Soccer
Wrexham’s wait for home win goes on after draw against winless Burnley
Wrexham’s wait for a home win goes on after they were held to a 1-1 draw by winless Burnley who sit one place off the bottom of the Sky Bet Championship.
Jacques Ekomie headed in his second goal for the club since joining in a £7million deal from Angers this summer, cancelling out Zeki Amdouni’s first-half effort for the Clarets who at least ended a run of seven straight away defeats dating back to last term.
But it was a result that does little to help either side in their pursuit of promotion, with Wrexham having lost the momentum they carried into last season while Burnley have bigger problems following relegation from the top flight, having won only one league game since October.
Former England striker Jamie Vardy joined this week, signing as a free agent after last season’s top-scorer Zian Flemming was sold to Ipswich on deadline day, but the 39-year-old was suspended for this match as a result of yellow cards collected during his time with Italian side Cremonese.
He watched on as Wrexham should have led just four minutes in, when Callum Doyle headed straight at Max Weiss when Max Cleworth put Issa Kabore’s cross back into the danger zone.
Moore went closest for the hosts in the 18th minute, seeing his close-range header well saved by Weiss after Doyle squared from Matty James’ cross.
Burnley had created little but Largie Ramazani had been their brightest hope and the Leeds loanee provided the spark for the opening goal in the 26th minute, threading a perfect pass through for Amdouni to finish first time.
The Swiss forward could have had a second moments later when his long-range strike deflected off Cleworth before Anthony Patterson stretched to push it wide.
Now it was Wrexham feeling the pressure with disquiet growing in the stands. A free-kick six minutes before the break gave them a chance to level but after James’ low strike was well saved by Weiss, Kabore fired into the side-netting.
Wrexham went off to a smattering of boos at the break and Phil Parkinson responded by sending on deadline day signing Callum O’Hare for his home debut alongside Oli Rathbone.
Rathbone played a hand in Wrexham’s equaliser but it was finished by the two wing-backs who signed on the same day last month, as Kabore’s superb cross was met with a powerful header by Ekomie.
Wrexham tails were now up as O’Hare headed wide from James’ cross. Kabore then picked off a short pass out from Weiss, but could not find a team-mate with his cross, then O’Hare flashed a shot wide after a defensive mix-up.
Burnley almost snatched a winner in the 73rd minute when Ekomie blocked Oliver Sonne’s shot on the line, but it ended as another frustrating night for both sides.
