Who knew stomping your feet up and down in time to not only ward off the cold but also put off the opposition goalkeeper could be so much fun? Or, for that matter, so effective?
Welcome to Wrexham’s four-sided home as Phil Parkinson’s promotion-chasers christened the new temporary Kop stand by breaking a 120-year club record to secure a precious three points.
Goals from James Jones and Elliot Lee settled a hard-fought Welsh derby played in a swirling wind that made conditions very difficult for both teams.
With the two second-half strikes coming in front of the newest addition to the SToK Cae Ras landscape, the afternoon could not have gone much better for the hosts with goalscorer Jones admitting having supporters behind both goals for the first time in 15 years was a major boost.
“It always felt a bit strange for there to be nothing behind that goal,” said the 27-year-old midfielder after becoming the first Wrexham player to score in front of fans at the Town End since a Neil Roberts penalty in the final home game of the 2007-08 season.
“Having fans there gave us that extra boost. As a team, building the atmosphere can only help us (in the promotion race). It is fine margins in football so any sort of bonus we can get to help tip it in our favour will be massive.
“The support here is always great, so to get a few more fans in and suck the ball into the goal can only be a good thing.”
Opposition goalkeepers are unlikely to be as pleased as Jones and his team-mates to see the temporary structure that has sprung up amid the ongoing delays to the £25million ($31.8m) Wrexham Gateway scheme, which includes a new 5,500 capacity permanent stand.
After years of enjoying at least one quiet 45 minutes on every visit to north Wales, they will now be getting it in the neck throughout the match.
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Newport’s Nick Townsend found this out the hard way. Each of his goal kicks in the second half was preceded by umpteen pairs of north Wales feet banging away on the steel flooring, and making a surprisingly satisfying din. Then, just at the moment of impact, came the time-honoured abusive chant for goalkeepers everywhere. “You’re s***, aaaah!”
Perhaps the former Birmingham City goalkeeper should have delayed his kick, in the process tiring out those stomping up and down behind him on the steel stand.
Instead, Townsend quickly became rattled.
The sight of two early clearances being sliced straight into the main stand with the help of the wind was all the encouragement his tormentors behind the goal needed, as the atmosphere was gradually cranked up in a stand that, should there be a repeat of Saturday’s strong gusts, could soon dethrone the perpetually chilly Stoke City as the coldest in the country.
Jones’s breakthrough goal midway through the second half meant Wrexham had scored in 49 consecutive home league matches, breaking a record that had stood since 1903.
More importantly, it heralded a new era in the club’s history as life returned to an end of the Racecourse that had stood empty and silent for more than 15 years after being closed on safety grounds following Wrexham’s slide into non-League. As the years passed and Wrexham found an EFL return increasingly elusive, the giant terrace where generations had grown up cheering their team in all weathers slid into disrepair.
Every generation having a fond story to tell about the ‘Town End’ made the decline that bit harder to bear.
Those cherished memories may have involved being part of the huge swaying mass that had watched Manchester United’s Busby Babes on the January 1957 afternoon when the Racecourse hosted what will surely forever remain its record crowd of 34,445.
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Or, maybe, the do-or-die afternoon against Boston United half a century later as Wrexham preserved their Football League status at the expense of the Lincolnshire club with a final-day victory.
Then there were the great international football moments fans had witnessed at that end. Mark Hughes’ scissor-kick against Spain in 1985 in front of a disbelieving Kop is surely the Racecourse’s standout iconic Wales moment — though maybe those packed into that end to see England humbled 4-1 by Wales in the Home Internationals in 1980 may disagree.
Regardless, the sight of those crumbling steps and rusting crush barriers being overcome by the weeds was hard to take. Hence the delight at even a temporary stand going up in place of a terrace that was finally demolished at the start of this year.
There being no roof over the new addition meant supporters were at the mercy of the weather forecast. Fortunately, the rain that had pounded Wrexham earlier in the week stayed away.
This meant there was no need to follow the lead of Manchester City fans in the late 1990s, when a similar structure with no roof went up in the corner of their old Maine Road home. After one too many drenchings, the ‘Gene Kelly Stand’ was born — Kelly being most famous for the hit ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ in the 1952 musical.
Facilities are rudimentary in Wrexham’s new stand, as you would perhaps expect for a structure that went up within a week and only received its safety certificate 48 hours before Newport’s visit.
But the Christmas market-style huts serving hot drinks and food were most welcome, as was the excellent view of the pitch. The front row sitting three or four feet above ground level gave everyone a great vantage point and, with no roof to support, there were no stanchions to get in the way.
Wrexham struggling against the wind in the first half may explain why the atmosphere took some time to get going. But, after the restart, things changed markedly with plenty of terrace favourites receiving an airing on the open end.
It meant there were plenty of smiles at the final whistle as fans rushed for the exits and some shelter from that strong wind. Those smiles were partly down to Parkinson’s side taking another step towards possible back-to-back promotions, but also borne of being part of club history as the Town End came back to life.
(Top photo: Richard Sutcliffe)