Wrexham 1-1 Burnley: Ekomié Header Earns Red Dragons a Point

Wrexham are back playing at the Racecourse, coming off a 0-0 draw with top-of-the-table Swansea, which will give the Red Dragons some confidence as they host bottom-of-the-table and newly relegated Burnley. It is the first time in 16 years that the two sides have faced each other in the league. A win today would take Wrexham into the play-off places and give them a solid foundation to build a play-off push.

On a rainy night in North Wales, both teams put in valiant performances. But, as has happened too many times for Wrexham this season, they conceded a goal that really shouldn't have been allowed to happen, with Burnley splitting open the Wrexham defence to get the opening goal.

The game stayed like this until the start of the second half, when Ekomié headed home the equaliser for Wrexham. The game then continued in the ping-pong style it had turned into, with both teams having some good attacks. Ultimately, though, neither side was able to break the other down, with the game ending in a stalemate.

The first 10 minutes were a highly contested game of attrition between the two sides, with both teams attacking and defending, and the ball going up and down the pitch like it was a tennis match. Both teams were playing high lines and continuously winning the ball back.

Wrexham got their first clear-cut chance in the 16th minute, when Kieffer Moore and Lewis O’Brien played some 1-2s around the Burnley box. It culminated in a cross from O’Brien across the area, which Windass managed to get his heel on, but it went straight at the keeper.

Following this attack, Wrexham won a free kick after a collision just outside the centre circle. James sent it deep towards Doyle, who knocked it on to Cleworth, who again headed it on to Moore. Moore then managed to pull a fingertip save out of Burnley keeper Weiss following a headed shot at goal.

The first 20 minutes had become almost one-way traffic, with Wrexham constantly looking a threat in front of the Burnley goal. They had four shots, three of which were on target, and 60% possession. All they were missing was the final touch to get the ball past Weiss.

Against the flow of play in the 25th minute, Burnley managed to break the deadlock and get the opening goal of the game. Ramazani played a ball through that split the Wrexham defence in half, with Amdouni getting on the end of it to chip it past Patterson and make the game 1-0.

BURNLEY TAKE AN UNEXPECTED LEAD AT WREXHAM🤩🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/AEITfQM548

— The 44 ⚽️ (@The_Forty_Four) September 8, 2026

In the 30th minute, Cleworth, who was making his 200th Wrexham appearance, went down complaining of leg pain. After the physio came on to check him out, he had to end his game early, with Zak Vyner coming on in his place.

Wrexham got a chance to equalise in the 38th minute after some good build-up play down the left-hand side. James picked the ball up on the edge of the area and took a first-time shot that pulled a big save out of Weiss. The keeper parried it into Kaboré’s path, but Kaboré sent it wide of the post.

That was the last big chance of the first half. What started out as an almost certain Wrexham win had completely turned around, with Burnley flipping the game on its head. After scoring the first and only goal of the half, Burnley finished the first half on top.

Coming out for the second half, Wrexham made two substitutions to try and change the game, bringing Callum O’Hare on for Josh Windass and Ollie Rathbone on for Lewis O’Brien.

Wrexham finally got themselves level in the 55th minute, when Ekomié leapt like a salmon above the Burnley defence to get his head on a looping cross sent in from the right flank by Kaboré. This was the second time in two weeks that the two full-backs have linked up to get a goal, with Kaboré setting up Ekomié last week against Millwall.

Jacques Ekomie heads home to put Wrexham back on terms against Burnley! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/70u0ADtzx1

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 8, 2026

The first 20 minutes of the second half were very similar to the opening 20 minutes of the first. It was almost all one-way traffic for Wrexham, with both full-backs terrorising the Burnley back four. It looked like it was only a matter of time until Wrexham broke down the Burnley defence for a second, especially with Sam Smith replacing Moore and using his fresh legs to tire out the Burnley players.

Both teams had constant attacks in the final 20 minutes; however, none came to fruition, with most either being easy saves for the keepers or stopped by the defence. This doesn't mean the final 20 minutes were boring, though. Far from it, it was an entertaining game of football, with some very good midfield play.

With neither team able to break the other down, the game ended in a hard-fought stalemate, with the scoreline finishing 1-1.

Player Ratings

Anthony Patterson - Barring the opening goal, Patterson had a solid performance, making some crucial saves and ultimately keeping Wrexham in the game. - 7/10

Dominic Hyam - Strong defensively and managed to keep an exciting Burnley attack relatively quiet. - 6.5/10

Max Cleworth - Only played the opening 30 minutes before going off with an injury. - 6/10

Callum Doyle - Like normal, Doyle was a key figure between the defence, midfield and attack. - 7/10

Jacques Ekomié - Scoring his first goal at the Racecourse and also looking solid defensively, Ekomié is quickly becoming an integral part of the Wrexham squad. - 8/10 - Player of the Match

Issa Kaboré - Important defensively, got an assist and put in a good performance. - 7.5/10

Benjamin Whiteman - Had a solid performance all game and didn't stop running. - 7/10

Matty James - Similar to Whiteman, James was consistent and important in this game. - 7/10

Josh Windass - Showed some signs of life during the first half, but ultimately, it wasn't his best performance. - 5/10

Lewis O’Brien - Seemed to be overshadowed by the Burnley defence. Had the occasional good moment, but didn't do a lot. - 5/10

Kieffer Moore - Moore was kept quiet all game. Like most games, a lot of the attacking play featured him, but unfortunately, he couldn't get much away. - 6/10

Substitutes

Zak Vyner - 6/10

Callum O’Hare - 7/10

Ollie Rathbone - 6.5/10

Sam Smith - 6/10