Pitch perfect

Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds talk about their promotion chasing second season as owners of Wrexham

-  IAN MACEWAN, ALISON SLADE

NEW FACTUAL
Welcome to Wrexham
From Wednesday 13 Sept, Disney+

Fans of non-league Welsh football team Wrexham AFC were over the moon when the club was bought by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2020.

But, as documented in series one of sports documentary Welcome to Wrexham, the first full season under the new owners saw double disappointment for the club as they lost the FA Trophy Final and narrowly missed out on promotion.

MAKEOVER MONEY

As we rejoin the action for the crucial 2022-23 season, it’s make or break for the Red Dragons and their celebrity owners, who are anxiously waiting to hear whether the club will receive funding to rebuild the Kop stand at the historic Racecourse Ground – the world’s oldest international football stadium – that is in urgent need of renovation.

Meanwhile, with a higher wage bill for players, including veteran goalkeeper Ben Foster, who have been brought in from higher divisions, the focus is firmly on returning to the English Football League for the first time in 15 years.