Wrexham AFC are loving life under Sam Ricketts. They are still not playing at their best, but the Dragons are showing a steely edge in Vanarama National League football and battled to a 1-0 win at Braintree Town.
Manager Ricketts and his players have earned 21 points from 10 matches, earning six wins to go second in the table behind leaders Harrogate.
Captain Shaun Pearson headed Wrexham in front after 67 minutes when he met Luke Summerfield’s accurate corner and the goalscorer said: “These are a massive three points and it’s a great feeling to score my first of the season.
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“I should have five or six and it feels good to be off the mark. I’ve hit the bar, had a couple cleared off the line and missed a sitter at Eastleigh.
“It’s been frustrating because I’ve got my head on a lot of crosses, but we’re pleased with this win and our clean sheet.
“Overall, we learned from out 1-0 defeat at Solihull and got stuck in. We showed fight and knowhow.
“We’re 10 games in and 21 points is pleasing. Now we have to push on.”
Ricketts revealed that Pearson has been the target for team banter because he hadn’t scored in the first nine games and said: “Shaun says he is normally good for about five or so a season, so we were waiting for him to score.
“It’s really pleasing that when he scores and it turns out to the winner and he put in a captain’s performance.”
Wrexham were followed to Essex by more than 300 fans, who made an eight-hour round trip to support their team and 22-year-old midfield player Brad Walker, making his debut after a loan move from Crewe, said: “Our supporters were brilliant. We could hear them throughout the 90 minutes and they pushed us over the line.
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“It wasn’t the best of matches, but the win was all that matter. We were brilliant in defence and took all three points.”
Wrexham have a full week before their next fixture, against Ebbsfleet at home next Saturday, and that will delight Ricketts, who says: “If you are going to be successful you need to win games like this.
“We weren’t head and shoulders better than Braintree and it came down to a set piece.
“You look at all the teams who are successful and look back over the course of a season and they will win games by a set piece when they haven’t played well.
“I am not saying we didn’t play well, but we didn’t play how I wanted us to.
“It is vital to pick up victories when maybe we should have drawn and pick up draws when maybe we should have lost.
“Over the course of the season that maybe adds up to 10 or 15 more points and that can be the difference between success and not.”
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Goalkeeper Rob Lainton kept his seventh clean sheet in 10 League matches, keeping out bottom of the table Braintree at their Cressing Road stadium.
Wrexham made a change after 51 minutes when striker Mike Fondop was replaced by Rekeil Pyke. Fondop, who had been booked for time wasting just before half-time, was involved with a Braintree player and manager Ricketts opted to take him out of the firing line.
Pyke was then cautioned for kicking the ball away when he was pulled back on an offside decision.
Wrexham stayed strong in the closing stages and when they final whistle blew players and fans celebrated together in Essex.
Braintree Town: Killip, James, Ellul, Nieskins, Gabriel (Grant 82), Lyons-Foster, Allen (Crook 64), Thompson (Charles 72), Amaluzar, Bettamer, Sogaf. Subs not used: Clark, Webber.
Wrexham: Lainton, Roberts, Lawlor, Pearson, Jennings, Summerfield, Walker (Wright 89), Young (Rutherford 61), Beavon, Fondop (Pyke 51), Maguire-Drew. Subs not used: Dibble, Holroyd.
Referee: Adrian Quelch (Dorset)
Attendance: 802
Vanarama National League Table
| # | Team | Pl | HW | HD | HL | AW | AD | AL | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Pts |
| 1. | Harrogate Town | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 22 | 10 | 12 | 22 |
| 2. | Wrexham | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 21 |
| 3. | Leyton Orient | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 20 |
| 4. | Hartlepool United | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 19 |
| 5. | FC Halifax Town | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 18 |
| 6. | Salford City | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 18 |
| 7. | AFC Fylde | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 17 |
| 8. | Gateshead | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 17 |
| 9. | Barnet | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 17 |
| 10. | Sutton United | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 16 |
| 11. | Solihull Moors | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 16 |
| 12. | Boreham Wood | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
| 13. | Ebbsfleet United | 10 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 14 |
| 14. | Maidenhead United | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 15 | -2 | 11 |
| 15. | Barrow | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 11 |
| 16. | Bromley | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 10 |
| 17. | Chesterfield | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 10 |
| 18. | Aldershot Town | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 17 | -8 | 10 |
| 19. | Eastleigh | 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 15 | -8 | 10 |
| 20. | Havant & Waterlooville | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 22 | -8 | 9 |
| 21. | Dagenham & Redbridge | 10 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 13 | -4 | 8 |
| 22. | Maidstone United | 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 15 | -7 | 7 |
| 23. | Dover Athletic | 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 20 | -10 | 6 |
| 24. | Braintree Town | 10 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 15 | -9 | 3 |
