Wrexham reach FA Cup third round, set up clash with old rivals

Updated: Dec 3, 2023, 08:27 pm

Wrexham reached the third round of the FA Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win over Yeovil on Saturday, setting up a clash with traditional rivals Shrewsbury in January.

With the draw having been made prior to the game at the SToK Racecourse ground, Wrexham knew a win would see them make the short trip across the England-Wales border to Shrewsbury -- and Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's team started appropriately against a team two divisions below them.

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Ollie Palmer put them ahead in the 14th minute, seeing his initial header saved by Joe Day in the Yeovil goal only to react fastest and poke home the opener.

Wrexham maintained that pressure throughout the first-half and got their reward on the stroke of the break as Andy Cannon's volley from a corner bounced through the box and into Day's net.

Ollie Palmer was Wrexham's record signing when he joined the club in January 2022.
Photo by Barrington Coombs/PA Images via Getty Images

It was Cannon's second goal in as many games, with the midfielder getting his first competitive Wrexham goal in last week's draw with Harrogate.

Yeovil battled admirably in the second half, with notable chances coming for Jordan Young and Rhys Murphy, though the latter's was scuppered by a fine tackle from George Evans.

As the game became stretched, Wrexham's superiority of resources showed, with talismanic striker Paul Mullin seeing a number of chances saved by Day or just miss the target.

Sam Dalby's goal in stoppage-time confirmed the dominance, with the forward calmly lifting his finish over Day in the 93rd minute.

The FA Cup third round is slated to take place the weekend starting Jan. 6.