Wrexham suffer late heartbreak as Southampton snatch opening game win

Phil Blanche, PA

Wrexham suffered a double gut punch as Southampton struck twice late on for a dramatic 2-1 victory at St Mary’s.

Josh Windass put Wrexham ahead on their return to the second tier of English football after a 43-year absence, converting a 22nd-minute penalty when fellow summer recruit Kieffer Moore was fouled.

Southampton – two divisions higher than Wrexham last season – pushed furiously throughout for reward, but they were fast running out of time when substitute Ryan Manning dispatched a superb 90th-minute free-kick.

Saints were not done, though, as Manning burst down the left in the sixth minute of added time to deliver a cross that Jack Stephens lashed in off the crossbar at the back post and floor the club owned by Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

This was the first league meeting between the two sides for 65 years and a tale of two very different managers.

Southampton boss Will Still – the youngest manager in the Championship at 32 – was in charge of his first game in English football after working in Belgium and France.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson, who began his career at Southampton before being released without making a single appearance, is the oldest manager in the division and has over 1,000 games under his belt and three successive promotions on his CV.

There was no Tyler Dibling in the Saints squad with the teenage winger linked to Premier League clubs as Parkinson handed debuts to six of his eight summer signings.

Windass and Conor Coady had shooting opportunities inside the opening 10 minutes after Ryan Fraser had home fans off their seats inside 45 seconds by curling wide.

Chances came thick and fast as Saints wing-back Welington fired into the side netting and Windass clattered the crossbar from 25 yards after being set free by Moore.

Wrexham went ahead after 22 minutes as Moore broke through before being blatantly pushed in the back by Ronnie Edwards.

Parkinson might have wondered why there was no red card to accompany the spot-kick, but Windass coolly converted the penalty.

Lewis Brunt spurned a free header to double the lead and a pulsating contest saw Parkinson join his defender Max Cleworth in referee James Bell’s notebook.

Saints finished the half strongly and Wrexham were fortunate to stay ahead as Adam Armstrong’s shot on the turn went straight at Danny Ward.

The Wales goalkeeper’s shoulder kept out Fraser and the increasingly influential Jay Robinson stretched to turn the ball against the far post with Coady twice denying Armstrong profiting from the rebound.

Saints maintained the pressure at the start of the second half and Cleworth escaped sanction after his outstretched arm blocked Shea Charles’ effort in the penalty area.

Wrexham lost Moore after he was injured in the act of shooting and Saints continued to press, with substitute Mateus Fernandes’ shot lacking the power to trouble Ward.

The Red Dragons wanted a second penalty when Lewis O’Brien went down after Stephens placed an arm on his shoulder, and Ryan Hardie’s failure to beat Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu one-on-one proved costly.

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