Wrexham took a further step towards securing automatic promotion from League Two with comfortable 3-1 win away from home at lowly Grimsby Town.
All three goals for the Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds-owned side came in the first half, courtesy of a brace from midfielder Andy Cannon and a well-taken volley from Paul Mullin.
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The visitors began on the front-foot at Blundell Park and took the lead in the fifth minute through Cannon’s powerful strike after a driving run from midfield.
Phil Parkinson’s side came into Saturday’s clash winless in their previous two games and the early goal saw them grow in confidence.
Grimsby struggled to get into the game and found themselves two goals behind in the 36th minute when Cannon got on the end of Tom O’ Connor’s through ball and clinically finished into the top corner.
Mullin extended Wrexham’s lead five minutes later, with a smart volley on the turn that flew past opposition goalkeeper Harvey Cartwright. The strike was Mullin’s 15th of the season and took his tally to 97 for Wrexham.
Arthur Gnahoua pulled a goal back for Grimsby in the 81st minute but it did little to dampen the mood of the Wrexham faithful, who were in fine singing form and belted out a rendition of the Wales national anthem late in the second half.
The win took Wrexham provisionally into second place on 70 points and will serve as the perfect tune up ahead of next week’s clash against leaders Mansfield Town.
The League Two leaders dropped points earlier on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Colchester United, thereby allowing Wrexham to close the gap between them to just three points.