John Coleman praised the clinical nature of his Accrington Stanley side as they moved back into the play-off places with a 2-0 win which ended Wrexham’s 11-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.
Wrexham dropped out of the automatic promotion places with their first league loss in eight games while Stanley, after two league losses and a midweek extra-time defeat in the FA Cup, returned to seventh spot.
Paul Mullin hit the crossbar for the Red Dragons in the first half but chances were at a premium in front of a full-house at the Wham Stadium.
Accrington took the lead in the 50th minute when Will Boyle was adjudged to have pulled down Brad Hills in the area from a corner.
Tommy Leigh fired home the resulting spot kick, sending keeper Arthur Okonkwo the wrong way.
Stanley made it two in the 73rd minute when Okonkwo fumbled Jack Nolan’s long-range strike and Korede Adedoyin pounced with the ball falling to Rosaire Longelo to fire into the empty net.
After Hills fouled George Evans in the area, Mullin’s 100th-minute penalty hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced out to add to Wrexham’s misery.
Coleman said: “Our fans are delighted to win as there are so many of their fans here but, if you look at it dispassionately and without all the hype, we should be beating Wrexham at home.
“They have had an influx of money, their budget will be way above ours and they can have two recognised players for each position, but the beauty of Accrington Stanley since I walked through the door is it’s about being rich in passion, pride and desire.
“When we come off it, we are disappointed with ourselves and we have been over the last few weeks.
“Today, we were forced to shuffle the pack with the injuries we had. I said to the lads who came in that they have to be positive, it’s an opportunity they have to grab.
“I was delighted with Lewis Shipley as man of the match but there were a lot of big performances out there.
“That’s the Korede Adedoyin we signed, a constant thorn in their side. He ran himself into the ground.
“I don’t think you could fault any one of our players and give them less than an eight.
“There are always lots of chances made in this league. Keeping them out is vital and we have to be clinical when we get opportunities and thankfully we were.”
Opposite number Phil Parkinson felt the penalty was the turning point – and it was harsh on his side.
“In the first half I thought we did OK. We played well in patches, but we knew we could do better. We created the best moments but I felt we could go up a gear in the second half.
“The penalty decision changed the game and it gave Accrington something to hang on to and they did it really well and we never got into our rhythm.
“It was a terrible decision. The ball has gone over everybody and out and it’s unusual to give penalty for that. You would see five or six in a game. It was a tiny bit of shirt pulling and was so harsh.
“Then we have to chase the game and leave ourselves open defensively and we never got enough control in the game.
“We have been on an outstanding run. The away games we have had – Notts County, Mansfield, Bradford – and we have come out with flying colours.
“Today was not our day but we won’t get too despondent. There will be knocks throughout the season and we have to come out all guns blazing next weekend.”
Man United could be without Toone until new year, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
Al-Nassr 1-2 Al-Qadsiah: Aubameyang winner ends hosts' unbeaten run
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the winner as Al-Qadsiah inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Friday to end their 21-match unbeaten run.
Cristiano Ronaldo's seventh league goal of the season put Al-Nassr ahead, but Al-Qadsiah replied swiftly through Julian Quinones before Aubameyang struck the decisive blow.
The hosts drew first blood in the 32nd minute when Ronaldo slotted home after Al-Qadsiah goalkeeper Koen Casteels had spilled a routine catch from Talisca's cross.
However, Al-Nassr's joy was short-lived when Quinones brought down Turki Al Ammar's delivery five minutes later, with the Mexcio winger firing past Bento to level the scores.
Quinones also played a part in the winning goal after brilliantly turning the ball back across goal from Nahitan Nandez's search pass to tee up a simple finish for Aubameyang.
The result sees Al-Qadsiah move level on 22 points with third-placed Al-Nassr, with Al-Shabab also level with them.
Stefano Pioli's Al-Nassr are six points adrift of defending champions and leaders Al-Hilal, who also have a game in hand.
Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan
Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.
Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.
"I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.
"Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."
Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.
Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.
"I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.
"This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."
Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.
"It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.
"We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."
Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.
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