{"id":331555,"date":"2025-08-09T21:51:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T21:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/331555\/"},"modified":"2025-08-09T21:51:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T21:51:10","slug":"manning-and-stephens-late-show-earns-southampton-dramatic-win-against-wrexham-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/331555\/","title":{"rendered":"Manning and Stephens\u2019 late show earns Southampton dramatic win against Wrexham | Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ninety minutes before kick-off, a couple of digivans poking fun at Wrexham completed another lap of St Mary\u2019s, whizzing past with an LED billboard that read: \u201cWho needs Hollywood?\u201d with the letters of Southampton<\/a> studded in the Californian hills.<\/p>\n

On this evidence the Welsh club \u2013 back at this level for the first time since 1982 after an extraordinary rise<\/a> from non-league \u2013 are sure to be a fun addition to the Championship, but how they were given a galling reminder of the step up, Saints scoring twice in the final nine minutes to earn a comeback win and a first under Will Still.<\/p>\n

For Southampton, there was finally that winning feeling, with a first home league victory since November. Phil Parkinson was encouraged, despite the sour ending for the visitors. \u201cI took a moment when the lads ran out for the warm-up and just reflected because where we\u2019ve come from to be playing on a stage like this today was very special,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new lads came in and did really well and so did the existing players \u2013 that gives us great heart for the season. It was a very proud day for the club, playing at this level and there were a lot of positives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two years ago, Southampton were operating four divisions higher than their opponents, ending 2022-23 against Liverpool while Wrexham<\/a> signed off from the National League at Torquay. It is only four years since the journey to this point under the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney began; they started 2021-22 at Solihull Moors in front of a crowd of 2,196, while Saints were beginning a 10th straight season in the top flight.<\/p>\n

Josh Windass scores from the penalty spot to give Wrexham a first-half lead. Photograph: Graham Hunt\/ProSports\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Here they were as equals, duking it out on a pristine glossy surface a world away from Damson Park. Max Cleworth and Ryan Barnett \u2013 both on the pitch that day, the latter for Solihull \u2013 also started here. There were no A-listers present but the Saints owner, Dragan Solak, and the former Saints vice-chair Les Reed who is now a Wrexham adviser, were in attendance.<\/p>\n

Until the final minute of regular time it appeared Wrexham would start the season with a victory courtesy of a first-half penalty, awarded after Ronnie Edwards barged Kieffer Moore and converted by Josh Windass, one of seven Wrexham debutants, six of whom were in the starting lineup.<\/p>\n

Parkinson was adamant Edwards should have been sent off given he made no attempt to play the ball but the referee, James Bell, informed the Wrexham manager he felt there was a covering defender. Edwards somehow escaped without a booking. \u201cIt is a gamechanging moment if they go down to 10 men,\u201d Parkinson said.<\/p>\n

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Southampton\u2019s Ronnie Edwards shoves Wrexham\u2019s Kieffer Moore in the back to give away a penalty \u2013 but he did not receive a card. Photograph: Sky Sports<\/p>\n

Saints came close to levelling in first-half stoppage time, the busy 18-year-old Jay Robinson striking a post before Conor Coady prevented Adam Armstrong from firing in the rebound. Still, at 32 the youngest manager<\/a> in the English Football League, rested hands on head trying to make sense of it all.<\/p>\n

Wrexham were accomplished, Windass striking the bar before opening the scoring, but gradually lost their grip on an entertaining game. The arrival of Mateus Fernandes, who has numerous top-flight admirers, on the hour helped the hosts. Moore\u2019s departure with an ankle injury early in the second half also hampered Wrexham. Southampton dialled up the pressure.<\/p>\n

Wrexham missed chances to double their lead; Lewis O\u2019Brien, their \u00a33m record signing, was ushered off the ball when through on goal and the substitute Ryan Hardie, another new face, forced Gavin Bazunu into an instinctive left-handed save on 87 minutes. In between those episodes Parkinson enjoyed an amusing back and forth with the home fans after Sam Smith\u2019s tug on Joshua Quarshie in the box went unpunished.<\/p>\n

Cleworth, on a booking, was fortunate to avoid being penalised for handling a Shea Charles shot within two minutes of the restart. Those chances whirled in Parkinson\u2019s mind when the substitute Ryan Manning levelled, leathering a superb free-kick into the top corner from 25 yards. Manning was instrumental in the winner, too. He chested Charles\u2019s raking diagonal pass, teeing up Damion Downs. The US forward \u2013 also a summer signing \u2013 fluffed his lines from a couple of yards out but the Southampton captain, Jack Stephens, was alive at the back post to apply the finish, the ball cannoning in off the underside of the bar.<\/p>\n

For Stephens, it was a cathartic moment, an outpouring of emotion and a timely retort to his critics. At a fans\u2019 forum in the week, on the eve of a new era, the Southampton technical director, Johannes Spors, was forced to defend the decision to hand Stephens a fresh three-year contract. At the final whistle, Stephens kissed the captain\u2019s armband and seemingly did some soul-searching, staring deep into the stands.<\/p>\n

Still said: \u201cWe know Stevo gets a fair bit of criticism \u2013 he\u2019s made mistakes and he probably knows that better than anyone \u2013 but he\u2019s a really good human being and deserves his goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parkinson, meanwhile, stood deflated, hands on hips; his opposite number perhaps put it best. \u201cWelcome to the Championship<\/a>,\u201d Still said. \u201cIt\u2019s just crazy, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ninety minutes before kick-off, a couple of digivans poking fun at Wrexham completed another lap of St Mary\u2019s,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":331556,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[13,12,14],"class_list":{"0":"post-331555","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-stories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115001025061695589","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=331555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/331556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}