Wrexham drop more points in automatic promotion hunt: Phil Parkinson's side held to frustrating 1-1 draw with Bristol Rovers as they slip behind Wycombe in race to finish second in League One

Wrexham's automatic promotion hopes suffered a huge blow as they drew 1-1 with Bristol Rovers and Wycombe Wanderers leapfrogged them into second.

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Wrexham draw 1-1 with Bristol RoversJames cancels out Moore's openerWycombe leapfrog them into secondFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱TELL ME MORE

Wrexham started the game brightly as Max Cleworth's powerful strike forced a smart stop from goalkeeper Jed Hall on Good Friday, and their automatic promotion hopes may need resurrecting after this stalemate with lowly Rovers.

The Rovers stopper then showed off his athleticism again when he made a fingertip save to push away Oliver Rathbone's curling effort.

The hosts had the ball in the net just before the half-hour mark when Rathbone tapped home from Jay Rodriguez's pass, but the latter was offside in the build-up.

Stok Cae Ras was stunned in the 32nd minute when Taylor Moore's glancing header went past Arthur Okonkwo from Matt Butcher's fizzing corner.

Manager Phil Parkinson, who was serving a touchline ban, had his head in his hands when Sam Smith couldn't keep his header on target when in a good position shortly after the break.

But Wrexham's pressure eventually told when captain Matt James curled a delightful finish into the corner with 14 minutes remaining.

The home team pushed for a winner but in the end they had to settle for a draw as Wycombe's win at Bolton Wanderers saw them go second in League One with three games remaining.

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While Longman's energy and creativity were a constant threat for Rovers, skipper James showed the necessary quality to haul Wrexham back into the contest. The Red Dragons need their big players to stand up and be counted when times are tough and the 33-year-old did just that on Friday.

THE BIG LOSER

While no players covered themselves in much glory, Wrexham as a whole will be kicking themselves after this one. They, arguably, didn't create enough clear-cut chances and after being in second, they trail Wycombe by one point and the automatic promotion race is now out of their hands.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

Wrexham will hope to bounce back from this setback when they travel to Blackpool on Easter Monday, while rivals Wycombe host play-off hopefuls Charlton Athletic on the same day.

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