Substitute Elliot Lee hit a dramatic winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time as promotion-chasing Wrexham clinched a 2-1 victory at Crawley.

Matty James fired the Red Dragons ahead in only the second minute before Bradley Ibrahim equalised with a tremendous 30-yard shot into the top corner in the 90th minute.

Wrexham were not finished, however, and after substitute Steven Fletcher headed a glorious chance over, Lee clinched victory at the death by heading in at the far post.

Phil Parkinson made five changes to Wrexham’s starting line-up and gave immediate debuts to striker Sam Smith, a club-record signing from Reading, and fellow forward Jay Rodriguez who has moved from Burnley.

Wrexham got off to the perfect start, with Matty James firing them ahead after only 63 seconds from 12 yards after Ryan Barnett and Ollie Rathbone had combined.

Crawley keeper Matthew Cox, making his home debut on loan from Brentford, spread himself to keep out a goal-bound shot from Rodriguez in the fourth minute.

Will Swan should have hit the target for Crawley but headed wide unchallenged from a cross by Ben Radcliffe before Tyreece John-Jules put the ball over from Ibrahim’s neat pass.

Cox twice came out confidently to deny the onrushing Smith in one-on-one situations.

Wrexham put Crawley under pressure just past the hour mark when captain James McClean put a deflected shot wide.

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy headed over late on for the hosts after a cross by substitute Ade Adeyemo.

The victory was Wrexham’s first in four games as they cut the gap to second-placed Wycombe to four points.