ENIGMATIC Wrexham striker Hector Sam went close to winning manager Denis Smith's man-of-the-match accolade for his performance at Oldham Athletic on Tuesday evening.

But the Racecourse boss said his Trinidad international still had plenty to prove, despite netting his eighth league goal of the season to earn the Dragons a well-deserved share of the points at Boundary Park.

Sam, who was lively throughout, rounded off Wrexham's best move of the match with a slick finish past Latics' keeper Les Pogliacomi, following excellent inter-play between Chris Llewellyn and Darren Ferguson. And although the home side equalised at the end of the opening period, Smith was happy enough with a point.

"There was a good bit of play from Chris and Darren but we needed the finish and Hector's got that," he said.

"We know he can do it but now we've got to make sure he stays fit enough and that he can do it more consistently. He's had two good games now and if he keeps playing like that he won't have too many problems."

Again without the experience provided by the likes of Brian Carey and Jim Whitley, Wrexham were under pressure for long spells.

But Smith was delighted with his side's defensive display, pointing out that debutant Simon Spender and Craig Morgan are both still teenagers.

"The two kids at the back were superb," he added. "Spender was struggling to walk in the last 10 minutes but he was still looking to bomb on and we looked as though we were going to be difficult to beat.

"I was determined we would be solid and that's why I brought Spender in because he's a bit more of a defensive player and he did his job well.

"We also caused them a few problems on the break so it was a far better performance than it's been of late. I would have preferred to win but considering the team we had out I thought they performed well."

Smith's only gripe was that he believed Wrexham were denied a penalty when Llewellyn appeared to be nudged in the back as he went for a second-half header.

"It was a blatant penalty from where I was standing but the referee has got to see it," he said.

But overall, the Dragons boss admitted he was relieved that his side's dismal sequence of four games without a win had come to an end.

"It's better for me and I sleep better because I don't have to lie awake worrying about systems or training," he added.

The only nagging doubt for Smith, whose players were off yesterday, is that both Morgan and fellow central defender Dennis Lawrence were carrying knocks towards the end of a gruelling 90 minutes

And he will be keeping his fingers crossed that his already slim resources are not further reduced ahead of Saturday's home match against Second Division play-off contenders Luton Town.