Max Cleworth stole the show when Wrexham faced off with Crawley Town over the weekend.
The League One leaders returned to action on Saturday afternoon with a home meeting against Crawley Town.
Crawley began the day in 15th place and with Wrexham having a superb home record, an easy win was expected for Phil Parkinson and co.
However, the Red Dragon were not at their best on Saturday and were very nearly forced to settle for a point.
Paul Mullin came back into the eleven for Jack Marriott despite the latter having scored four in six league ties so far this term.
Mullin did not get on the scoresheet, however, with another Wrexham man instead producing the bulk of the goal threat.
Max Cleworth provided the assist for Elliott Lee’s opening effort in the 24th minute. The centre-back then scored the match-winning goal in the 78th minute.
Max Cleworth sends cheeky message to Steven Fletcher
After playing a key role in both Wrexham goals versus Crawley, Parkinson praised Cleworth for his improvement at the top end of the pitch, labelling the centre-half as ‘terrific’.
However, had Steven Fletcher got his way, Cleworth would have headed home on Saturday without a goal to his name.
The 22-year-old connected with a George Dobson cross and guided a header over the opposition goalkeeper.
But Fletcher, who was brought on from the bench, tried to steal the goal for himself, heading in the ball.
There has since been some debate post-match over whose goal it actually was but speaking to the club’s media after the fact, Cleworth has sent a cheeky message to the Scotsman, telling Fletcher he is claiming the strike.
He said: “I am buzzing. I just need Fletch to say it’s not his goal, and then we can leave it as mine. I am having it.
“I think, I mean, it was close, like either way, but I have only seen it back and it looked close so we will have to leave it to someone to decide.”
Surprising Max Cleworth Wrexham stat
Cleworth’s improved goal threat will be a welcome addition for Parkinson as he aims to secure a third-straight promotion with the Welsh outfit.
Despite being deployed as a centre-back, his effort on Saturday now means Cleworth has scored three goals in seven League One fixtures this season.
As a result, he is now the joint-ninth top scorer in the third tier of English football along with Lee.
Even more surprisingly, the defender is Wrexham’s second-highest scorer this term, with only Marriott (4) finding the back of the net on more occasions.
Mullin has only made one start this term and his goal tally is expected to improve in the coming months, but Parkinson should be thrilled with this new side of Cleworth’s game.
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