|
Address: |
|
Racecourse
Ground |
|
Mold
Road |
| Wrexham |
| LL11
2AH |
|
Telephone: |
|
01978 -
357821 |
| Ground
Capacity: |
| 15,500 |
| Official
Website: |
| www.wrexhamafc.co.uk |
| Unofficial
Websites: |
|
Red
Passion Fanzine
Red
Army Wrexham
Manchester
Reds
London
Reds
Shropshire
Reds
The
Dismal Jimmy
Robins
Online
Dragons
Mad!
|
| How
to get there: |
|
By Car:
From the North:
FROM the M6 (Jct 20) take the M56 to Chester and then the M53
(Wrexham) onto the A55 and then the A483 to Wrexham. Leave at the Wrexham bypass at the A541 Mold exit and follow ‘Town Centre’ signs with the ground clearly visible to your left.
From the South:
FROM M6 (Jct 10a) take the M54 to Telford and then the A5 onto Shrewsbury and
Oswestry. Then pick up signs for A483 Wrexham. Leave the Wrexham bypass at the A541 Mold exit and follow the ‘Town Centre’ signs to the ground.
From the West:
CROSS the M6 from Stoke on the A500 to
Nantwich. Then pick up signs for Wrexham A534. Approaching
Wrexham, just passed the Golf Club, bear right at the roundabout and follow signs for the A483. Join the A483 Wrexham bypass, southbound towards Oswestry for one junction and exit onto the A541 Mold. Follow ‘Town Centre’ signs to the ground.
By Rail:
WREXHAM General Station is a two-minute walk away with services to Chester (northbound), Shrewsbury (southbound) and Birkenhead.
Parking:
NONE available at the ground and street parking is limited. Cars can use the NEWI College next door, but beware parking on the Plas Coch Retail Park, as wheel clamps are in use. Town centre car parks are a 10-minute walk away. |
| Other
than the football...: |
ONE
event in the Wrexham calendar that you should watch out
for is Bangor-On-Dee Races (01978 - 780323) located in
this small village about 10 minutes from the town centre.
Make sure it's a nice day, otherwise practical footwear is
a necessity.
If
you're into stately homes, the National Trust owns two
great examples in the Wrexham area. Erddig Hall (01978 -
313333) is a late 17th century residence with impressive
gardens and is located not far from the town centre.
Further outside the town, Chirk Castle (01691 - 777701) is
just a 20 minute drive away and features 6 acres of
gardens set in 500 acres of parkland. Any plans to visit
more than one National Trust property and it may be worth
enquiring about a season ticket or other discounts.
 |
|
Eliugh
Yale's grave.
|
Situated
in the town centre itself and a prominent landmark is the
Wrexham Parish Church also known as St. Giles. This
regularly hosts a wedding or two every Saturday and is
famed as the final resting place of Eliugh Yale.
 |
|
Brick
in Wrexham Church.
|
When it comes to the
match, travelling fans are usually made welcome at the Plas Coch pub on the retail park, to your left at the second roundabout as you come off the bypass and head towards the ground. Other than that it is a case of heading into the town centre (a 10-minute walk) where there are plenty of pubs and food outlets.
You
can search and book hotels located right near to Wrexham's
Racecourse Ground stadium by clicking HERE.
|
|
A Hatter and
a Dragon - Dwight Marshall |
 |
|
Dwight Marshall.
|
DWIGHT MARSHALL moved from his home country of Jamaica at
a young age across to England where he started to get interested in football.
After playing in the local Leagues, Marshall was a late comer to football when he
signed for his local semi-professional team, Grays
Athletic, at the age of 25.
Noted for his ability to take on opponents and,
of course, his scoring record with Grays, a number of
League scouts watched with
great interest. It was Plymouth Argyle who took what perhaps was seen as a
gamble at the time for a player with relatively no experience, but at 25 was
already at his peak. Grays let him go to Home Park for a record £35,000 in the
summer of 1991.
