Wrexham | More drama for Phil Parkinson's side

Wrexham 3 - 3 Hull City (Wrexham won 5-3 on penalties)

Wrexham edged past Hull City in a dramatic EFL Cup first-round tie, with substitute Ollie Palmer scoring twice in stoppage time to force penalties before sealing victory in the shootout.

Author | Jay Dean

Stadium | STōK Cae Ras

Wrexham fans celebrate dramatic victory

Elliot Lee’s deflected strike gave the hosts the lead, only for Oli McBurnie to mark his first Hull goal with a swift equaliser. Joel Ndala and Matt Crooks then struck to put the Championship side 3-1 ahead in their 150th game in the competition.

Palmer’s late double hauled Wrexham level, and when Ndala struck the post in the shootout, the Welsh side completed a 5-3 win from the spot.

A closer look at an enthralling night 

Phil Parkinson made wholesale changes after the opening-day defeat at Southampton, with a home debut for Ryan Hardie among 11 alterations. Hull’s six changes included first starts for McBurnie and Nathan Tinsdale.

Before kick-off, the Stok Cae Ras observed a minute’s silence for club great Joey Jones, who died in July at the age of 70. The match that followed was played with a tempo he would have enjoyed. McBurnie’s early header flew wide, while Wrexham’s Hardie forced a save from Dillon Phillips and Sam Smith was also denied. At the other end, Arthur Okonkwo parried McBurnie’s low drive.

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Lee broke the deadlock just before the half-hour, cutting inside before seeing his shot loop over Phillips via a deflection. Hull hit back within minutes, Cody Drameh bursting into the area to set up McBurnie’s precise finish beyond Okonkwo.

Hardie nodded wide within seconds of the restart, while Okonkwo kept out efforts from Kasey Palmer and Harry Ashfield. With 20 minutes to go, Joe Gelhardt’s cross found Ndala at the far post to nudge Hull ahead, the ball hitting the net and bouncing out before some away fans realised it had gone in.

Crooks extended the lead with nine minutes left, turning in Palmer’s cross from close range. Wrexham’s own Palmer, however, had the final word. Two towering headers in the 91st and 92nd minutes transformed the atmosphere and forced penalties.

Palmer, James McClean, Lee, Josh Windass and Jack Marriott all converted for Wrexham. Ndala’s miss proved decisive, sending the home crowd into raptures and the Dragons into the next round.

A kickstart to Wrexham's season?

The Hull City perspective 

Tony, a Hull City fan, told us: “Very disappointed to go out, but what a game. For an hour it was very even, but we looked strong for the last quarter at 3-1 up, until super-sub Ollie Palmer came on. He destroyed us at the end. I actually thought we played well tonight, but credit to Wrexham for winning on penalties. I hope we learn to see games out in the future.” 

This view was supported by Peter, who added: “Fair play to Wrexham. They held on to finish the job and beat us fair and square. The funniest part of the game was Wrexham fans singing the chants we’d sung about beating them. Walking from the ground, the fans from both teams were great. Good luck in the next round.”