Wrexham boss relieved to still be in the tie

He said: “It’s just so disappointing. The tie could have been over. But we’ve hung in there and the second half is so much better and I don’t know why.

“I don’t know why and we can’t afford to do that in a 180-minute tie. We don’t turn up for 45. We’ve just got to put it right Monday.

“We rode our luck at times. The one at the end from (Robbie) Willmott where he’s put it straight into Josi’s hands. It could have been over. We rode our luck a little bit but we’re still in it and still fighting. Let’s bring it on on Monday.”

He was massively disappointed by their first half performance as the Hatters raced into a two-goal lead, saying: “I don’t know (why). I will have to have a watch of it and see, they just looked livelier than us. They were right at it and we weren’t and when you’ve got that combination it’s not good.

“They broke on us when we were going forward and we just didn’t work hard enough as a unit, as a team.

“It was heavy and wet, but you get behind the ball and defend. But we didn’t do that, we had too many people ahead of the ball and they broke on us. The goals were sloppy, poor goals to give away and you are on the back foot.”

He also felt their were a number of strange decisions in the game by the officials, saying: “I’m not getting involved. They play on with a man down and then we get it and he blows up. A man slips and we are three on two and he’s taken it back about 10 minutes. Ridiculous.

“Goalkeeper’s saved it, no corner. Pog’s offside in the second half, I thought he was on. But they had one with the penalty and an offside. It was very strange, but that’s what you get in this league.”

But Morrell was buoyed by his his side’s second half performance that has left them with a chance of turning it around at the Racecourse Ground on Monday.

He added: “Second half we were loads better, loads better. We were right at them, had chances, put them under pressure, made them defend and we kept the ball for a bit as well.

“If you keep the ball and they haven’t got it they can’t break on you. We moved the ball across the pitch better and looked a decent enough team.

“The first half is the one that’s not killed us, but it has hurt us. So we will have to do better.

“But the lads have stood up and been counted second half. They could have gone under and it could have been over, but it wasn’t, we played more like us and the tie’s alive.

“We take them to our place. The atmosphere was great here and I’m sure it will be on Monday.”