Wrexham’s hopes of a deep cup run like last year’s were dashed on Sunday when they lost 1-0 to League Two side Harrogate Town in the first round of the FA Cup.
The match was considered one of the more mismatched fixtures in the first round, with Wrexham currently in third place in League One and Harrogate in 17th in League Two. Wrexham dominated the match as expected, with 62% possession and outscored the opposition 21–9, scoring 2.41 expected goals to Harrogate’s 0.43.
However, Wrexham’s inability to score meant Harrogate were able to take advantage by scoring on their only shot on target. Jack Muldoon scored the only goal of the match in the 24th minute, his second goal of the season. It was also his only chance of the match during his 86-minute appearance.
The Welsh side have had a strong season since their promotion to League One, which saw back-to-back promotions fueled in part by the investment of actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The team was playing in the English semi-professional leagues when they bought the club in November 2020, and they have been on an upward trajectory since then.
They made quite a deep run in the FA Cup last season while still in League Two. They went all the way to the fourth round and took the lead when Andy Cannon scored in the 19th minute, although Championship side Blackburn Rovers went on to win 4–1.
Wrexham return to play on Saturday when they take on Mansfield Town, where they hope to continue their positive start to the season and perhaps aim for promotion to the Championship, England’s second division.