“You don't think easy, but that's a decent draw, you never underestimate an opponent, especially when you're playing them away,” Seaman said.
That mindset is central to the FA Cup’s appeal. League position can create an expectation of control, but an away tie against a determined lower-division side brings different pressures: a difficult pitch, an intense crowd and opponents willing to turn every challenge into a contest.
According to the account, Arsenal understood those risks. Knowing them, however, did not prevent the collapse.
Arsenal appeared to have taken command when Alan Smith scored from close range shortly before half-time. The holders were in front, and the familiar script seemed to be unfolding.
But Wrexham refused to accept it. The report describes a late surge on a muddy surface, with Michael Thomas equalising in the 82nd minute before Steve Watkin struck the winner shortly afterwards.
For Arsenal, the margin between progress and humiliation was brutally small. A routine-looking tie became a defining FA Cup upset in the space of minutes.
Seaman’s recollection remains powerful because it captures the contradiction of cup football: players know a shock is possible, but none want to be the team remembered for suffering it.
The defeat ended Arsenal’s FA Cup campaign, although the account notes that George Graham’s side later responded by completing a domestic cup double in 1993. The Wrexham loss still stands as the sharper memory.
The next FA Cup meeting between a leading club and a lower-league challenger will carry the same warning: respect the occasion, or risk becoming its history.