Marshall's time at Home Park made him a fans'
favourite, notching 36 goals in 124 games for Argyle. His strong points were his
devasting pace and cool finishing and his form at Argyle was attracting the
scouts of Premiership and Division One clubs as Marshall shot to the top of the goal scoring
charts. Dwight had a brief spell on-loan to Middlesbrough in 1993 as
he failed to hold down a first-team place, playing three times for Boro without
scoring, but an injury crisis led to his return to Home Park and a return to form saw him back
in the team and back amongst the goals.
Marshall's goals had helped Plymouth into the
Second Division and although a big asset, Argyle accepted a £150,000 bid from
Luton Town in the summer of 1994 for Marshall's services.
Town boss David Pleat had singled out his pace
and finishing as Marshall's strong points and Marshall didn't turn down the
opportunity of joining a bigger club nearer his family. The Town were in the
First Division at the time and the move was an ideal opportunity to further his
career.
Marshall made his Luton debut on the opening day
of the 1994-95 season, coming on as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich
Albion at
Kenilworth Road, and a week later he made his full debut in an excellent 0-0
draw away at Derby
County.
Marshall's first Luton goal came in a 1-1 draw at
Craven Cottage against Fulham in the Second Leg of a First Round tie of the
League Cup, the Hatters eventually losing 4-3 on penalties the same night.
His first League goal for the Hatters also came
away, his strike was the only goal in a 1-0 win at Port
Vale, the start of an
excellent season for both Marshall and the Hatters, especially away.
As the Town mounted a promotion push, Marshall
was at the front leading the way with his goals. His second goal for the club
was in a 2-1 win at Stoke
City and he netted two more in a 5-1 thumping of
Champions-elect Middlesbrough at Kenilworth Road.
Big spending Wolves were rolled over at
Molineux,
the Town taking a 3-0 lead, Marshall scoring one of the goals in an eventual 3-2
win.
Making the number 11 shirt his own, Marshall missed
just one game that season, a 2-1 away win at Swindon
Town. But he scored a further
seven goals after Christmas. Scoring twice at home to Oldham and the return
match at home to Swindon and further goals at home to
Millwall and away at
Burnley and the FA Cup replay against Bristol
Rovers.
Marshall's form had alerted the attentions of
some of the bigger clubs, as the Hatters finished the season mid-table, with
Marshall netting 13 goals and finishing as the clubs leading scorer.
The following season was a disaster for both
Marshall and the Hatters. He opened his account after only 30 seconds against Derby
at Kenilworth Road, but Luton went on to lose 1-2. He opened to scoring at Reading,
but the Town went on to lose 1-3, but he scored his third of the season in a 3-1
win over Portsmouth at
Kenilworth Road - the Town's first win under rookie boss Terry Westley.
Two goals in a home win over Tranmere
were followed by another goal in a 2-3 home defeat by Wolves,
as the Town slipped to the bottom of Division One. Terry Westley left after a
0-4 thumping at Portsmouth
and Lennie Lawrence was appointed manager. In Lawrence's first game in charge,
Marshall scored the opening goal in a 2-2 home draw with Huddersfield.
Marshall scored the winner in a 3-2 win over Grimsby
as the Town began to put some wins together and at one point the Hatters climbed
out of the relegation places. However, after scoring the equaliser in a 1-1 draw
at Derby, in the
next game, at Sunderland,
Marshall broke his leg and was out for the rest of the season. This was to be
the turning point in Luton's relegation battle as from then on the Hatters
struggled without his goals and eventually were relegated to the Second
Division. Despite breaking his leg and missing the last two months of the
season, he still managed to score 13 League and Cup goals in 32 matches.
Recovering from injury, he returned to the
Town side in January, making an appearance as a second-half substitute in a 2-3
defeat at Preston.
