Welsh club Wrexham, owned by American actor Ryan Reynolds, won the English D5 clash against Notts County on Monday. Wrexham AFC are closing in on a move to the Fourth Division.
Unlike Ted Lasso’s fictional AFC Richmond, Wrexham are not yet in the Premier League. But the Welsh club owned by famous actor Ryan Reynolds since 2020 got (a little) closer on Monday by winning the clash between the two teams at the top of the National League (D5).
Under the eyes of its two co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, also an actor, Wrexham AFC won a very important victory against Notts County (3-2) on the 43rd day (3-2).
A crazy match with a goal from a former Lensois
Thanks to this success obtained at home, the Red Dragons (the Red Dragons) have consolidated their position as leaders in the English fifth division. Above all, this victory gives Wrexham three steps ahead of the loser of the day. Tied at kick-off with 100 points and only three goals difference, the first two in the National League standings fought a huge battle.
Former Lensois John Bostock, best player in L2 in 2017, gave the visitors the advantage by scoring in the last moments of the first period. But one of the local heroes, Paul Mullin, equalized after returning from the locker room. For his 400th career appearance, the 28-year-old striker scored his 35th league goal of the season. Team-mate Jacob Mendy briefly put Wrexham ahead before seeing Kyle Cameron score for Notts County at the start of the final quarter.
Foster the other hero of the day brings Wrexham closer to the climb
Well served by Paul Mullin, Elliot Lee then restored the advantage to the Red Dragons in a meeting which should indeed be a turning point of the season. But the end of the match still reserved crazy moments. Arrived at the end of March in Wrexham, on the initiative of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Ben Foster used all his experience to secure victory for his team.
At 40, the ex-English international with 8 selections came out of retirement (or a break that began last July) to take up the challenge at Wrexham. And it paid off on Monday for his fourth match with his new team since the Englishman took out a penalty in added time and thus offered a precious success to his team.
Guaranteed to finish in the top two of the standings, Wrexham will play at least the semi-finals of accession to the fourth division.
But with the victory acquired on Monday could offer a direct promotion to the Welsh formation. Now the leader with a three-point lead (and one more game to play three days before the end of the season, Wrexham seems well on its way to the rise in League Two (D4).
Ryan Reynolds: ‘I don’t know if I still have my heart’
Under contract until the end of the season with the Welsh club, Ben Foster could well be tempted to extend the adventure a little longer. To the delight of Ryan Reynolds, who plans to hug him so tightly that he could “break a few ribs” to congratulate him, and supporters … always (a little) closer to the Premier League. Very involved in the daily life of his club, the interpreter of the superhero Deadpool even got into the post-match interviews.
“I don’t know if I still have my heart. I think I used all the beats I had in reserve during this match. It was like nothing I had seen before, reacted the American co-owner at the microphone of BT Sport after the meeting. […] I’m clearly fascinated, it’s disturbing how fascinated I am… (by the club) I honestly don’t know what to say, I’m at a loss for words.”
And to continue with a comparison on Hollywood: “It’s crazy that there is only one team to go directly. If it was different, and I think it should be, these two clubs would have celebrated the rise together because what they did was drama never seen in a movie. It’s something that people will be talking about for years. It’s so much attention for the National League , it’s incredibly special. […] I’m used to working under extreme pressure but usually I can do something about it, I have some control over it. Here I am nothing, I can only watch and hope like anyone else.”