Wrexham managed to secure a 2-2 draw at home against Watford after Oliver Rathbone netted a dramatic equalizer in stoppage time, much to the delight of owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Despite an early goal from Josh Windass, Watford took control of the match with first-half strikes from Mamadou Doumbia and Othmane Maamma, putting them in a strong position for the win.
However, Rathbone’s late intervention ensured that Wrexham avoided back-to-back losses.
–Wrexham held an ‘honest chat’ following their unbeaten run’s end
–Reynolds and Mac sell a minority stake in Wrexham
With only a point separating the two teams in the standings, both were aware that a victory could spark a promotion challenge as they approached the festive season.
Wrexham was eager to bounce back after experiencing their first league defeat in nine matches against Hull during the week. But it was Watford who posed the first threat, as Marc Bola’s low shot skimmed across the goal just two minutes in.
The home side struggled to generate chances early on, with Max Cleworth missing from distance and Windass sending a free kick off-target.
Watford nearly opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Luca Kjerrumgaard’s shot from the edge of the box slid just wide of the post.
That miss proved to be costly as Windass pounced on a Matty James through ball just a minute later, firing past Egil Selvik to put Wrexham ahead, much to the delight of Reynolds, McElhenney, and actress Kaitlin Olson, who was also present.
However, the joy was short-lived as Doumbia equalized nine minutes later with a stunning strike that hit the underside of the crossbar before finding the net.
Watford took the lead three minutes before halftime, with Maamma quickly reacting in the box to score from close range, leaving goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo stranded.
Wrexham came close to equalizing just before the break when Callum Doyle’s header from a corner hit the crossbar.
The visitors started the second half as strongly as the first and nearly extended their lead as Okonkwo denied Doumbia from close range shortly after the interval.
At the other end, Wrexham pushed for an equalizer, nearly leveling in the 65th minute when Ryan Longman headed wide from a mere few yards following a teasing cross from James McClean.
Kieffer Moore also came close with a header that failed to trouble Selvik.
As the match progressed, Windass unleashed a powerful shot from 20 yards that was deflected around the post as Watford struggled to escape their half.
When the home team finally got the ball in the net, Dominic Hyam’s effort was disallowed for offside.
But just as it looked like Watford were on their way to victory, Rathbone appeared at the edge of the box to strike Wrexham level.