His return to the first XI saw him score the opening goal in a 2-1 win at home
against Bristol Rovers,
and he followed that up with two more in the next two games at Bournemouth
and at home to York. He
scored twice to see off non-league Boreham
Wood in the FA Cup and scored two more with goals against Shrewsbury
and at Bolton in
the FA Cup. Marshall, though, was frozen out towards the end of the season as
Lennie Lawrence started with Tony Thorpe and David Oldfield and picked youngster
Andrew Fotiadis ahead of him on the bench. Marshall finished the season with 7
goals in 32 League and Cup appearances as the Hatters finished third and missed
out on promotion in the play-offs, losing to Crewe.
In a disappointing following season, Marshall
made 31 League and Cup appearances, although 10 of those were coming off the
bench as a substitute. The Town struggled and the loan signing of Rory Allen
from Tottenham
saved them from relegation. Marshall scored three goals, the opening goal in a
1-1 draw at Bournemouth
and two more also away in a 2-2 draw at Brentford
and a 3-2 win at Walsall.
At the beginning of the 1998-1999 season,
Marshall signing a new three-month contract but was frozen out of the team. He
made 7 appearances in the opening month of the season and scored in a 1-1 home
draw with Preston.
Marshall's last game for the Hatters was in a topsy-turvy encounter with Ipswich
in which the Hatters won 4-2 in the League Cup over 2 Legs.
His former side Plymouth
were keen to snap-up the services of one of their former players and he signed
on a free transfer in late September 1998. The season he had with Argyle
was another good one, scoring 12 goals in 31 games.
However, his spell at Home Park was short
lived and the following season he decided to quit professional football,
returned back to London and played for non-league Kingstonian.
Marshall re-appeared at Kenilworth Road in
the 1999-00 season playing for the K's
against the Hatters in the First Round of the FA Cup, a match which the Hatters
won 4-2 after going 0-1 and 1-2 down. Marshall was given a standing ovation and
the crowd sang "There's only one Dwight Marshall...". Marshall didn't
score against the Town, but scored twice in 13 appearances that season, before
moving to Ryman League outfit Slough
Town.
After spending three years in and out of the
team at Slough, at
the start of the 2001-02 season, Dwight joined Ryman League Division 1 side
Aylesbury United. Marshall was, at the time of writing this article, in the
team and scored a hat-trick in Aylesbury's
5-0 win over Yeading in
the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup - Aylesbury
then went to Second Division Port
Vale in Round 1 and lost 0-1, Marshall hitting the post with the score at
0-0.
Marshall's career was a great one and he was
a true, honest professional. He was the Hatters and Plymouth's
leading scorer when he played for them in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and, despite a
broken leg, he still finished the Hatters top scorer in 1996. A quick and
excellent finisher, Marshall was unlucky to have broken his leg, and perhaps, if
it hadn't had happened, he would have played at a higher level and ensured the
Hatters stayed in Division One.
|
|
The Club and The Ground
For a number of years, the Racecourse Ground
had only three sides, with one side being open, following the
demolition of the old Mold Stand. In 1999 this situation was
rectified with the opening of the Pryce Griffiths Stand
(after the former Wrexham Chairman). This is a single-tiered
all-seated stand that has greatly improved the overall ground
appearance. It is semi-circular in design with a capacity of 3,500
seats. The other side, The Sainsbury's Stand, is a fair sized
two-tiered covered stand, which is now all-seated, having
previously had terracing at the front. One end, the Kop End, is a
medium sized covered terrace, partly covered (to the rear) and is
for home supporters. The other end, the Roberts Builders Stand, is
covered and again is two-tiered and all-seated. There is an
electric scoreboard on the roof of this stand.
Hatters fans are housed in the upper tier of
the Roberts Builders Stand, where just over 2,000 fans can be
accommodated. If demand requires it further, 1,000 can be
accommodated in the lower tier. There are a couple of small
supporting pillars in the upper tier of this stand. On my last
visit I found Wrexham to be relaxed and friendly, with both sets
of supporters mixing freely in the pubs beforehand. The atmosphere
was generally good. However, there were a section of Wrexham
supporters in the Pryce Griffiths Stand who seemed to be
permanently baiting the away fans. Inside the
ground the delicious 'Football's
Famous Chicken Balti Pie' (£2.20)
is available.
