Wrexham, Hollywood, and the road to promotion | OneFootball

Move over Bayern Munich, there’s a new FC Hollywood in town, and it’s for all the right reasons. AFC Wrexham are box office but they come without the drama.

There were more than a few raised eyebrows when It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob McElhenney and Deadpool actor and producer Ryan Reynolds took 100% control of Wrexham back in February.

What did the project mean? Was it vanity? Why had the two decided to jump on the “soccer” bandwagon? Any fears were quickly allayed.

In a meeting with the club’s supporter trust back in November 2020, a vision to make Wrexham a “global force” was outlined, and rather than laughing it out of North Wales, it was overwhelmingly embraced, 98 percent voted in favour of accepting the proposals.

A small portion of Wrexham fans were worried; famous takeovers of smaller clubs had led to TV documentaries, public relations managerial appointments and unwanted attention. But this would be different.

Yes, there is a Welcome to Wrexham documentary expected for 2022, but on-pitch matters are handled with sensitivity.

When Dean Keates’ time was up at the Racecourse Ground the Hollywood duo could have opted for a headline-grabbing appointment, instead, they chose experience.

Phil Parkinson was brought in, and with his signature came evidence that working towards league status would be plotted not just rushed.

“Once the plans of the chairmen were explained to me, the decision to join Wrexham was very easy. They are an EFL club in all but the one thing that matters, league status,” the ex-Bradford and Sunderland boss said.

Back in 2013, Parkinson became the only manager to take an English fourth-tier club to the final of a major cup competition at Wembley. It’s what marks him out, and what will have interested McElhenney and Reynolds.

Wrexham went unbeaten for the first five matches of the season, it wasn’t all glitz and glamour as a number of draws were picked up, and the foundations of play were set. A building block was laid.

October saw the famous owners take in two games and the international press descended on Wrexham once again – one loss and one draw, but once the media spotlight left, the club kicked on.

November has seen the Dragons smash both Aldershot Town and King’s Lynn Town; 5-0 and 6-2 victories recorded on the road set up a return to the Racecourse in which to build upon as the month-end nears.

A clean sweep of five wins would see them break into the play-off places for the first time this season.

The Vanarama National League is a melting pot of formerly famous names, all looking for that magical step back into the Football League, and the Welsh club could have hit on the potion to take them there.

Should they achieve a shot at promotion, then it won’t be just a FA Cup giant-killing in the 90s and two Hollywood owners that the club will be famous for, Parkinson and his players be on their way to writing their own script.