JOY AND RELIEF FOR BRIAN LITTLE
Daily Post

IT was with a mixture of delight and relief that Wrexham manager Brian Little greeted the final whistle at the Deva Stadium yesterday, after watching his side pick up their first win in five games.

That victory came in the cross-border derby with Dragons' rivals Chester City was less important to the Racecourse boss than the fact that the three points earned narrowed the gap between rock-bottom Wrexham and the clubs just above them.

An animated figure on the touchline throughout the 90 minutes, Little was not too impressed with the overall team performance but he praised goalscorers Paul Hall and Michael Proctor for the manner in which they took their goals.

"I thought we rode our luck at times because we didn't play overly well and I thought we were our own worst enemies," he said. "It was more of case of making little mistakes in the wrong areas but the result is fantastic.

"We have made a step in the right direction today but there is still a long way to go. I thought we had two good finishes, but outside of that I didn't feel we played very well, so I'm relieved at the result."

Wrexham were grateful to goalkeeper Gavin Ward - who left Chester in January to join the Dragons - for a series of fine saves and Little acknowledged the veteran's contribution.

"Gavin did well today, which was nice for him coming back here," he added. "He pulled off a couple of really good saves and was in the right position on some other opportunities, which perhaps they should have taken."

Victory means Wrexham have lost just one of their last nine matches and the Racecourse boss said: "The spirit was great again and how we play is secondary to that. Now we need to try and play better to win games of football.

"Today was one of those games which, irrespective of where you are in the league, you want to try and win because it was a derby. The players sensed the atmosphere and it was only after the game that you consider things like points and league positions.

"There was a good crowd and our fans really got behind the players because they see we are trying. We might make a few mistakes and today we made more than I would have liked, but we got the result in the end.

"We've lost one game in nine so we have a bit of impetus, but winning games makes a massive difference. Had we drawn today it would have been a great result again. "

Meanwhile, Chester caretaker-manager Simon Davies said: "It was annoying, both goals came straight after we had put the ball into their net, but we have to defend better in situations like that.

"We had some strong words with the players at half-time, and they came out more positively in the second half. We will now assess the situation and prepare for the midweek game against Bradford City.

"Ritchie Partridge has trained, but he wasn't ready for this game."

CHESTER CITY 0 WREXHAM 2
Mark Currie - Daily Post

GOALKEEPER Gavin Ward did as much as anyone to secure a vital three points for Wrexham yesterday in the cross-border derby with Chester City, but modestly insisted it was all in a day's work.

And the 37-year old veteran, who was a member of City's staff at the turn of the year providing player cover and coaching expertise, brushed off suggestions he had returned to the Deva Stadium with something to prove to his former club.

Nevertheless, he provided more than enough proof that his reflexes are as good as ever in the autumn of his career, making the first of a series of fine saves inside the opening minute of the game before almost single-handedly keeping the home side at bay for much of the second half.

"It was always going to be a battle because these games always are," he said afterwards. "The pitch was hard and dry, making it difficult to get the ball down and play so at the end we are happy with the win.

"Once we got a goal we knew they would try and throw everything at us and it was a bit hairy at times, but fortunately luck was on my side today.

"From a personal point of view when you play well obviously you are happy, but I got the decision in the incident when I was pulled back and they had a goal disallowed.

"It's a fine line and sometimes goes the other way but fortunately we went on from there, so I'm pleased with the way it went."

But Ward was not the only ex-City man to excel for the Dragons on an afternoon when a post-match reunion party would not have been out of place.

Defender Phil Bolland, declared surplus to requirements by recently sacked Chester boss Bobby Williamson, was a defensive rock at the back and also found time to exert a steadying influence on team-mate Richard Hope, who is also no stranger to the Deva.

And up front Wrexham owed a great deal for their success to striker Drewe Broughton, who had a hand in both goals and once again ran himself into the ground for the cause.

The victory, Wrexham's first in five, was not enough to lift the Dragons from the foot of the League Two table, but the gap between them and 22nd place has narrowed to three points.

And goals either side of half time from Paul Hall - his first for the Dragons - and Michael Proctor heaped more misery on a City side that has now managed just one win in their last 16 matches.

There was disappointment for the huge contingent of visiting fans at the news that influential Dragons' midfielder Danny Sonner had failed to recovered from an Achilles tendon strain, but manager Brian Little recalled the experienced Paul Hall to his starting line-up in place of Silvio Spann, who was relegated to the bench.

Caretaker City manage Simon Davies also made one change to the side that lost at Darlington in his first match in charge last Tuesday.

Mark Hughes came back into midfield after completing a two-match ban at the expense of Paul Rutherford.

The home side, without a win at the Deva since December 22 last year, appeared anxious to make up for lost time and tore into Wrexham from the kick-off, going close to the opening goal inside the first minute.

The visitors' defence were still blinking in the sunshine when Chris Holroyd chased an aimless punt through the middle and was denied a stunning opener only by the alert Ward, who pulled off a stunning save.

That brought the first of three successive corners that Wrexham struggled to clear until the siege was lifted when referee Andy D'Urso spotted an infringement.

