Wrexham player ratings from a narrow 2-1 league win over Portsmouth at home during the 34th Championship matchday.
Scoring the first goal in a Championship match often works well in Wrexham’s favour. Infact, the 2-1 away defeat at Swansea City in December was the last time Phil Parkinson’s men got off to an early lead but walked away empty handed from the game. So, the Reds knew that fancying a 1-0 lead against Portsmouth will make their evening easier.
George Thomason and Nathan Broadhead combined with Callum Doyle to send a precise cross in Sam Smith’s way and the striker got the 1-0 goal Wrexham wanted. Very soon, Max Cleworth’s 2-0 header followed and the match was virtually done and dusted there itself.
After the break, Wrexham dropped their intensity and illness could be a major factor behind that as Phil Parkinson admitted. Anyhow, the Reds clinged on to a 2-1 win but the entire performance wasn’t something to feel proud of. There were errors and poor decision-making from the team every now and then.
With that said, below are the Wrexham player ratings of every starter on a scale of 10 after a narrow Portsmouth victory at home.
Wrexham player ratings from narrow 2-1 Portsmouth win at home
GK: Arthur Okonkwo – 6
Wrexham kept Portsmouth attacks in check from testing Arthur Okonkwo. Only one Pompey shot came on target but Okonkwo couldn’t keep it out, mainly due to a heavy Callum Doyle deflection on it.
CB: Callum Doyle – 7
Callum Doyle provided width to the Wrexham attack down the left hand side. The quick linkup with Broadhead saw Doyle release an inch-perfect assist on Sam Smith’s 1-0 opener.
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Had to do plenty of clearances in the second half. Even tried blocking the Portsmouth goal, but didn’t succeed there.
CB: Dom Hyam – 7
Hyam’s clever run in the box allowed Max Cleworth to head the 2-0 goal without being marked. Defensively, Hyam intercepted Portsmouth’s through balls pretty well and never left the backline exposed to counter attacks.
CB: Max Cleworth – 8
Great comeback from Max Cleworth to score Wrexham’s second goal against Portsmouth just days after getting criticised by the fans. Left a good 3-1 chance for Ollie Rathbone down the right flank which came off the crossbar.
In the final minutes of the match, Cleworth stood calm to defend Millenic Alli’s shot. Hopefully, Cleworth builds on this good performance in the upcoming fixtures.
LWB: George Thomason – 7
Got in a good scoring position early on, with a similar dipping shot with which he scored against Ipswich Town last week. Didn’t deliver a ton of crosses but Thomason maintained a good accuracy of short passes inside the final third.
In the final ten minutes, Thomason drove further down the pitch and had Windass for support but decided to go himself and missed the target.
CM: George Dobson – 7
Sam Smith laid it off to George Dobson for the game’s first chance, which he missed by far. Passing was decent from the 28-year-old, who picked up a fourth assist of the season across all competitions by finding Cleworth on the headed goal. Also, it was Dobson’s first Wrexham assist since signing his contract extension on Monday.
CM: Lewis O’Brien – 5
Lewis O’Brien didn’t find much spaces in the Portsmouth half as he usually does. Got hold of a long-range chance in the second half, but his shot deflected away for a corner.
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RWB: Issa Kabore – 7
Much improved performance from Kabore on both ends of the pitch. Created a couple of dangerous attacking plays up front and was equally sound while clearing loose balls at the back.
CAM: Nathan Broadhead – 7
Broadhead picked the right pass to Doyle in the build up to the first goal, from a crowd of Portsmouth shirts. Made a few encouraging runs while Sam Smith and Josh Windass advanced forward but didn’t get any meaningful shooting opportunities.
CAM: Josh Windass – 6
Windass was heavily man marked in the Portsmouth box from the start. Released a narrow chance to Thomason and a through ball to Sam Smith before being subbed off around the hour mark.
ST: Sam Smith – 9
Sam Smith’s header placement was outstanding on the first goal. Should have looked to pass Broadhead as a better option instead of testing the keeper from the counter, but the resulting corner ended in a goal. Ultimately, a win-win situation.
Parkinson suggested that Sam Smith was also unwell like Kieffer Moore as the game wore on. Hence, it remains to be seen who starts as the striker vs Charlton Athletic next.
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