WREXHAM defeated Crawley Town 2-1 at The Racecourse to recover from their first League One loss of the year and maintain their top spot in the standings.

After winning 13 of their first five games, Phil Parkinson’s team lost 3-1 on Monday against high-spending Birmingham City.

However, Elliot Lee and Max Cleworth goals in each half helped the Reds return to winning ways, as they were in no mood to sit back and gave it their all.

Wrexham led at the interval thanks to a goal from Lee, but Crawley, who had considerably more opportunities in the first half, equalized early in the second.

But with eleven minutes to go, Cleworth’s winner gave Wrexham three points.

Parkinson made two changes to the lineup from the Birmingham game that began the loss.

Ollie Rathbone was replaced in midfield by Andy Cannon, and top scorer Jack Marriott was moved into the attack by Paul Mullin.

After a mistake by Eoghan O’Connell, Crawley had an opportunity to take the lead as Will Swan broke through to shoot wide.

Another chance for the visitors came when Swan cut out a careless pass from George Dobson, but Arthur Okonkwo stopped his attempt.

In response, Tom O’Connor of Wrexham threw in a swinging corner that goalkeeper Jo Wollacott punched away on his line.

But in the twenty-fourth minute, Wrexham broke the tie.

Wollacott palmed away another excellent O’Connor in-swinging corner under his crossbar, Cleworth pushed the ball back into the danger zone, and Lee scored.

While James McClean, who had been played in by Cannon, missed the mark at the opposite end, Max Anderson pulled a shot wide for Crawley.

Nonetheless, Okonkwo’s low-ball deny of Swan kept the Reds ahead, and for that, they owed him an apology.

Just before the half, Armando Junior Quitirna had the goal at his mercy but he turned Okonkwo and blasted over the bar, giving Wrexham a major letdown.

At the beginning of the second half, Mullin’s free kick from outside the box sailed wide, but Crawley equalized in the 54th minute.

Quitirna snuck the ball through and placed it past Okonkwo.

Mullin failed to stop a volley from McClean’s cross as both teams sought for the win.

Roman Darcy’s deflected effort was expertly saved out of Okonkwo’s reach for Crawley, and Lee’s shot from a cross went wide for the Reds.

But in the 79th, Wrexham increased the lead to 2-1.

Dobson sent a cross to the far post, where Cleworth beat Wollacott with his header.

In stoppage time, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy found himself in an excellent position but fired over for Crawley. Lee then cleared the bar, and Marriott sprinted at goal, forcing a fine save from Wollacott, as Wrexham won 2-1.

Wrexham (3-5-2): Palmer (Fletcher 64), Mullin (Marriott 71), Okonkwo; Cleworth, O’Connell, O’Connor; Barnett, Cannon (Evans 80), Dobson, Lee, McClean (Revan 71). Spartans not used: Rathbone, Scarr, and Burton.

Wollacott; Quitirna (Adeyemo 68), Mullarkey, Mukena, Flint, Kelly; Anderson (Bragg 62), Williams; Camara, Darcy (Showunmi 81), Swan (Hepburn-Murphy 62) are the Crawley Town players (5-2-3).Beach, Barker, and Ibrahim were not substituted in.

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