'It's not fair!' - Wrexham told success is only due to 'billionaire owners' Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as League One boss sends out dire warning

That is the view of Shrewsbury boss Gareth Ainsworth, who is among those to have been watching on from afar as cross-border derby rivals have enjoyed a meteoric rise up the English Football League. The Red Dragons have clambered out of the National League, through League Two and towards the Championship.

Hollywood co-owners have helped to make all of that possible, with more investment being sought as a Premier League dream is chased – with the Allyn family, who have a net worth of $2 billion (£1.6bn), already on board.

Wrexham are far from being the only side with wealthy backers – as Birmingham have smashed all kinds of transfer records in League One – but Ainsworth has taken issue with the Welsh outfit. He is frustrated at being unable to compete on a level playing field.

Speaking out against the National League’s three up, three down proposal, Shrews boss Ainsworth told BBC 5 Live Sport: “If a team just can’t keep up financially for no other reason than the other teams have got billionaires coming in and millionaires, it’s not fair that they just sink out of the league and out of obscurity. It then all becomes all about money.

“Wrexham have only done that because of the money they’ve had, you know. And of course they’re competing well but they’ve had billionaire owners and it’s not fair. I don’t think that it should just be about that.

“And I’m speaking as an advocate from a club with a local businessman who’s put his money in and he just can’t compete with Wrexham because we’re not bringing American billionaires in. So my argument would be, yes, these teams have done well, but have a look at the money that they’ve had invested in them as well.”

Wrexham splashed more cash during the winter window, as they broke their transfer record, and there is the promise of more spending to come – on and off the pitch - as Reynolds and McElhenney piece together the most ambitious of projects.