Josh Windass’s 34th minute goal saw Wrexham to a 1-0 victory over the Blues at the Racecourse Ground, ending Town’s participation in the FA Cup at the fourth round stage.

Boss Kieran McKenna made 10 changes with George Hirst skippering for the first time and Dan Neil making his full debut.

Alex Palmer returned in goal with Ben Johnson at right-back and Elkan Baggott, making his first start for the Blues since September 2023, at left-back.

Cedric Kipre, the only survivor from Saturday’s 2-1 win at Derby, was alongside Jacob Greaves at the heart of the defence.

In midfield, full debutant Neil came in alongside Jens Cajuste with Kasey McAteer on the right, Sindre Walle Egeli the number 10 and Chuba Akpom on the left, with Hirst the central striker.

Young left-back Somto Boniface was on the bench alongside first team regulars and third-choice keeper David Button.

Wrexham made five changes from the 2-0 home defeat to Millwall at the weekend with Ryan Longman, George Thomason, George Dobson, Windass and Sam Smith coming in for Issa Kabore, Ben Sheaf and former Blues striker Kieffer Moore, who dropped to the bench, while Libby Cacace and Matty James were absent due to injury.

Ex-Town attacker Nathan Broadhead was among the subs having overcome a groin problem.

Within a minute of the start, Wrexham, who didn’t have a shot on target in the Championship 0-0 draw at Portman Road, should have gone in front.

Home keeper Arthur Okonkwo kicked long beyond the Town backline and Palmer nodded weakly away to his left from outside the area. Windass pounced on it and hit a low strike from a tight angle which the keeper saved but couldn’t hold onto. Smith followed up and his effort, fortunately for the Blues, ended up trapped between Palmer’s legs.

On five, a defender got in ahead of Hirst as he looked to get a header on a cross from the right, then two minutes later McAteer sent over a more dangerous low ball from the same flank but the stand-in skipper scuffed his effort well wide.

The game was held up in the 10th minute for Akpom to receive treatment having taken a blow to the head, the on-loan Ajax man eventually returning to the action.

In the 17th minute, Cajuste’s long throw from the left was flicked on by Baggott and Akpom stooped to head wide when he will believe he should have hit the target.

Three minutes later, with the Red Dragons having their first spell on the ball of the game, Ollie Rathbone sent over a dangerous cross from the left which Johnson nodded behind ahead of a Wrexham attacker at the back post

Following the resultant corner, Windass struck a powerful low shot which Palmer batted behind to his left.

The home side continued to have the better of it with Town looking more and more disjointed

And in the 34th minute, the Welshmen went in front. Kipre lost out in a battle for the ball on the left and it was sent across the area to Longman on the right. The former Hull City man cut inside Baggott and hit a shot towards the far post that Windass turned home from close range.

Palmer, who had had a less than confident start to the match, kept the scoreline at 1-0 in the 41st minute, getting across and up superbly to tip Rathbone’s top-corner-bound shot wide.

After the corner, Rathbone hit another effort, this time low at Palmer’s left post, and the keeper saved comfortably.

The home side continued to have the better of it and in the 43rd minute Rathbone sent a dangerous low ball across the six-yard box, Greaves clearing behind ahead of Smith.

Town were on the ball and looking for an opening around the Wrexham area as referee Ben Speedie blew his whistle to end the half.

But in truth, having been on top for the first 20 minutes or so, the Blues had been very much second best from there.

After making a poor start in which Wrexham could have been gifted the lead, Town passed the ball around confidently and created a couple of decent openings, Hirst missing his kick and Akpom heading across the face and wide, the second opportunity one which should have been taken.

Wrexham then won a number of corners which the Blues backline and Palmer repelled, although not entirely comfortably, and the momentum of the game changed direction.

From there, the Welsh side were on top and might well have doubled their lead with Palmer making a vital save to keep the deficit to 1-0.

The Blues made a change at the break, regular captain Dara O’Shea taking over at the centre of the defence from Kipre.

