Wrexham return to winning ways by beating Sheffield United

Wrexham came from behind to strengthen their Championship play-off hopes with a 2-1 win at Sheffield United.

The Red Dragons were second best in the first half and fell behind to an Andre Brooks goal in the 49th minute, but former Sheffield Wednesday striker Josh Windass soon levelled before Sam Smith headed in a 78th-minute winner.

The victory keeps Wrexham level on points with sixth-placed Southampton as they bounced back from Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to Watford.

For United, a four-match winless run has left them 13 points from the top six with seven games left to play and any hopes of a late play-off push of their own are seemingly over.

Tuesday had been a second defeat in three for Wrexham, and the travelling supporters might have feared another as the Blades repeatedly cut them open in the first half.

The hosts should have been ahead 11 minutes in when a slip from Dom Hyam allowed Harrison Burrows to put the ball on a plate for an unmarked Patrick Bamford, but he somehow scuffed wide from seven yards out.

Burrows wasted the next chance himself, shooting narrowly wide on his weaker left foot from Callum O’Hare’s cross.

Wrexham could have snatched the lead in the 29th minute but Lewis O’Brien headed wide after getting on the end of Issa Kabore’s cross.

Instead United continued to push. Gustavo Hamer had the ball in the net in the 32nd minute but the flag was correctly up for offside as he headed in Jairo Riedewald’s cross at the back post.

O’Hare then shot tamely at Arthur Okonkwo and just before the break Bamford’s poked effort was gathered by the goalkeeper after neat interplay with O’Hare.

Within seconds of the restart Windass had the ball in the net for Wrexham but the flag had already gone up as he raced on to a long ball forward.

United were soon back on top as Hamer fired wide before Brooks was denied by Okonkwo.

Moments later, Brooks was celebrating the opener. The Jamaican fed Bamford and though his shot was saved, Brooks had kept his run going and arrived at the back post to tuck in the rebound.

Brooks then threatened again with a shot that was deflected over.

Wrexham appeared to be rocking, yet they were level after 54 minutes. Windass made it look easy, dropping off the shoulder of Burrows to side-foot home Smith’s low cross for his 11th goal of the season.

The goal seemed to energise the visitors as they took control of the game, steadily building pressure on Adam Davies’ goal.

That paid off in the 78th minute when Zak Vyner found Kabore and his cross was nodded home by Smith at the back post, his ninth goal of the season.

Blades substitute Oliver Arblaster sent a late header wide before Tom Davies curled a shot narrowly over, but Wrexham hung on for an important win which was vigorously celebrated by Phil Parkinson and his players in front of the away end.