Wrexham Vs Portsmouth: Red Dragons bolster play-off hopes with hard-fought 2-1 win
wrexham vs portsmouth ended 2-1 as the Red Dragons strengthened their hold on a Championship play-off spot with a hard-fought victory at Stok Cae Ras, taking four points from the two fixtures between the sides this season after the first contest in November finished goalless.
Wrexham took control with two headed goals
Wrexham raced into a deserved lead in the first half through headed goals from striker Sam Smith and defender Max Cleworth. Smith opened the scoring in the 23rd minute by rising to nod Callum Doyle's curling cross back across goal and into the net, and Cleworth doubled the lead six minutes before the break when he nodded George Dobson's corner into the net.
Wrexham Vs Portsmouth at Stok Cae Ras
Both sides had half chances early on, with the best opening falling to George Thomason following a slick counter-attack; the Wrexham left wing-back was well denied by Nicolas Schmid. Wrexham remained on top before the break, with Schmid also tipping Smith's thumping strike over and the hosts holding a two-goal cushion into halftime.
Pompey improved after the restart and pulled one back
Portsmouth were much-improved after the interval and pulled a goal back four minutes into the second half. Zak Swanson played a slick one-two with Regan Poole; his subsequent shot struck Doyle before looping over the helpless Arthur Okonkwo. Millenic Alli then had an effort blocked as Portsmouth pressed for an equaliser.
Squad calls and a gruelling schedule for Pompey
Pompey arrived at the Racecourse Ground on the back of a brilliant run of form that included successive 3-1 wins over Charlton Athletic and promotion-chasing Millwall, and it was the club's first visit to the Racecourse Ground in 40 years. John Mousinho's men were in the midst of a run of five games in 15 days, with 13 players missing for Saturday's game at The Den due to injury. Early team and injury news had also listed 17 out and 2 doubts for the midweek contest.
Late drama and tactical changes
Phil Parkinson sent on top scorer Kieffer Moore and Ollie Rathbone in an attempt to regain control, and Rathbone rifled an effort against the post before Thomason was denied again by Schmid. After Wrexham had taken the sting out of the contest, the hosts managed the final stages in a professional manner to hold on for back-to-back wins.
The result left Wrexham sixth in the table and opened up a four-point lead over seventh-placed Southampton; Pompey remained 19th, five points above the relegation zone. Wrexham have now taken four points from their two fixtures with Portsmouth this season, while Portsmouth had been seeking three successive away league wins for the first time since midway through their title-winning 2023-24 League One campaign.
Pompey had conceded no more than a goal a game over the previous eight league matches and their goalkeeper was described as Mousinho's main man in goal. Other squad notes in the build-up described a player as a huge fan favourite and go-to man at right-back and another as an ever-present in Mousinho's side this term who has been dominant in the backline in recent weeks.
Headed goals from Smith and Cleworth gave Wrexham a deserved lead going into the break, and although Portsmouth drastically improved after the restart, Wrexham held on. The next confirmed fixture detail in the provided context is Pompey's Saturday game at The Den with 13 players missing; other upcoming fixtures are unclear in the provided context.
