THE Dragons boosted their fragile confidence at the Race-course on Saturday, taking a point from a Rushden side who were fortunate to claim a share of the spoils.
Wrexham went into the game with unwanted baggage, hot on the heels of Jamie Hayter's blink-and-you'll-miss-it hat-trick in the 6-0 thumping by Bournemouth following a defeat by Bristol City the previous week.
But they halted the slide against Brian Talbot's Diamonds - and, had it not been for some bad luck and wayward finishing during the second half, the home side would have come away with all three points.
With Denis Lawrence and Darren Ferguson suspended, manager Denis Smith opted to start with three strikers and replace his influential captain with Matt Crowell.
Chris Llewellyn was as industrious as ever but Chris Armstrong was laboured and indifferent in the opening period, which was more than can be said for Hector Sam, who was so anonymous his substitution early in the second half was barely noticed.
But Wrexham created the better chances in the opening exchanges with Crowell going close early on, before Carlos Edwards broke the deadlock after 20 minutes with a venomous 25-yard drive that got a deflection and rocketed into the bottom corner of the net.
Wrexham's uncertainty at the back was, however, obvious and they were caught flat-footed 10 minutes later when Paul Underwood's centre flashed across goal and Rodney Jack stole in at the far post to slot home.
After the break, Wrexham poured forward in their droves and threatened to take all three points, with Steve Roberts, Armstrong and Carlos Edwards all wasting good chances. Llewellyn was also unlucky to see his first-time shot from Armstrong's cross come back off the crossbar.
That would almost certainly have been game over but nerves were evident at both ends in the final few minutes, with Brian Carey making a desperate block from Rushden substitute Paul Hall and Andy Dibble saving well from Robert Duffy. At the other end, Rushden goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown kept his side in it with a sharp stop from Llewellyn's bullet-like header. WREXHAM: Dibble, Pejic, Carey, Roberts, C Edwards, Whitley, Crowell, P Edwards, Sam (L Jones 68), Armstrong, Llewellyn. Subs: Whitfield, Holmes, Morgan, Thomas.
Referee: Eddie Evans. Attendance: 3,680.
