Wrexham 2 Forest Green 1 - full time
WREXHAM 2 FOREST GREEN ROVERS 1
ADRIAN Cieslewicz's second-half double punished an insipid display by Forest Green, for whom Reece Styche and Eddie Oshodi both saw red.
Top of the Blue Square Bet Premier prior to arriving in north Wales, Rovers served up comfortably their worst performance of the season and only had James Norwood's stoppage-time strike to show for their efforts.
Dave Hockaday's best-laid plans were disrupted inside 12 minutes, Al Bangura crumbling to the turf under a challenge by John Hunt and replaced by Steve Brogan.
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Wrexham had already looked the more urgent side though, and Sam Russell had to stop a skidding low shot from Jay Harris after Cieslewicz had fired wide on the turn.
Russell had a brief spell at The Racecourse in 2010, and he reminded home fans of his talent in the 39th minute when he flung himself to his left to keep out a header from Andy Morrell.
Three minutes later Neil Ashton's cross was met by a soaring Danny Wright, but his effort struck the top of the crossbar and Russell was on hand to block the follow-up from Hunt.
The deadlock was finally broken when Hunt beat Jamie Collins to a 50-50 on halfway and put Cieslewicz in the clear, and the Pole was coolness personified in lifting the ball over the onrushing Russell and into the net.
Both Styche and Norwood had emerged from the bench by the 67th minute as Hockaday sought to knock the Dragons off their stride, but Cieslewicz remained the day's brightest performer and he was only denied a second goal by a superb fingertip save by Russell.
He was not disappointed for long, as from the next home attack he managed to get a touch to Hunt's goalbound drive and beat the wrong-footed Russell to make it 2-0.
A miserable afternoon for Rovers took another turn for the worse with 15 minutes remaining when Styche – already cautioned for sarcastically applauding a decision by referee Peter Bankes – scythed down Ashton and was duly banished to the dressing room.
The visitors' best chance of the game came on 83 minutes, Jamie Turley getting on the end of Brogan's free-kick and nodding over from close range.
And they got a consolation they barely deserved in the first minute of stoppage time, Norwood swivelling inside the box and firing into the bottom corner.
They could even have snatched an unlikely point in the 95th minute when Norwood's cross was bundled in by Turley, but referee Bankes blew for a foul on goalkeeper Joslain Mayebi.
Rovers' protests continued after the match had ended, and skipper Oshodi was shown a red card to complete a dispiriting day.
See Monday's Citizen for Peter Orchard's match overview, match reaction and pictures.
Forest Green: S. Russell; E. Asafu-Adjaye, J. Turley, E. Oshodi, C. Stokes; K. Forbes, A. Bangura (S. Brogan 12), J. Collins; M. Vieira (R. Styche 67), M. Taylor, B. Wright (J. Norwood 57); Subs not used: J. Hodgkiss, O. Koroma.
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