Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson revealed his side had been hit by a sickness bug in the lead-up to their hard-fought 2-1 win over Portsmouth.
The Red Dragons continued their push for a fourth successive promotion as they held on for a victory at Stok Cae Ras that tightened their grip on the top six in the Championship.
Sam Smith, who opened the scoring with a fine header, was among the players to have been struggling and was unable to complete the game.
«The energy levels weren’t quite where we needed to be,» Parkinson said. «We’ve had a bit of illness in the camp over the last few days but we just dug deep as a team.
«When you’re not quite at your best, and you’re not functioning quite how we like, you have to show another side to your game and I felt we did that.
«Sam was really good in that first half. He was one of the lads who had a stomach bug and he was struggling at half-time.
«I said ‘Come on, Sam, another 15 minutes.’ He’s been brilliant for us, ever since he’s been here.
«That’s a real old-fashioned striker’s header, a great finish.»
Max Cleworth doubled Wrexham’s lead from a corner before Pompey rallied in the second period.
Zak Swanson pulled a goal back with a deflected strike but, despite applying considerable pressure, the visitors could not find an equaliser.
«I thought we were excellent first half. We really bossed the game,» Parkinson added.
«Second half we didn’t quite get the control we wanted but sometimes football is about finding a way to win and we’ve done that really well.
«We dug deep and it’s a great win.»
