
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RWB: Issa Kabore – 5
Issa Kabore nearly got his first Wrexham goal with an early top-corner effort. His crosses were decent but predictable as the game wore on. Also, left Josh Coburn unmarked on a tap-in chance just minutes before the Millwall striker scored the second of the evening.
CAM: Ollie Rathbone – 6
Scored a sublime Van Basten-esque volley against Blackburn Rovers and got well in position to net a second one against Millwall. However, Rathbone missed the incoming cross. His pressing was good as usual, but saw very less of the ball than his everyday performances.
CAM: Lewis O’Brien – 7
Lewis O’Brien’s movement was hard to deal for Millwall. He slid in a brilliant 1v1 chance for Kieffer Moore but the Wales international could only toe poke it.
Combined with Doyle and Thomason for plenty of attacking sequences, but would be gutted to end up on the losing end.
ST: Kieffer Moore – 5
Anticipated Lewis O’Brien’s through pass late, and had a tough evening dealing with Millwall centre-back Crama. Following the 2-0 goal, got a rare header opportunity but couldn’t make the most of it.
In comparison, Sam Smith attacked more scoring opportunities despite arriving as a super sub. Smith also threw away a glorious 1-1 chance but there is a case to be made for him potentially scoring against Millwall if the 27-year-old was started instead.
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