WREXHAM goalkeeper Mike Ingham stole the show on assistant manager Kevin Russell's big night at the Racecourse, pulling off a series of fine saves to prevent Manchester United from running riot.
The Northern Ireland international was kept busy throughout, particularly in the final 20 minutes of an entertaining and highly competitive contest that stretched Denis Smith's men to the limit.
But it was just the sort of run-out the Dragons needed ahead of their League Two opener against Boston United on Saturday and there was plenty to delight and entertain a reasonably-sized crowd - not least the performance of United's talented young striker Guiseppe Rossi.
Russell has enjoyed more than the Andy Warhol-defined 15 minutes of fame during a long career in the game, but although his farewell as a player lasted only 14 minutes, he went close to creating a goal for his Wrexham team-mates before retiring to the bench for club captain Darren Ferguson to take his place.
The Dragons' assistant coach, earning the rewards of 12 years service to the club, picked out Dennis Lawrence with a corner in the second minute only to see the Trinidad international steer his header narrowly over the United crossbar.
That, unfortunately, was as close as the League Two side came to troubling a youthful Old Trafford outfit, reinforced by the older heads of Gabriel Heinze and Phil Neville, during the first quarter.
United youngster David Jones, from Marford and facing his hometown club for the first time, did well to send Rossi into the penalty area but former Old Trafford youngster Lee Roche was back quickly to dispossess the Italian.
But Wrexham were not so fortunate in the ninth minute when Jones intercepted a poor clearance from keeper Ingham and set up Rossi to score with a fierce drive from 18 yards.
Struggling to cope with United's fluid formation - 4-3-3 in possession and 4-5-1 without the ball - the Dragons couldn't settle, while their opponents varied the pace and point of their attacking options with bewildering speed.
Neville picked out Colin Heath with a perfectly-timed through ball and Ingham did well to block the subsequent shot, but the keeper was helpless when United increased their lead after 25 minutes.
Kenny Cooper drifted to the left to link with Heinze and just when it seemed the home defence had covered all the angles, the striker's delicate chip fooled everyone except team-mate Liam Miller, who tapped the ball home from close range.
The home side gave themselves a chance of a comeback when they pulled one back a minute before the break. Ferguson's corner was headed down by Lawrence and Danny Williams was well-placed to force the ball past the distinctly underworked United keeper Luke Steele.
Wrexham manager Smith obviously had a few harsh words for his side at the interval, because they began to pass the ball quicker and more accurately and for the first time competed on relatively equal terms with the visitors.
A flurry of substitutions from both benches caused a hiatus, although Lee McEvilly and Andy Holt roused the crowd with some merciless harrassment of Neville close to the United goal.
And it was the powerful Holt who created a great equalising opportunity in the 66th minute. He ignored Neville's challenge to deliver a fine cross which was met by replacement Simon Spender at the far post, but Spender's flew just wide.
It was the warning an increasingly-complacent United needed and it was not long before the home defence came under renewed pressure, with Brazilian Kleberson - a peripheral figure throughout - directing a powerful header over Ingham's goal.
Minutes later Ingham came to the rescue again, saving bravely when Cooper latched onto Shaun Pejic's misplaced pass and a Kieran Richardson free-kick kept Wrexham on the back foot.
With 12 minutes remaining, Wrexham's Spanish trialist Alvaro Parra Dioni - less than 48 hours after his arrival - was sent on for a his first taste of English football but his introduction at the expense of Dave Bayliss did nothing to stem the United onslaught.
The Wrexham defence was finally breached again four minutes from time when Darren Gibson set up Frazier Campbell for a confident near-post finish.
Wrexham: Ingham; Pejic, Bayliss (Dioni 78), Lawrence; Roche (Spender 50), M Jones (Mackin 67), Russell (Ferguson 14), Williams (Crowell 57), Holt (Smith 74); McEvilly, Bennett (Walters 57).
MANCHESTER UNITED: Steele; Neville, Bardsley (McShane 62), Pique, Heinze (Richardson 45); Miller, Heath, D Jones (Gibson 45), Kleberson; Rossi (Campbell 62), Cooper (Picken 84).
REFEREE: M Jones (Wirral)
ATT: 5,964