One time I went to Wrexham, Micky Thomas
(who had been playing for Wrexham) had been allegedly caught
passing forged notes. In one pub behind the bar, they had a sign
asking staff to look out for forgeries. Behind the till they had a
picture stuck up of one of these forged notes. It was a copy of a
ten pound note and where the Queens Head should be they had a
picture of Micky Thomas!
Ground
Guide courtesy of the excellent Internet
Football Ground Guide.
History
- Wrexham Football Club
WREXHAM Football Club was formed in September
1872, when a meeting at the Turf Hotel of members from the local
cricket club was held 'for the purpose of starting a football club
for the ensuing season.'
The initial match was played in October 1872,
a friendly between two sides made up of players from the new club.
Two weeks later they played Grove Park School and won 2-0 in a
12-a-side game.
There were few rules in those days and
line-ups often included 17 players on either side.
In 1876, with interest in football growing,
Wrexham members were instrumental in forming the Cambrian Football
Association, which within weeks had changed its name to the
Football Association of Wales. In that same year, Wales played
their first international, a match against Scotland at the
Racecourse. A year later a new club competition was inaugurated,
with Wrexham being the first ever winner of the Welsh Cup, a
trophy the club has proudly won a record 23 times.
Wrexham joined the Combination League in 1890
and apart from two seasons in the Welsh League, have always played
their league football over the border. A switch to the Birmingham
League in 1905 lifted the standards at the Racecourse and led to
election to the new Football League Third Division (North) in
1921.
Continuous membership of this division ended
with reorganisation in 1958, when the Robins scrapped into the new
national Third Division.
A series of promotions followed between the
two lower divisions, although in 1962, the club did record the
highest ever league score, beating Hartlepools
United 10-1, a game that included three different hat-trick
scorers!
In 1966 Wrexham hit rock bottom finishing
92nd and having to apply for re-election. This was to prove a
turning point though, as Alvan Williams took over and brought with
him a bright young coach named John Neal.
Neal's influence on the Racecourse can never
under estimated. He initiated a youth policy that was to reap
great rewards and he also completely rebuilt the club on the
field.
Promotion from the Fourth followed in 1970,
with the club then constantly near the top of the Third in the
race for another step up. But it was cup football which brought
national and international attention to Wrexham.
The ECWC of 1972-73 saw a victory over FC
Zurich and then defeat on away goals to Hadjuk Split, before the
1975-76 run to the quarter-finals. Success against Djurgardens (Swe)
and Stal Rzeszow (Pol) before Belgium giants Anderlecht squeezed
through 2-1 on aggregate and went on to lift the trophy.
Promotion to Division Two was missed on the
last day of 1976-77, but the following season Wrexham bounced back
in style.
Arfon Griffiths had now taken over the reigns
and he guided the team to the championship, as well as the
quarter-finals of both the FA Cup and League Cup. The Welsh Cup
was also won, with over 25,000 fans watching the two-legged final
against Bangor City.
Following four seasons in the Second
Division, relegation in 1983 heralded a low period for the club,
as they then slipped into Division Four 12 months later and
struggled for another five years.
Promotion under Dixie McNeil was snatched
from their grasp just seven minutes from the end of the Play-Off
Final with Leyton
Orient in 1989. McNeil left six months later and Brian Flynn
took over, starting a tenure at the Racecourse which is now the
longest of any manager in the club's history.
With money very tight, the former Welsh
international enlisted the help of £1 million man Kevin Reeves
and local legend Joey Jones. Together the trio have used and
developed the youth system to good effect, and after a close shave
with demotion to the Conference struck back to beat League
champions Arsenal
in the FA Cup.
This was the spark that pointed the club
towards promotion in 1993, together with a barrow load of goals
from Gary Bennett.
Since then the club has lifted the Welsh Cup
on the last occasion they were allowed to enter it and taken the
FAW Premier Cup in two out of the three finals played.
