Wrexham player ratings as Phil Parkinson’s men lost a second consecutive Welsh derby of the season.
The past 7 days have been a full circle moment for Wrexham, but for the worse. Only last Friday, Wrexham sneaked in a late goal and the biggest talking point among fans was the excessive draws we were taking.
This Friday, Parkinson’s men couldn’t even fetch a point from South Wales, all thanks to a late 2-1 winner Wrexham gifted cheaply. Not lying, I had my eyes on the referee’s whistle wishing there were a few more minutes left for Wrexham to initiate a counter attack from the Swansea free kick and push for a 2-1 winner of our own.
Seconds later, Arthur Okonkwo spilled the ball and the points at the wrong time. It was over.
First to Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup and now Swansea away in the Championship. Wrexham fans, we will have to wait a little bit longer until we can boast about being Wales’ best.
Meanwhile, the one thing the club must do is rectify the on field mistakes because truth be told, there are many. With that, let’s check in the player ratings to know which Wrexham players’ stood out and which ones crumbled under pressure in the 2-1 loss.
Wrexham player ratings from 2-1 Swansea defeat
Goalkeeper: Arthur Okonkwo – (5/10)
Made a brilliant save on Widell’s first half volley and wasn’t at fault on the first Swansea goal. The second one was a schoolboy error on Okonkwo’s part, much better was expected from him there.
Centre Back: Callum Doyle – (7/10)
Doyle did well early up not to foul Ronald and concede a penalty on a blatant dive. On the equalizer, Doyle tried blocking Vipotnik’s effort and looked visibly upset when Hyam’s deflection swept it in.
Centre Back: Max Cleworth – (6/10)
Must feel fortunate that Cameron Burgess skied his strike up and over, after failing to win the header in the box. Apart from that, Cleworth made decent passes all game.
Centre Back: Dominic Hyam – (5/10)
Hyam will be gutted to become the unfortunate culprit in directing Vipotnik’s low drilled attempt home, and then colliding with Okonkwo on the last-gasp goal.
Left Midfield: James McClean – (5/10)
Lost the battle on the left wing against Swansea’s Ronald. Later, saw a yellow for a needless foul.
Central Midfield: George Dobson – (7/10)
One of Wrexham’s best players across both halves. Pinged Longman with a through ball that led to the 1-0 opening goal and covered up well for his teammates’ slip-ups.
Defensive Midfield: George Thomason – (6/10)
Picked the match’s first booking and got a rare 1v1 chance with the Swansea keeper but couldn’t get the shot away.
Central Midfield: Ben Sheaf – (6/10)
Got displaced in a dangerous position in the first half, and won possession outside the Swansea penalty area in the second. Both occasions ended up in off target finishes.
Right Midfield: Ryan Longman – (7/10)
Controlled Dobson’s key pass well and unleashed a successful cross on the own goal despite being marked. It won’t count as a Longman assist but credit must be given to him.
Centre Forward: Josh Windass – (5/10)
A quiet game by Windass standards. Received a free pass from Ben Sheaf but went for a first time shot from the edge of the box. Could have looked for Kieffer Moore and got Wrexham a 2-0 cushion over Swansea.
Striker: Kieffer Moore – (6/10)
Moore’s presence rushed Burgess into making the 1-0 error. It was his foul that awarded Swansea the injury-time free kick, but the Welshman was lucky to escape a yellow card for it.
Manager: Phil Parkinson – (5/10)
Wrexham dropped the intensity after being headed in the driving seat. Moreover, Parkinson gave upon a balanced approach in favour of adopting a hardcore defensive stance which didn’t pay off at Swansea.
