Nottingham boss Sean Dyche admits his side’s poor performance, hinting at how Wrexham stands a chance at a deep FA Cup run this time.
Witnessing a timeless clash like the recent Wrexham Vs Nottingham, many would deny it being a third-round FA Cup contest. After all, it stood as a 6-goal fest with the winner decided through the penalty shootouts.
Agreed, a tie between Championship high-flyers and Premier League strugglers was bound to be intense, and the game’s setup played in Wrexham’s favour. But even apart from the out-and-loud home support, credit needs to be given to the Dragons for sticking to the winning plan.
In a nearly balanced tie, considering Wrexham’s FA Cup history, an impeccable start stood crucial. That’s what Parky and team doubled down on despite missing key starters like Max Cleworth, Kieffer Moore and Matty James.
Keeping bias aside, the first half an hour felt bland with the game tussling in the middle of the park. But it all turned in Wrexham’s favour with returnee Liberato Cacace firing up his first goal for the Welsh club.
What followed was pure brilliance from Nathan Broadhead and the man of the moment, Ollie Rathbone. Within minutes, the duo combined in a one-to-one with Rathbone slotting a neatly teed pass to make it 2-0.
There’s no denying that Nottingham showed character with a 2nd-half fightback. Still, coming from a couple of goals down in an atmosphere like the Racecourse was never happening, and that’s what eventually turned out.
Nottingham boss makes big Wrexham confession
Given Wrexham’s FA Cup history, no analyst or pundit, let alone opposition manager Sean Dyche, would’ve underestimated them. Well, the Forest boss reiterated that emotion after the Cup elimination, confessing how they weren’t good enough.
As quoted by the Leader Live, Dyche said: “It’s not as if we should wipe the floor with them; you have got to do the hard yards, win your headers, win your tackles and win your races, but we were nowhere near it in the first-half.”
One way of perceiving this comment says for Dyche’s acceptance of a poor first half dictated the result. However, reading between the lines, it sparks optimism for Wrexham fans of a memorable Cup run.
No way, the Dragons’ 4th-round finishes in the last FA Cup editions have gone unnoticed and should the club continue on their current hot form, anything may be possible.
FA Cup trends highlight Wrexham can record an iconic run
Going by the nature of a contest involving English clubs from all EFL tiers, there’s bound to be a mismatch. Still, even by virtue of upsets, many lower division sides have time and again outperformed the big PL fishes.
For instance, take Preston’s example from the 2024/25 season. Navigating their way through League One sides, Charlton and Wycombe Wanderers, Paul Heckingbottom led Preston defeated Championship high flyers, Burnley, to reach the quarter-finals.
Agreed, the PNE boss doesn’t have many fans in Wrexham, still, the Dragons can take a leaf from their success on a memorable FA Cup run.
Coincidentally, it must be noted that Nottingham Forest were among the sides featuring in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last season. Not only that, Forest had advanced to the semi-finals before getting eliminated by the runners-up, Man City.
To think that Wrexham just advanced to the 4th round by knocking out Nottingham says a lot for the feat itself. Should the club be a bit fortunate with the next draws, Wrexham stands a significant chance to mark their best Cup run ever.
Well, it’s 2 days until the Red Dragons know of their 4th round opponent. The hope would be for the easiest one, with the belief that Wrexham can give a tough fight even if drawn against another PL opponent.
