How will Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney react to losing in Wrexham ‘circus’? Phil Parkinson hailed by fellow boss for ignoring Hollywood distractions

Former Stoke and Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis is, as a Newport native, among the interested observers of goings on in North Wales. He has been watching on from afar as Hollywood co-owners have overseen a meteoric rise for the Red Dragons.

Wrexham have clambered out of the National League and into the third tier of English football, with their every move being captured by the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary cameras. They now boast a global standing to rival many Premier League outfits, with Parkinson praised for handling life under the brightest of spotlights.

Pulis has told Betway when saluting a fellow coach and wondering what happens next for famous faces in the SToK Racecourse boardroom: “Phil Parkinson and the coaching staff at Wrexham have been fantastic because it’s been like a circus at times with everything that has gone on off the pitch. What they've done and the way they've conducted themselves in respect of winning football matches has been fantastic and Phil deserves a lot of credit alongside his coaching staff who have so much experience.

“They deserve hell of a lot of credit for keeping all the players focused on those results, that's everything. It's a new challenge for them, it's another step up, it'll be interesting to see how they cope with it. What will also be interesting, it'll be interesting to see what the owners are like when they lose a few games and they might do that this year with the level of opposition going up.”

Wrexham opened their 2024-25 campaign with a 3-2 victory over Wycombe, before going down 4-2 in a Carabao Cup first round clash with Sheffield United. They will be back in action on Sunday when taking in a testing trip to Bolton.