WREXHAM, WALES, ENGLAND — In a Championship encounter that had supporters at STōK Cae Ras on the edge of their seats from first whistle to last, Wrexham produced a stunning second-half fightback to defeat Ipswich Town 5-3 in one of the most breathless matches the division has served up this season. Nathan Broadhead's brace, combined with a masterclass in creativity from Lewis O'Brien, drove the home side to a victory that looked far from certain when Ipswich led 3-2 heading into the final quarter of the match.
The game burst into life inside six minutes when Kieffer Moore tucked a left-footed finish into the top left corner, guided by a clever headed pass from Josh Windass. Ipswich refused to be rattled, however, and Anis Mehmeti levelled matters in the 20th minute, drilling a right-footed effort into the high centre of the goal after Iván Azón had played him in. The visitors were growing in confidence, and just before the break, Azón struck again — this time his own goal, a right-footed shot from outside the box that found the bottom right corner in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, assisted by Jack Taylor. Wrexham had also seen Windass nod home in the 37th minute from a Kieffer Moore assist to make it 2-1, only for Ipswich to respond with Cédric Kipré's composed finish from outside the box two minutes into the second half, restoring parity at 2-2 before Azón's late first-half strike had already flipped the scoreline to 3-2 in Ipswich's favour.
The second half became a showcase for Wrexham's character. George Thomason, who had been denied by Christian Walton in the 37th minute, finally got his reward in the 66th minute, drilling a left-footed effort from the left side of the box into the bottom left corner to level at 3-3. The equaliser sparked a frantic spell, and Wrexham's momentum was building. Callum Doyle then powered a header from close range into the high centre of the goal in the 75th minute, meeting Lewis O'Brien's cross from a corner to put the home side ahead for the first time since the opening exchanges. Broadhead, introduced as a substitute in the 65th minute, had already tested Walton with a shot from outside the box in the 69th minute before sealing the win emphatically in the 86th minute, slotting a right-footed finish into the bottom right corner after O'Brien threaded a perfectly weighted through ball into his path.
The tactical battle was fiercely contested throughout, with the referee kept busy in what proved to be a feisty affair — nine yellow cards were brandished across the 90 minutes, five for Wrexham and four for Ipswich, reflecting the intensity of the contest. Arthur Okonkwo in the Wrexham goal made three saves, including a crucial stop to deny Kasey McAteer's header in the 84th minute, while Christian Walton was called into action five times for Ipswich, producing a series of important interventions to keep his side in contention during a dominant Wrexham spell.
By the numbers, Wrexham's superiority in the second half was reflected in the final statistics. The home side registered 17 shots to Ipswich's 13, with a commanding 10 shots on target compared to six for the visitors. Possession was shared almost equally — Ipswich edging it at 51.1% to Wrexham's 48.9% — but it was the home side's clinical edge that proved decisive. Wrexham also won five corners to Ipswich's two, and O'Brien's three assists underlined just how influential the midfielder was in dictating the game's rhythm in the crucial second period.
The turning point arrived with the double substitution in the 64th and 65th minutes, when Wrexham introduced Ryan Longman and Nathan Broadhead. The latter's immediate impact — testing Walton within four minutes of coming on and then scoring the decisive fifth — transformed the contest. Ipswich's triple substitution in the 70th minute, bringing on Marcelino Núñez, Dan Neil, and Kasey McAteer, came too late to stem the tide, and despite McAteer's header being saved by Okonkwo in the 84th minute, the visitors could not find a way back.
The scoreboard resets; the table does not — and Wrexham will take enormous confidence from this result as the Championship campaign continues to gather pace.