Wrexham Vs Portsmouth: Sam Smith and Max Cleworth steer Red Dragons to 2-1 win

Wrexham held on for a 2-1 victory over Portsmouth at the Racecourse Ground on Tuesday night, a result that tightened their grip on a Championship play-off place. The wrexham vs portsmouth fixture mattered because Wrexham reached the win while managing a sickness bug in the camp and because the result follows a frenetic 5-3 win over Ipswich and precedes an FA Cup fifth-round trip to Chelsea.

Wrexham Vs Portsmouth at the Racecourse Ground (Stok Cae Ras)

Sam Smith and Max Cleworth headed Wrexham into a commanding first-half lead at the Racecourse Ground, also referred to as Stok Cae Ras, with Portsmouth pulling one back in the second period through Zak Swanson. The match finished 2-1, leaving Wrexham with another three points that tightened their hold on a place in the top six of the Championship.

Phil Parkinson on illness and digging in

Manager Phil Parkinson revealed his squad had been struck by a sickness bug in the days leading up to the game and said energy levels were not where they should have been. He described how the group "dug deep as a team" and noted Sam Smith had been one of those affected and was unable to complete the match. Parkinson urged the striker on at half-time—"Come on, Sam, another 15 minutes"—and praised his contribution: "He's been brilliant for us, ever since he's been here. " He added: "I thought we were excellent first half. We really bossed the game, " while acknowledging that "second half we didn't quite get the control we wanted but sometimes football is about finding a way to win and we've done that really well. "

Sam Smith and Max Cleworth put Wrexham two up

Wrexham threatened early when George Dobson fired wide inside the first minute and later settled to open the scoring after 23 minutes. Smith leapt to meet a Callum Doyle cross and delivered what Parkinson called "a real old-fashioned striker's header, a great finish. " Smith then tested Portsmouth goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid with a superb long-range effort that Schmid turned over, and from the resulting corner Cleworth rose to turn in Dobson's delivery and double the lead before half-time.

Zak Swanson sparks Portsmouth rally but late pressure falls short

Pompey arrived with momentum in the second half. Zak Swanson had a curled attempt wide before he pulled one back in the 49th minute, latching onto Regan Poole's pass and beating Arthur Okonkwo with a shot that took a deflection off Doyle. Portsmouth dominated portions of the second period, winning a series of corners and applying sustained pressure as Wrexham struggled to get clear from their own half, but they could not fashion an equaliser.

The defeat felt, in some commentary, like "one game too far" for Portsmouth: dominant for much of the second half but lacking the cutting edge to break down a compact Wrexham side. The visitors paid for a poor second quarter in the match and for once again failing to defend a near-post corner. Losing John Swift to a hamstring injury during this run is a blow for Portsmouth, though Conor Chaplin is available again. Observers note the fixture schedule has stretched a thin squad, and the bottom of the table remains chaotic, but the overall assessment is that if Portsmouth keep producing similar performances they should survive.

Late chances, earlier threats and the wider context

Wrexham could have made their win more comfortable: Oliver Rathbone struck a post and George Thomason forced a save from Schmid in a late flurry. Earlier in the match, Pompey's Millenic Alli produced dangerous low crosses and Gustavo Caballero had an effort blocked before another forward move broke down on the edge of the area. Josh Windass had a long-range effort dragged wide as Wrexham began to take control in patches.

What makes this notable is the timing: Wrexham recorded the victory while coping with illness, stepping back into the play-off places after a frenetic 5-3 win over promotion rivals Ipswich and with an FA Cup fifth-round away tie at Chelsea on the horizon. The combination of managing squad fitness and securing results under pressure will shape their run-in.