Racing Club old boy Wilkinson returns to haunt former side

Wilkinson stole in at the back post to head home Ross Briscoe’s 59th-minute cross to settle the tie and condemn Racing Club to their third successive defeat.

After a heart-stopping moment in the opening seconds when he appeared to bring down Adam Blake on the edge of the box, stand-in keeper Neil Stacey enjoyed a comfortable afternoon for the visitors, with a tip-over from Jamie Bailey’s rising drive ten minutes after the break his only contribution of note.

Winger Briscoe, who was the first-half’s standout performer, forced a fine save from home keeper Ryan Bennett in the sixth minute after breaking from the half-way line and was also unlucky to see a shot slide past the post after narrowly beating Bennett to a diagonal ball.

Tez Morton lashed the ball over at the other end after a mistake from Jack Taylor, but it was the visitors who were creating the best chances, with Luke Cole seeing a shot deflected behind and also denied by a fine last-ditch tackle by Harry Jervis.

Bennett thwarted Cole with a flying save shortly after the restart and John Blunsom was denied by the crossbar before Wilkinson’s match-winning intervention.

Wilkinson, Cole and substitute Craig Watkins all wasted chances to extend Town’s advantage and it needed a goalline clearance from Lee Scott to preserve the visitors’ advantage after Morton had rounded the keeper following good work from Bailey.