Goals -
1-0 Leslie (24)
1-1 Reed (46 pen)
1-2 Done (48)
1-3 Reed (49)
2-3 Haynes (70)
3-3 Lyng (81 pen)

THE Young Reds were left ruing the fact that they had let Shrewsbury Town off the hook in today's Pontin's Holidays League Cup tie at the Gay Meadow.

Despite going behind to a 24th minute goal converted by Steven Leslie, with the winger chipping over the advancing Michael Jones, Wrexham responded with a goal in time added on at the end of the first half.

The visitors had done the bulk of the attacking in the opening 45 minutes, but had to wait until 60 seconds into added time for a push on Jamie Reed, when he was never going to reach a cross from the right, to be awarded a penalty by referee Mr. Cummins.

Jamie got to his feet and sent Glyn Thompson the wrong way from the spot.

Fired up by this goal, the Reds flew out of the starting blocks in the second half and were in front three minutes later when Marc Williams' shot was only deflected into the path of Matty Done and with time to pick his spot the Oswestry youngster fired a low shot into the corner of the net.

Again the visitors stormed the home goal and within a minute Jamie Reed had grabbed his second as a cross from the right was headed wide of the diving Thompson.

We should really have closed the game out with this advantage, but Shrewsbury were allowed a lifeline with 20 minutes remaining, as Ciaran Lyng's cross the left flank was allowed to carry to Jamie Haynes and unmarked, he rammed a fierce shot home via the underside of the crossbar.

Even then the home side never really looked likely to draw level and that they did came thanks to a curious penalty decision by Mr. Cummins, who ruled that the Wrexham keeper had used his knee when collecting the ball on the edge of his box. To most people in the ground there appeared to be little contact and if anything Marco Adaggio was backing into Carrots as he reached for the ball!

Not to look a gift horse in the face, full back Ciaran Lyng stepped up and scored from 12 yards on 71 minutes.

Strike Reed could have completed his hat-trick in the last minute of the game, when his curling effort across the face of the Shrewsbury goal just missed the far top corner.

The Reds still face Rochdale (h) and Bradford City (a) in the group stages of this competition.

Wrexham: Michael Jones, Simon Spender, Chris Evans, Graham Roche, Gareth Evans, Mike Wiliams, Andrew Fleming, Marc Williams (Phil Gray 66), Jamie Reed, Aaron Braisdell, Matty Done.
Subs: Sion Edwards, Chris Mullock, Mark Harris, Kev Williams.

Referee: S.P. Cummins