Wrexham has reignited their hopes for a Championship playoff spot with a strong 2-0 victory at home against Stoke.
With Hull’s home draw against Birmingham, Wrexham has narrowed the gap to the sixth position to just two points, with three matches remaining in the season.
After suffering consecutive defeats to Southampton and Birmingham, the atmosphere at the SToK Cae Ras was tense, but goals from George Thomason and Josh Windass within a quick 69 seconds during the first half lifted spirits significantly.
This loss marked Stoke’s sixth straight defeat on the road, leaving the team languishing in 17th place as the season drags on.
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Following back-to-back losses for the first time this season, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson made four changes to his lineup, notably bringing in Danny Ward, who returned to the starting position after dislocating his elbow in late August, replacing Arthur Okonkwo.
Determined to turn their fortunes around, Wrexham began aggressively and quickly sought a penalty in the fourth minute when Sam Smith was pushed down by Bosun Lawal.
However, referee Adam Herczeg was unconvinced, suggesting any contact might have occurred outside the penalty area.
A promising moment came when Thomason made a 50-yard run after dispossessing Sorba Thomas, only to have his shot saved easily by Gavin Bazunu, as Stoke’s offside trap temporarily halted Wrexham’s momentum.
The breakthrough came in the 31st minute when Lawal was unable to clear George Dobson’s free-kick, leading to Ollie Rathbone’s attempt being cleared off the line by Ben Pearson. Thomason’s corner directly followed, curving past Bazunu and into the net, with Windass appearing to nudge it over the line.
Just over a minute later, Windass made it 2-0, capitalizing on an error by Aaron Cresswell to slot the ball past Bazunu, marking his 13th league goal of the season.
Stoke attempted to rally in the second half, with Dan Scarr blocking a shot from Bae Jun-ho, but Wrexham looked poised for a third when Thomason’s cross caused chaos in the box. A frantic clearance attempt from Jesurun Rak-Sakyi struck Smith and went to safety, avoiding what could have been a costly mistake.
Smith then nearly scored, heading just over after a combination of play involving Thomason and Windass, with Bazunu struggling to collect the ball.
In the dying moments, Stoke came close to reducing the deficit when Lamine Cisse hit the crossbar with a close-range effort. Any remaining hopes for Stoke faded as Million Manhoef missed the target with a drive wide.