City, suitably encouraged and with a fresh breeze behind them, were lively, sharp and working hard as a team to such an extent that one feared for Wrexham, whose sole tactic seemed to consist of a long ball forward for Broughton to either head or hold in the face of overwhelming numbers.

So it was hardly surprising that the visitors' first chance came from a 17th minute free kick after Chris Llewellyn had been crudely baulked by Jamaes Vaughan.

Proctor lined up the set-piece and drove a low shot through the wall to bring a decent save from Jon Danby in the City goal in what was merely an hors d'ouevre for the visiting fans.

The supporters' hearts were in their mouths on 21 minutes when from a wrongly awarded corner Kevin Ellison's cross was punched by Ward into his own net, but referee Andy D'Urso had spotted a push and blew for a foul.

The keeper's long free kick was flicked on by Broughton to Hall, who did well to hold off a marker before breaking the deadlock with a crisply-struck shot from 18 yards.

Making his first start in more than a month in which he was sidelined by injury, Hall's wealth of experience and judgement on the ball was a welcome alternative to the haste with which it was treated by so many of his team-mates, so it was no surprise that City continued to dominate.

Ward was called upon again in the 28th minute, beating away a fierce effort from Kevin Ellison, but the Dragons made the most of their brief excursions into enemy territory, Hall going close two minutes before the break.

Bolland made an important clearance to deny John Murphy when City upped the tempo and within the space of eight pressurised minutes Ward pulled off two incredible saves from Holroyd and Ellison to preserve Wrexham's slender advantage. And when he was finally beaten in the 65th minute, Mr D'Urso angered the City contingent by ruling out Holroyd's close range finish for offside.

The Dragons doubled the home side's disappointment in their next attack when Carl Tremarco's long throw eluded Broughton and his markers, the ball falling for Proctor, who swivelled to thump the ball into the net for his 10th goal of the campaign.

Ellison squandered an inviting opportunity to spark a City revival in the final 20 minutes when he again failed to beat Ward, who spread himself well but knew little about the stop, and Wrexham, bar the shouting and five minutes of added time, were home and dry.

BRIAN LITTLE CONFIDENT OF SURVIVAL
Darren Devine - Western Mail

BOSS Brian Little believes the Dragons now have the momentum to keep them in League Two after they triumphed over bitter cross-border rivals Chester City.

Chester had no response to goals either side of half-time from Dragons' strikers Paul Hall and Michael Proctor and were continuously frustrated by goalkeeper Gavin Ward.

Little said, "We've lost one game in nine so we have some impetus, but winning games makes a difference.

"Had we drawn today it would have been good, but it doesn't convince people as much as winning. It's a massive result."

Little paid tribute to former City man Ward, who, from the first minute when he denied striker Chris Holroyd, pulled off a string of outstanding saves to keep Chester at bay.

"Gavin did well today and that was nice for him coming back to somewhere he has worked before," said Little.

"He pulled of a couple of really good saves and was in the right position for another couple of opportunities, which perhaps they should have taken.

"If they had gone in there was probably only going to be one result because they were very much on the up and potentially could have won the game."

But Ward apart, Little was unimpressed by a display that saw the Dragons hanging on for long periods.

City had efforts ruled out immediately before both Wrexham strikes. Referee Andy D'Urso blew up for an infringement after midfielder Kevin Ellison's corner was bundled into his own net by Ward seconds before Hall's 23rd-minute opener.

And City were still adjusting to the disappointment of seeing a Holroyd strike disallowed for offside when Proctor fired over his shoulder on 65 minutes to double his side's lead.

"We rode our luck at times and didn't play overly well and were our own worst enemies with little mistakes in areas where we could have been a bit tighter," added Little.

"I thought they were two good finishes and if there was a difference between us it was our finishes were better than theirs."

But, irrespective of the performance, Little knew the result provided a massive boost for his players after relegation rivals Mansfield and Macclesfield were both defeated on Saturday.

The Dragons now find themselves just a point behind second-bottom Mansfield with a game in hand.

However, with Wrexham facing Wycombe Wanderers tomorrow night, Little stressed the impetus built up over the last nine games must not be lost.

"We've made a step in the right direction because we're a point behind the team above us, but there's still a long way to go.

"We've still got a lot of catching up to do and we have games in hand, but I think it's still going to be a difficult one."

Ward insisted he was not trying to prove a point to his old team-mates, despite playing second fiddle to City goalkeeper John Danby before switching to Wrexham in January.

"I didn't really have anything to prove. I've done it a few times now (played well after returning to a former club).

"I've had too many clubs anyway and it doesn't really matter. It was just about coming here and getting another three points."

Like his boss, Ward - one of five former City men to feature for the Dragons - suggested his team-mates were not at their best, but showed great fighting spirit.

"All credit to our lads because we just kept battling away and that's all we've done ever since I've been here.

"We've just got to keep going now because there are still a lot of points to play for."

City caretaker manager Simon Davies admitted he saw enough in the Wrexham performance to suggest his side's most bitter rivals can save their Football League status.

"I'm not pleased with the result today, obviously, but I think they'll have enough to stay up. They played in a certain way whereby they got a lot of men behind the ball and hit Drewe (Broughton) and played off him quite well.

"They only had two or three chances, but they took two of them and that was enough on the day so they won the game and took the points."