Paul Mullin & Ollie Palmer fall flat as Wrexham suffer first round FA Cup heartbreak in narrow Harrogate defeat

Wrexham started the game brightly and perhaps should have gone ahead in the opening salvos - either through Ollie Palmer or Paul Mullin. But against the run of play, veteran striker Muldoon gave the home side the lead with a beautifully guided header in the 24th minute.

George Dobson then spurned a glorious chance from a rapid counter-attack but once again, goalkeeper James Belshaw was equal to the task. The Harrogate stopper then made a reaction save to keep out Jon Dadi Bodvarsson's acrobatic strike from close range.

The League One side looked to have grabbed a late equaliser through substitute Modou Faal but the big striker was offside when he nodded home. Despite piling on the pressure, the Welsh side - who made it to round four for the past two seasons - fell at the first hurdle in the famous competition on Sunday.

James Belshaw did his best impression of a brick wall as he kept Wrexham at bay time and time again. No matter who fired a shot at his goal, the Harrogate keeper would not be denied in his quest for a clean sheet.

Dobson did not have his best game in a Wrexham shirt. The midfielder fluffed a glorious chance in the second half when he bore down on Harrogate's goal, the 26-year-old went into the book for a cynical foul and his fluffed clearance nearly led to a penalty for the hosts.

Wrexham return to League One action next Saturday when they take on fellow newly-promoted side Mansfield Town at Stok Cae Ras. They then travel to Port Vale in the EFL Trophy three days later.