WREXHAM 3

FOREST GREEN 1

WREXHAM shocked title-chasing  Forest Green in a North Wales as their lead at the top was cut to a point.

Mark Cooper’s side had no answer to a struggling Wrexham side, who had previously not won in five games.

Darren Carter’s seventh-minute penalty miss proved pivotal as The Dragons breathed first-half fire to lead 2-0 at the break.

Rovers rallied somewhat when Carter atoned for his earlier miss to give his side hope, but Gerry McDonagh’s stoppage-time third made it a day to forget.

Earlier, Cooper named an unchanged team, but could find no places in the squad for Aarran Racine and Rhys Murphy.

Meanwhile, Fabien Robert returned to the bench after his recent ankle issue. Rovers also named new defender Manny Monthe, who signed from Bath City on Thursday.

Rovers started with their customary possession based style – toying with a Wrexham side, who boast an illustrious past and a memorable Mickey Thomas inspired FA Cup victory over Arsenal 24 years ago.

Cooper’s side can certainly go long when they want and Charlie Clough’s firework picked out Christian Doidge who placed a header towards Liam Noble who fell to the ground after a shirt tug in the box for a stonewall seventh-minute penalty. You would put your mortgage on Carter from the spot, but he fluffed his chance – Luke Coddington diving to save.

His miss rocked Rovers and roused a Wrexham side, who took a surprise 15th-minute lead. John Rooney, brother of Wayne, arrowed over a cross for Shaun Harrad to glance beyond Wrexham old boy Sam Russell.

Rovers looked for a quick riposte, but Coddington blunted Noble’s intent with strong hands to turn his skidding strike wide.

However, it started to turn into a North Wales nightmare on the half-hour mark as Wrexham went 2-0 up. Paul Rutherford fizzed in a ball that Russell blocked superbly, but Gerry McDonagh smashed in the free ball.

Cooper must have melted the paint of the changing room walls after a wretched first-half for his side and opted to replace Rob Sinclair with striker Matt Tubbs at the break.

However, Rovers hardly hit the ground running. Doidge lost the ball in his own half and Curtis Tilt fizzed over from the edge of the box.

Cooper had seen enough and on 58 minutes he ushered Monthe on for his debut in place of Dan Wishart and his first touch saw the giant defender plant a free header over from a Marsh-Brown corner.

Rovers gave themselves a lifeline with 21 minutes to go. Clough opened his legs down the right and his ball was nodded across the box by Monthe for Carter to direct a header beyond Coddington.

A player spat saw Rovers’ Drissa Traore and Wrexham’s McDonagh exchange yellow cards as tempers became frayed.

Rovers were huffing and puffing – Tubbs saw his shot on the turn fingered away by the scrambling  Coddington.

But, Wrexham's McDonagh should have made it three, but flashed wide of Russell, when scoring would have been easier.

Deep into stoppage-time and with Rovers throwing men forward, Wrexham broke for McDonagh  to run on and score his second of an unforgettable day for Cooper’s shell-shocked team.

Forest Green: (4-4-2): Russell; Bennett, Wishart (Monthe 58), Pinnock, Clough; Traore, Noble, Sinclair (Tubbs 45), Carter; Doidge, Marsh-Brown

Subs not used: Kelly, Frear

Attendance:3,472

FGR fans: 64.

Star Man: Ethan Pinnock.