Carabao Cup: Will Lankshear strike sees Middlesbrough past Wrexham as Wolves beat Port Vale and Stevenage edge Wycombe

Will Lankshear's debut strike ensured Middlesbrough made a winning start to the season as they beat Wrexham 1-0 in the Carabao Cup first round.

Lankshear, a £10m summer signing from Tottenham, scored the only goal of the game in the 61st minute as he hooked home an excellent first-time volley.

Middlesbrough almost claimed a seventh-minute opener, but while Adilson Malanda prodded Sebastian Berhalter's cross goalwards from close range, Danny Ward kept the ball out with a superb point-blank save.

Danny Imray wasted a decent chance for Wrexham when he failed to make a proper connection from Callum Doyle's cross, and the visitors went close again six minutes before the break when Sam Smith fired a low shot into the legs of Sol Brynn after he was rolled into space by Nathan Broadhead.

Lankshear came close with an effort that was curled just over the bar at the start of the second half, but the 21-year-old did not have to wait too much longer for his first goal in a Boro shirt.

Leo Castledine headed Jeremy Sarmiento's cross into Lankshear's path, and the striker swivelled neatly before hooking a superb first-time volley into the far corner.

Boro almost doubled their lead with three minutes remaining, but Morgan Whittaker's low strike rebounded off the post.

Jon Brady's Port Vale had opportunities. Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel hooked an extraordinary chance away from the Wolves goal before the break, before Mo Faal's low penalty was saved by the legs of Dan Bentley to deny the travelling fans a consolation.

The Wolves supporters among the crowd of 21,360 at Molineux were more interested in serenading their returning hero. Raul Jimenez, the club's Premier League top scorer, re-signed this summer after three years at Fulham and came on as a late substitute.

The Mexican centre-forward did fire off one fierce shot on goal but he was unable to mark the occasion with a goal that would have been cruel on a competitive Port Vale side. But it is Wolves who take their place in the second round of the Carabao Cup.