Max Bird’s spectacular 89th-minute volley earned Bristol City a 2-2 draw against Wrexham in a gripping Championship contest that both sides will feel they could have won. The midfielder, introduced from the bench, met Jason Knight’s cross with a first-time strike from around 20 yards that crashed in off the underside of the bar to rescue a point for the Robins.
Wrexham had twice taken the lead, first through Ollie Rathbone’s emphatic first-half finish and then when substitute Joe Williams turned Issa Kabore’s cross into his own net. In between, Sinclair Armstrong’s powerful effort early in the second half hauled City level and transformed the tempo of the game. With sixth place and a spot in the play-offs on offer to the winner on a bitterly cold night, the draw means both clubs miss the chance to break into the top six, though Wrexham climb to seventh, level on points with Derby County.
Wrexham seize control after cagey opening
The first league meeting at Ashton Gate between these sides since April 2005 began in cautious fashion. Bristol City’s Radek Vitek collided painfully with defender George Tanner as the hosts attempted to clear a rare early Wrexham foray, while Neto Borges lashed a speculative shot high over the bar from the edge of the box. For much of the opening quarter, neither goalkeeper was seriously extended and the match struggled to rise above the attritional.