It was a performance that will go down in the annals of this football club. Wrexham scored four goals to send the 4,500 thousand Welsh fans that had travelled to the midlands absolutely wild, and then survived a late onslaught to beat Coventry City 4-3. It was without a doubt, the tie of the round and one of the best FA Cup ties we have seen in recent years.
Coventry, who started without Gustavo Hamer or Viktor Gyokeres, were left stunned. They simply couldn’t deal with the energy or enthusiasm of Phil Parkinson’s side while Wrexham were able to take full advantage of an unconfident goalkeeper.
Simon Moore was the Sky Blues’ number one at the start of the season, but was soon replaced after costing Coventry key goals in three games. He was put back in by Mark Robins today and was clearly out of his depth, even against a National League side.
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Wrexham were phenomenal in the opening period. Paul Mullin was a threat to a timid backline throughout and the home side were terrified of the long throw. The first goal was oh so simple. A ball was swung into the box and Sam Dalby rose highest to head the ball past Moore in the Coventry goal.
Behind that very goal, the Wrexham fans went berserk as their FA Cup journey reached new heights. Then, it got even better as the Sky Blues were caught in the headlights. Elliot Lee swung another cross into the box, this time from the left, and instead of dealing with it, Moore watched it go into the far corner.
The defending was abhorrent, but the Welsh fans didn’t care one bit. As youngster Fabio Tavares went off injured, Coventry brought on top scorer Viktor Gyokeres, who went about trying to change the game. The home side looked like they were back on track when Ben Sheaf rifled one in from just inside the box, and the crowd began to rally.
However, in seven minutes of injury time, their defensive failings allowed Wrexham to restore their two-goal lead. A long throw came into the box and after a moment of head tennis, Thomas O'Connor was left completely unmarked to stick his header into the back of the net from five yards out.
One half of football, three goals, 4,500 Welsh fans in complete and utter dreamland.
You’d have thought Coventry would come back with a vengeance in the second half but instead, Wrexham just kept on coming. Jonathan Panzo blocked a shot with his hand and was shown the red card to make their afternoon even worse, as Mullin stepped up to make it 4-1 with ease.
With ten men, it was an almost impossible task for Coventry, but they came back again, to their credit. The ‘olays’ were heard loud and clear from the away end with every pass that the away side completed. Mullin almost made it five as Moore finally made a save from a vicious volley.
Then, he comeback began. Palmer hit the post for a second time before setting up Gyokeres who passed the ball into the net to keep the tiny glimmer of hope alive. Then, in what was turning into more than a glimmer and a one-man show Palmer won a free-kick on the edge of the box, before whipping it into the back of the net.
With just over 13 minutes to go, ten-man Coventry were just one goal behind and Wrexham were hanging on for their lives. But they knew how to deal with the onslaught. Players went down injured, they began to waste time and they knew they could see the clock tick down.
With every minute, belief began to flow back through Wrexham veins. Still, it was scrappy. Jamie Allen saw his effort kept off the line before Mark Howard tipped Gyokeres’ effort onto the crossbar. The crowd were roaring the Sky Blues on but Wrexham held firm.
A 4-3 win away at the home of a Championship side. You can stick that fairy tale on Disney+ alongside Cinderella and Snow White.
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