Fleet will be glad to leave the road trips behind – especially those to teams in the top five – as Wrexham consigned them to a third defeat in three games.
With injuries forcing changes in defence, Joe Howe was out and Tom Phipp in. Elsewhere, Nathan Elder started after Josh Scott’s return to Dagenham and there was also a place for Phil Walsh as Tobi Alabi dropped to the bench.
But Fleet’s familiar defensive frailities were exposed early on – three minutes in fact – when Dele Adebola fired in a shot off the post after Fleet failed to clear Danny Wright’s initial shot. Adebola was involved eight minutes later in a move that saw him play in Neil Ashton whose delivery was turned across by Kevin Thornton and finished well by Brett Omerod.
Preston Edwards was understandably busy and he saved well from David Artell, with Fleet restricted to a lob from Elder that was saved by the goalkeeper. Minutes after that, however, Wrexham put the game beyond reach when Thornton let fly into the top corner.
Jack Saville made way for Lanre Azeez before the break but it was another substitute who grabbed the headlines, Robert Ogleby – on for Adebola – making it 4-0. Moments after Edwards had saved from Joe Clarke, Ashton split the Fleet defence with a pass and Ogleby was on hand to score.
Fleet looked to perform some damage limitation in the second half, Liam Bellamy replacing Dammy Shitta at half time. Both Phipp and Elder threatened in the opening exchanges but Wrexham always looked dangerous and Clarke, Ogleby and Thornton all had chances to make it 5-0. But it was Fleet who did the only scoring of the second half when, on 77 minutes, Azeez broke down the wing and his cross was met at the far post by Elder who finished well. Elder fired into the net a second time at the end but that was ruled out for offside and Fleet will look to put things right against yet another in-form side in the form of Newport County.
TEAM: Edwards, Gwillim, Walsh, Lorraine, Saville (Azeez 33), Phipp, Barrett, Shitta (Bellamy 46), Carew, Enver-Marum (Alabi 66), Elder. Subs not used: Menz, Blake
Att: 2, 390
