Wrexham's Growth Continues Even Though Unlikely FA Cup Dream Is Over | OneFootball

Highlights

When sixth tier National League South side Maidstone United took a very hard earned, but thoroughly unexpected FA Cup fourth round victory over 2nd place in the Championship team, Ipswich Town - plenty in the wider world of football wondered what other upsets might be on the cards in the 2023/24 instalment of the historic competition, and most eyes then naturally jumped to League Two's Wrexham versus Blackburn Rovers.

With a belief in the magic of the FA Cup restored with Maidstone's 2-1 victory at Portman Road over a side 98 places above them in the English football pyramid, to make them the first side in the National League North or South to reach the last 16 stage since the regional split came into play back in 2004 - not least it was their first appearance in the fourth round in their history. Given the unbelievable growth shown by Wrexham in recent years following the takeover by entertainment elite duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, many wondered if we would see a trip back in time to the Welsh sides long habit of causing domestic Cup upsets. Bookmakers targeting Japanese users would certainly have played on that history as it would have appealed to those who like a small flutter on their football.

Anyone old enough to remember Mickey Thomas or Steve Watkin? How about unbelievable past results against the likes of Newcastle United, West Ham United and others? Maybe when the three time quarter finalists (as a third tier side, the old fourth division) took an iconic 1992 success over Arsenal? Arsenal were reigning champions at the time, and Wrexham found themselves points adrift at the bottom of their league.

Now obviously, The Red Dragons did not taste that kind of success again against their Championship opponents, who actually won quite comfortably, so rather than being some cruel plot twist in a film script, many simply believe it is a sign of how far they have come.

Languishing in non-league, they ended the 2019/20 campaign on only 19 points due to fixtures being cancelled over the Covid 19 pandemic, and it was the lowest position in the club's 150 year history. Everything changed in November 2020 as Reynolds and McElhenney came out of the shadows, and there was already a bit of Hollywood about it as almost a decade earlier, Reynolds had joked in response to one fan that one day he might return and buy them, and having secured 98.6% of the Wrexham Supporters Trust vote, the deal was completed in February 2021 and their work begun.

Ignore the sideshow of being the first ever non-league team to be included by FIFA 22 as part of the Rest of World section, their mission statement did not even mention the FA Cup, it was about growing the team, the club, improving the stadium and developing and fostering a feel good factor in the community - promotions would hopefully, not necessarily, follow.

And they have put their money where their mission statement was, and with interest growing, the docuseries Welcome to Wrexham catapulted them to both national and international notoriety. With little Cup and promotion runs coming, in April 2023 they lifted their first league title in 45 years and won promotion back to League Two with a points total of 111.

2023/24 has been a pleasing campaign again, as they find themselves in 2nd place in the table and are one of the favoured sides to secure one of the two routes to promotion, but obviously it has not all been plain sailing. With investment comes the need for growing revenues, and that often falls on fans themselves with increased ticket prices and merchandise - but that is true at every level of the game.

So whilst there are undoubtedly some in the fan base who no longer feel the same connection and there will be other clubs who feel Wrexham now have media, publicity and revenue advantages that even very rich owners ordinarily could not bring to them, it does not seem to be effecting the buzz that they are causing and the positive publicity continues to flow, whether that be surprise gifts, treats or owner messages to their long standing fans, or even McElhenney's unprompted fervour of social media messages to Maidstone themselves following their own success, it seems they are beginning to (if not already have) become wrapped up in the buzz and excitement they have helped create, particularly given the more instant emotional reaction football fans are prone to.

The magic of the FA Cup, the high's of titles or promotions, the low's of final losses or relegations and even neutrals taking on unfamiliar colours for a day, whether simply hoping for a defeat for a fierce rival, or just hoping the underdog can win out against all the odds and cause a memorable upset. British sport is notorious for quirks like this, the US sporting market, not so much.

It is quite easy to see why proper football can very quickly be a big draw for those who have never experienced anything like it. It remains a big draw for those who have, after all, 7000 Wrexham fans made the trip to Ewood Park for a game they knew they had no rights to win given their current growth.

That could change in 12 to 18 months given the aspirations they seem to have, and Bournemouth and Luton Town are two good examples of how a good plan and patience can eventually pay off.