Luton Town
vWrexham... A
full rundown of all of the past meetings
| Home
Matches |
 |
|
Mar
|
19
|
1921
|
D3S
|
D
|
1
|
1
|
9000
|
|
|
Sep
|
24
|
1921
|
D3S
|
W
|
1
|
0
|
10000
|
|
|
Oct
|
21
|
1922
|
D3S
|
W
|
2
|
1
|
11000
|
|
|
Feb
|
23
|
1924
|
D3S
|
L
|
0
|
2
|
|
|
|
Jan
|
24
|
1925
|
D3S
|
D
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
|
Dec
|
28
|
1925
|
D3S
|
D
|
1
|
1
|
9717
|
|
|
Dec
|
18
|
1926
|
D3S
|
D
|
3
|
3
|
8175
|
|
|
Apr
|
7
|
1928
|
D3S
|
D
|
1
|
1
|
10451
|
|
|
Mar
|
11
|
1929
|
D3S
|
D
|
2
|
2
|
8289
|
|
|
Mar
|
15
|
1930
|
D3S
|
W
|
5
|
2
|
9051
|
|
|
Apr
|
9
|
1938
|
D2
|
D
|
1
|
1
|
11516
|
|
|
Jan
|
21
|
1939
|
D2
|
L
|
3
|
4
|
13120
|
|
|
Feb
|
1
|
1947
|
D2
|
L
|
3
|
4
|
15165
|
|
|
Sep
|
27
|
1947
|
D2
|
D
|
0
|
0
|
19244
|
|
|
Dec
|
25
|
1948
|
D2
|
W
|
3
|
1
|
17109
|
|
|
Dec
|
3
|
1949
|
D2
|
D
|
1
|
1
|
13273
|
|
|
Dec
|
20
|
1952
|
D2
|
W
|
1
|
0
|
13055
|
|
|
Jan
|
2
|
1954
|
D2
|
W
|
2
|
1
|
9694
|
|
|
Oct
|
16
|
1954
|
D2
|
W
|
3
|
1
|
15059
|
|
|
Jan
|
14
|
1961
|
D2
|
W
|
3
|
2
|
13873
|
|
|
Dec
|
23
|
1961
|
D2
|
L
|
0
|
2
|
8410
|
|
|
Apr
|
27
|
1963
|
D2
|
W
|
3
|
0
|
6853
|
|
|
Dec
|
21
|
1968
|
D3
|
W
|
2
|
0
|
10971
|
|
|
Jan
|
17
|
1970
|
D3
|
L
|
0
|
2
|
12358
|
|
|
Sep
|
24
|
1975
|
D2
|
D
|
1
|
1
|
9226
|
|
|
Mar
|
12
|
1977
|
D2
|
D
|
1
|
1
|
12793
|
|
|
Feb
|
8
|
1997
|
ND2
|
D
|
2
|
2
|
6827
|
|
|
Oct
|
11
|
1997
|
ND2
|
W
|
3
|
0
|
4931
|
|
|
Feb
|
2
|
2002
|
ND3
|
W
|
2
|
0
|
9585
|
Report |
|
Feb
|
26
|
2002
|
ND2
|
W
|
1
|
0
|
7589
|
Report |
|
|
| Away
Matches |
 |
|
Mar
|
12
|
1921
|
D3S
|
L
|
0
|
1
|
10000
|
|
|
Oct
|
1
|
1921
|
D3S
|
L
|
0
|
2
|
19000
|
|
|
Oct
|
28
|
1922
|
D3S
|
L
|
0
|
4
|
10000
|
|
|
Feb
|
16
|
1924
|
D3S
|
D
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
Sep
|
20
|
1924
|
D3S
|
L
|
0
|
4
|
|
|
|
Apr
|
10
|
1926
|
D3S
|
L
|
3
|
4
|
12641
|
|
|
May
|
7
|
1927
|
D3S
|
L
|
0
|
1
|
8142
|
|
|
| | | |