Lee Bell of Crewe Alexandra was furious that James McClean of Wrexham was let to continue playing after getting into a first-half brawl.
Consequently, what happened?
Red Dragons goal scorer Ollie Palmer acted as a peacemaker after Aaron Rowe’s late challenge infuriated the Irishman, who Bell accused the authorities of failing to act against. Referee Seb Stockbridge handed yellow cards to McClean and Rowe, but after the half, he gave Crewe defender Ryan Cooney a red card, destroying their hopes of a comeback after Crewe had fallen behind goals from Palmer and Paul Mullin in the first half.
PER BELL’S VOICE
“I’m bitterly disappointed to lose at home again as we had looked much better and with a lot more energy,” Bell stated in a statement to the Crewe Alexandra media. Even though I’m fairly sympathetic to referees, there was a flashpoint in the first half of the game that was completely absurd.
“I know James McClean, but he ought to have been sent off. The officials and Wrexham are unconcerned.
“I was told that I wasn’t being aggressive when I was recently sent off, but you should be sent off when you start poking someone in the lips and turning your head toward them.
“We accept the loss, but Wrexham ought to have been reduced to 10 men while down 1-0. We gave up right away as a result of that, which made playing against a really strong squad really challenging.”
THE LARGER IMAGE
For Wrexham, the match was meaningless because they were guaranteed a spot in League One anyway. For the Railwaymen, though, it meant that they had lost a game in which they had a chance to secure a playoff berth.
UP NEXT FOR WREXHAM AND CREWE?
Crewe’s next game is on Saturday, April 27, against Colchester, a team that is fighting for relegation. On the same day, Wrexham will play Stockport County, the winners of League Two.
