A SEVERE lack of chances meant Wrexham never looked like leaving Edgeley Park with anything to show for their efforts.

Phil Parkinson's side's five-game unbeaten run in League One came to an end following a hugely disappointing 1-0 defeat against their rivals.

Stockport dominated the opening period and took a deserved 24th minute lead through Louie Barry's stunning strike.

With the Reds' midfield over-run, Stockport controlled the first half and created a host of chances.

The only reason Wrexham weren't further behind at the break was due to the heroics of goalkeeper Callum Burton who came into the side for his league debut with number one Arthur Okonkwo facing at least six weeks on the sidelines after breaking a wrist.

Burton was also in fine form after the break as he pulled off more saves to keep his side in the contest.

But Wrexham weren't firing at the other end of the pitch and never seriously tested Stockport stopper Ben Hinchliffe throughout.

While Burton was kept busy as Stockport piled the pressure on in the opening period in particular, Hinchliffe had little to do.

Stockport defended well but Wrexham lacked a cutting edge in the final third and created very little all game.

There was an improvement in the second half, especially after Parkinson made a triple change with 30 minutes to go, but the Reds never looked like scoring in truth except for Elliot Lee's header which was narrowly off target.

Wrexham were free-scoring at the start of the season but the goals have dried up in recent weeks and the loss of top scorer Jack Marriott, who was in excellent form at the start of the campaign, with a long-term injury is really being felt up top.

Stockport were a bit edgy with the final whistle looming when they really should have been out of sight after outplaying the Reds for long spells and having so many chances but Wrexham offered very little in the final third.

The Hatters should have won by a bigger margin while Wrexham didn't perform well enough on the day and were second best.

The away record is no-where near as good as Wrexham's fantastic home form and the Reds are going to struggle to pick up results on their travels if they allow opponents to dictate games like they let Stockport.

Parkinson admits his side weren't good enough in the first half

"We had some good periods in the second half but it is hugely disappointing," he said.

"It is a difficult place to come as we have found in previous years, as they have found when they have come to our place.

"I am just a bit disappointed with the first half where we did not get tight enough to them; the space between the units was too big at times and it made it easy for them to play.

"We just needed to add composure to our game and we did that in the second half without creating a lot of chances.

“There was one unbelievable moment, a top class finish, which separated the two teams on the day."

Despite the loss, the Reds remain third in the table and will be looking to make the most of home advantage in the coming weeks with the next three league games all at The Racecourse, starting with Saturday's visit of Exeter City.