Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney’s ‘Hollywood ownership’ of Wrexham giving FA Cup & League One opponents added incentive as rivals fill role of ‘every actor who wants to play in the West End’

The Hollywood superstars have been calling the shots at SToK Racecourse since 2021, with a meteoric rise to prominence being enjoyed by the Red Dragons. An award-winning documentary has opened up a window to the world, enabling a global fanbase to be built, while the history books have been rewritten while savouring back-to-back promotions.

There has been talk of rivals feeling “jealous” of Wrexham, given the coverage that they now receive, and performance levels are often raised when facing the Welsh outfit. Harrogate have become the latest side to claim a prized scalp, with the Red Dragons sent crashing out of the FA Cup at the first-round stage.

Harrogate boss Simon Weaver has explained why his players, who continue to ply their trade in League Two, were fired up for a clash with one of the most talked-about teams on the planet: “There are only positives I can say about the Wrexham journey under Hollywood ownership. Not just on the pitch and at their ground - where last season for our goalless draw (in League Two), it had been really smartened up with the new stand behind the goal and so on - but also the community… Now, they are heavyweights of League One. Just shows the rise they have been on, But, the bigger they are, the bigger the challenge and the bigger the moment for who beats them.

“I find the Wrexham journey exciting. It’s certainly raised the profile of non-League, League Two and now, this season, League One. We’re all performers, at the end of the day, and want to be on the stage. We were playing in front of a global audience and, like every actor who wants to play in the West End rather than a backstreet theatre, we are no different as performers – we want to play on the biggest stage.”

Wrexham’s players have grown accustomed to operating under the spotlight, with their every move being monitored closely on and off the field, and they can expect more opponents to take great pride in knocking them down a peg or two as they make the most of their own opportunities to take centre stage.