Wrexham Advances to EFL Cup Third Round with Last-Minute Victory

Wrexham Advances to EFL Cup Third Round with Last-Minute Victory

Wrexham Advances to EFL Cup Third Round with Last-Minute Victory

Kieffer Moore's last-minute goal secured Wrexham's place in the third round of the EFL Cup, as they triumphed over Championship rivals Preston North End in a thrilling match at Deepdale.

The match saw Preston's Lewis Dobbin and Liam Lindsay find the net either side of a stunning strike from Ryan Hardie for Wrexham in the first half. However, 19-year-old Harry Ashfield's second goal appeared to send the contest towards a penalty shootout.

In a dramatic turn of events, North End goalkeeper Jack Walton mishandled Ryan Barnett's cross in the second minute of added time, allowing substitute Moore to score his third goal for Wrexham and secure their advancement to the third round for the first time since the 1981-82 season.

Both teams made significant changes following their recent league matches, with only Andrew Hughes, Pol Valentin, and Alfie Devine retaining their starting positions from Preston's 1-0 win over Ipswich Town.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson fielded an entirely different lineup from Saturday's 2-2 draw against Sheffield Wednesday, giving Callum Doyle his first start since joining from Manchester City.

The home side made a strong start, with Dobbin, on loan from Aston Villa, curling a shot into the top corner from 15 yards just seven minutes into his debut, after Theo Carroll had fired over from inside the box.

Wrexham responded with style four minutes later, as Hardie's curling effort looped over the helpless Walton, marking the striker's first goal for the club.

Both teams had penalty appeals turned down by referee Adam Herczeg in quick succession, before Valentin fired straight at Arthur Okonkwo, keeping the frenetic pace of the match alive.

As Preston grew in confidence, they regained the lead when captain Lindsay headed in Devine's corner from close range.

They were unlucky not to extend their lead before halftime, with Devine's deflected free-kick just clearing the bar and Daniel Jebbison's chipped effort hitting the post.

Wrexham improved after the break, leveling the score just before the hour mark with Ashfield's deflected shot beating Walton in front of 2,500 traveling supporters.

Substitutions became a key theme of the night, with Heckingbottom introducing Jordan Storey and Milutin Osmajic, the latter being replaced by Ben Whiteman due to injury shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, Parkinson called upon Ryan Longman, Lewis Brunt, George Dobson, and later Moore and Lewis O'Brien from the bench.

Okonkwo made a crucial save to deny Storey late in the game, but Moore's sharpness at the other end proved decisive, as he netted his third goal in two matches to secure the win for Wrexham.

What They Said

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson:

"I'm very pleased; it's a good night for us. I thought we responded well after they scored in the first half. I felt we lost our belief after their second goal, but in the second half, we played with real conviction and deservedly won the game. We had a lot of control over our play, and I was very pleased with our response from the break to the end."

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