Wrexham’s disappointing National League campaign took yet another turn for the worse on Saturday as they went down to a last gasp 1-0 loss at fellow strugglers Aldershot Town.
A Harrison Panyiotou header deed in injury time at the end of a match that simply failed to spark into life, gave the Shots all three points and heaped only more pressure on underfire manager Bryan Hughes.
Wrexham were guilty of missing a number of good chances, yet managed to test Shots goalkeeper Mitch Walker just once throughout, and following the events at Mill Farm in the evening kick off, find themselves in the bottom four relegation places.
Here North Wales Live sports writer Rob Griffiths runs the rule over the Dragons showing .
NO CLEAN SHEETS
It is a damning statistic, and as far a flung notion from last season as imaginable as Wrexham yet again failed to keep a clean sheet this term.
A club record equaling 26 last season is nothing more than a distant memory as the Dragons have managed just one in their opening 12 games of the campaign - including the SPFL Challenge Cup .
Aldershot headed into the game without a win at home this term, Wrexham headed for the Recreation Ground without a win on their travels; all signs pointing to a dour stalemate.
The game indeed looked to be heading for the inevitable draw as the clock ticked into added on time on referee Declan Bourne’s watch, that is until Wrexham were again guilty of shipping a cheap goal.
Only seconds early Paul Rutherford found himself in a glorious position to steal it for the Dragons, his indecision in possession allowing the covering Shots defence to cover at the expense of a corner.
There seemed little danger of Wrexham losing the contest as they looked to attack a set piece deep in injury time in the opposition box.
Yet a quick counter attack, a tactic Aldershot had been keen to employ for virtually the entire match, finally worked in their favour, a wicked cross into the Dragons box was perfect for Harrison Panyiotou to meet and head beyond Christian Dibble, the visitors having repelled the initial attack, but guilty of not resetting themselves quickly enough to deal with the second ball into the box.
CHANCES SPURNED
Bryan Hughes pointed to “eight missed chances” for the Dragons, while limiting the Shots to just “two of three”.
A little hyperbole perhaps, but while the Dragons did carve out a good number of opportunities, what is disappointing is that they tested Shots goalkeeper Mitch Walker just once in the entire contest, the stopper making an excellent reflex save to push Akil Wright’s header away to safety.
Saturday’s contest was the first time this season that the Dragons have failed to find the back of the net, perhaps a little more composure shown at crucial moments, or indeed decisiveness and it could have been a much different story.
Dibble was forced into a handful of rudimentary saves throughout, the best of which a reaction stop to deny Aaron Eyoma just minutes before Panyiotou’s winner, but he was largely an under-used spectator as the game wore on, despite the home side dominating in terms of possession after the break.
Wrexham meanwhile were guilty of a raft of poor misses, and an ability to at least test Walker, Luke Young blazing over the top from close range, while Bobby Grant will still be wondering how he hasn’t opened the scoring as he somehow scooped Jason Oswell’s knock down over the top from inside the six yard box.
Rutherford too was caught in two minds late on, the winger finding himself in space in the Shots box, but dallied on the ball and neither unleashed a shot or cross before eventually seeing the danger snuffed out.
CHANGE OF FORMAT ON
A subtle change it was, but a change nonetheless, as Hughes altered his formation.
So far this season Hughes has stuck with a 4-2-3-1 set up, two holding midfielders - often Luke Summerfield and Luke Young - employed in a deeper role, with four players in an advanced position feeding off a lone striker.
That set up has often seen the gaps between midfield and attack far too wide, heaping far too much pressure on the back line and leaving the Dragons exposed.
The switch on Saturday in Hampshire to a 4-3-3, with one holding midfielder, while only a minor alteration, saw the Dragons look far more stable at the back, in no small part to the influence of Adam Barton.
Barton has often been a maligned figure since his summer arrival, and had found his game time limited, yet he offered a level of cover in front of the back four that has been missing this term, and allowed Wright and Young the chance to operate higher up the park, closing down the space between the Dragons’ lines to offer a great threat on goal.
It needs to be added that Wrexham still looked somewhat toothless in the final third, often devoid of ideas and failing to throw balls into the Shots box, players far too guilty of instead looking to go backwards to the relative safety of half way.
Wrexham’s best chance in the opening half came from a whipped in Mark Carrington cross, Wright finding space at the back post to test Walker, while it was disappointing that Wrexham failed to build on this after the break.
But it is also telling that two of their better chances fell to the attacking midfielders of Wright and Young, even if they were ultimately spurned.
NO TEAM TOO BIG TO GO DOWN
It is a chilling warning to everyone connected to the club, but the comparisons between Wrexham’s start to the current campaign and that of Stockport County in the 2012-13 season must serve as a cautionary tale.
“No team is too big to go down”, so they say, and something that surely was uttered consistently during the 12-13 term at Edgeley Park as County suffered the drop to the sixth tier.
County opened that campaign with back to back wins over Alfreton and Grimsby, yet in their ensuing nine games went on to pick up five draws and four defeats to leave them with just 11 points from a possible 33, while they would eventually suffer relegation to the National League North.
Wrexham have opened their current campaign with an identical record - two wins, five draws and four defeats - and dropped into the relegation zone on Saturday evening after AFC Fylde’s win at home over fellow strugglers Eastleigh.
It is alarming, even a little condescending when the media of opposition clubs question so surprisingly how Wrexham have remained in this level for what is now 12 consecutive terms.
What though is even more worrying is how should performances and ultimately results not improve drastically, then the Dragons are facing a quick end to their record as the longest serving National League side, and could even be facing up to life in the sixth tier.
ONLY GETS HARDER
Wrexham’s record against AFC Fylde makes for some grim reading; played five, drawn two, lost three, won none.
Indeed Wrexham have failed to even register a single goal in any of those meetings.
So the last thing a shot shy Wrexham shorn of confidence and struggling to keep clean sheets need is a trip to Mill Farm.
The Coasters also gave their own fragile confidence levels a major boost in the Saturday evening kick off against Eastleigh, claiming a 3-1 win, while Wrexham were struggling in Hampshire.
