Josh Windass was the matchwinner as Wrexham secured a fierce 1-0 victory over Oxford United to move into the EFL Championship playoff positions. The Red Dragons' win, coupled with a draw for Hull City, saw them leapfrog the Tigers with just two games left of the regular season.
Phil Parkinson named one change from the weekend win over Stoke City, with Ryan Longman recalled in place of Man City loanee Issa Kabore.
Oxford began the match on the front foot in their frantic fight for survival, with several dangerous balls into the Wrexham box. It was the Red Dragons who enjoyed the best chance of the opening exchanges though, when Sam Smith sent an effort wide from an excellent George Thomason cross.
Josh Windass scored both goals in the 2-0 win on Saturday and went close to another when he drilled an effort wide of the target after an impressive individual run. It proved to be a useful warm-up, and just before half-time, he gave Wrexham the lead when he fired in from the edge of the box after an excellent assist from Smith.
FT | Oxford United 0-1 Wrexham.
— Rich Fay (@RichFay) April 21, 2026
Massive win. Josh Windass with the magic, Dom Hyam the leader at the back with an incredible defensive display 👏 #WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/xMcgpZtZRZ
Wrexham started well after the half-time interval and could have doubled their lead when Smith ran onto an excellent pass from Callum Doyle but could not take the ball beyond Jamie Cumming. Parkinson's side also went close to another when captain Dom Hyam saw his header saved by the Oxford goalkeeper.
The U's know they needed to win to avoid relegation and caused plenty of problems from balls into the box, while substitute Mark Harris went close to a spectacular equalizer from the edge of the box.
Oxford gave it their all in the final stages with an aerial bombardment of the Wrexham box, but Parkinson's side managed to hold strong thanks to the impressive defensive contributions of Scarr and Hyam and secure a precious three points.
Wrexham's Winners and Losers
Winner
“Josh Windass again ole, ole,” was the cry from the Wrexham faithful on a cold night in Oxford. The 32-year-old produced another moment of magic to inspire his side after he had also scored twice at the weekend. Windass has made a strong case to be named the club's Player of the Season and has established himself as the attacking talisman of a team that has missed one all season.
Loser
Ryan Longman was given a rare chance to prove himself in the Wrexham starting line up and failed to take it. He worked hard but didn't offer enough in either offense or defense. Longman was substituted shortly into the second-half, having previously been booked for a clumsy foul.
Wrexham Report Card vs. Oxford United (3-4-2-1)
GK: Danny Ward—C+: Another solid goalkeeper performance without any moments of concern. Ward displayed his experience with a calm and commanding display that set the tone for the rest of the side. A rare mistake when he flapped at a late corner.
CB: Dom Hyam—B+: He made huge contributions in both boxes and headed wide from a first -half corner. Hyam almost won the game when he saw his second-half effort saved by Jamie Cumming. He gave everything as Wrexham dug deep against the late Oxford onslaught.
CB: Dan Scarr—B-: Got his defense out of trouble with some important blocks and interceptions. Another performance that saw do the important stuff really well.
CB: Callum Doyle—B+: A key creative force from his defensive position, summed up with his pass in the build-up to the opening goal. He linked up play neatly down the left flank and also took care of his fundamental work as a centre-back.
RWB: Ryan Longman—D: He worked hard but struggled to make much of a positive impact on the right wing. He was booked in the first half for a clumsy foul and made a couple of poor decisions with the ball.
CM: Matty James—C+: A low-key performance as he helped Wrexham dominate the midfield battle without much fuss.
CM: George Dobson—C+: He covered lots of ground and broke-up play with some important interceptions. Dobson managed to disrupt Oxford's rhythm and allow Wrexham to dictate most of the contest.
LWB: George Thomason—B: His excellent cross almost set up Smith for the opening goal of the match. He provided a threat with his set-piece delivery from corner kicks and made an important block to deny Stan Mills.
CAM: Ollie Rathbone—B-: An industrious display in the attacking midfield role. He helped move play forward and pressed the opposition defense with real intensity.
CAM: Josh Windass—A: Tried his best to make something happen whenever he got the ball. Windass sent a speculative effort at goal and went one better when he drilled in the opening goal of the match.
ST: Sam Smith—B+: Another selfless performance that saw him do lots of the dirty work for his side. An excellent assist to set up Windass for the opening goal of the match.
SUB: Issa Kabore (56' for Longman)—C: He gave Wrexham a greater attacking threat down the right wing and drew a yellow card for Aidomo Emakhu. It wasn't long before he was booked for his own rash tackle.
SUB: Lewis O'Brien (70' for Rathbone)—C: A tireless defensive performance after he was introduced, but he wasted an excellent opportunity to kill the game when he underhit a cross to Moore.
SUB: Kieffer Moore (70' for Smith)—B-: Almost won the game for Wrexham when he raced through on goal but saw his effort deflected over the goal.
SUB: Max Cleworth (90+3' for Windass)—C: He came on in the final seconds as Wrexham held on to secure the win.
What’s Next For Wrexham?
Wrexham are back on the road when they make the trip to face league leaders Coventry City on Sunday. Frank Lampard's side have already secured promotion to the Premier League and will look to seal the league trophy with victory over the Red Dragons.
There are just two matches left of the EFL Championship season, so Wrexham know they can't afford to drop many points if they are to sneak into the playoff positions. They head into the weekend level on points with Hull City and four ahead of Derby County in the race for sixth place.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wrexham Grades vs. Oxford Utd: Huge Win in Dramatic Playoff Race.