Five minutes after the restart, the Blues came close to getting back on terms. Cajuste sent over a long throw from the left, Baggott flicked on and Akpom slid in at the near post. The ball was half-cleared to the edge of the area where Greaves hooked the ball against George Dobson’s arm.

It ran loose to McAteer, who Dobson caught with his studs as the former Leicester man looked to shoot but with the ex-Charlton man appeared to get a touch on the ball.

Town were starting the second half strongly and in the 55th minute Baggott nodded a cross from the right down to Akpom, but the ball wouldn’t drop and the former Middlesbrough man’s shot was blocked.

But the Blues kept the ball and Cajuste laid it back to Johnson on the right and the right-back sent over a cross to the far post where Baggott slid in ahead of his marker but sent the ball wide.

Wrexham began to get back on top and on the hour they might have added to their lead, Rathbone cut in from the left and hit a low shot across Palmer which the keeper palmed up into the air at a stretch. It reached Longman, who headed straight up in the air rather than towards the empty net.

On 64, Rathbone sent over a dangerous ball from the left which Greaves flicked beyond the far post.

Wrexham made their first change of the evening in the 68th minute, Sheaf replacing Rathbone, who had been the Red Dragons’ man threat.

Town, who were making little headway as they looked for an equaliser, swapped Neil, Baggott and Akpom for Anis Mehmeti, Jack Taylor and Jack Clarke with the Blues moving to a back three with Clarke and McAteer as wing-backs and Mehmeti and Walle Egeli behind Hirst.

Soon after, the home side made two changes, ex-Blue Moore and Kabore replacing Smith and Longman.

On 78, Windass looped a header into Palmer’s arms from a Lewis O’Brien cross from the right, the home fans initially thinking it might be on its way into the net.

Five minutes later, Walle Egeli was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul. Ahead of the free-kick, Town swapped McAteer for Ivan Azon, who joined Hirst in the attack.

Walle Egeli sent over a dangerous cross soon afterwards with the ball not quite falling for several Blues players in the box before it was cleared.

In the 86th minute, Walle Egeli floated a promising free-kick to the far post on the left, Hirst attempting to hook a loose ball goalwards but catching a defender with his boot.

As the game moved into three additional minutes, the Blues were putting the home side under pressure, Okonkwo helping a deflected Walle Egeli shot behind.

From the corner, with Palmer joining his teammates, the ball flashed across the six-yard area and out of play past the far post with Clarke having failed to get a touch as he slid in.

That was the last action of the game and the last the Blues will be competing in the FA Cup for another season.

Overall, it was a disjointed and underwhelming performance from much-changed Town. Having been the stronger side for the first 20 minutes of the match, Wrexham got on top until the break when they scored the goal which would prove the difference between the sides.

Town began the second half positively but Baggott’s opportunity was the only clear-cut chance and the performance drifted from there until the subs came on for the last quarter of an hour when they got the Blues pressing for an equaliser but never particularly convincingly.

None of the 10 players coming into the team showed enough for them to have won a place in the side next week.

Town won’t be too upset by an FA Cup exit to a Wrexham side they are still to meet in three meetings with the fixture list already congested.

Next week’s visit to the Racecourse in the Championship will be viewed as far more significant to the Blues’ season when they will have to step up a level from today’s fragmented display to claim three points as they chase an automatic promotion spot.

Wrexham: Okonkwo, Cleworth, Hyam (c), Doyle, Longman (Kabore 74), Dobson, Rathbone (Sheaf 68), Thomason, O'Brien, Windass, Smith (Moore 75). Unused: Burton, Keillor-Dunn, Cadamarteri, Scarr, Barnett, Broadhead.

Town: Palmer, Johnson, Kipre (O’Shea 46), Greaves, Baggott (Clarke 73), Neil (Mehmeti 72), Cajuste, McAteer (Azon 84), Walle Egeli, Akpom (Mehmeti 73), Hirst (c). Unused: Button, Furlong, Boniface, Matusiwa. Referee: Ben Speedie (Bootle). Att: 10,496 (Town: 1,269).

Photo: Action Images via Reuters