3 April  Wynnstay Arms Baggage Transfer  A Cup o’ at Tracey’s Café and Mad4Movies

I am down to breakfast (no improvement) at P.I.(Premier Inn), and packed at 8 AM.  When I have all my bags, etc., I drop the key in the slot and leave P.I.  I am happy and full of positive vibes as I think about going to Minera, and about going through records at St. Mary’s—I may find Charles B.’s mother, siblings, or relatives.  I skirt around downtown as much as possible with my rolling suitcase, staying on Regent to Lord to Henblas, Bank to Chester and ending on High Street at Wynnstay Arms.  I try to open the front door, but it’s locked. Apparently there is another entrance for the Hotel—around the back. 

A kind waitress lets me in and helps me get to the Hotel lobby.  I head through the connecting door into the lobby.  There is another woman at the desk and I say I will be checking this afternoon and I was told I could leave my luggage somewhere out of the way.  She says it is fine and to put it in the Yorke—a conference room on the first level.  The room is dark but I put the bags under a table.  The woman says it will be safe and it is not being used today.  I thank her and tell I am not sure when I will be back.  She is okay with that.

I exit the hotel entrance—in the back off a parking lot. I notice that there is a walkway, south past the parking lot.  Above me is the sky bridge to the Eagles Meadow Mall. I pass under the extension to the hotel and see a stair-stepped, knee high brick wall that’s easy to step over. The steps are dirty, covered in litter and what appear to be ‘crumbled-up’ crisps—maybe spewed?  I walk up to Yorke Street—the Ragazzi shop is on my left and The Fat Boar is just beyond it.  The Boar would be an excellent place to eat tonight. 

It’s almost 9:30 and I realize as I walk up to High Street that I could use a coffee and scone (scahn).  This would be a great time to go to Tracey’s Café and relax until the bus pulls out at 10:10.  I head up to the Long Pull—across from Kristina’s and turn onto Bank Street. Tracey’s is in the back end of the Butcher’s Market where Bank and Henblas meet.  In a bygone time I bet they brought the carcasses in through here.

Tracey’s is an unassuming little café. The walls are windowed and there might be five tables inside. Four small tables are outside under an awning.  Above is more vaulted Victorian glass skylight. Across the Butcher Market rear entrance is yet another small dining area (full) with an automatic sliding glass door.  The man who is working there is running back and forth, obviously working very hard.  When I walk in he is behind a counter.  The space is full and I contemplate just leaving, but the guy (probably late forties) says I can sit in a table outside and he would come and take my order. There is a full-figured woman with dark bangs doing the cooking.  I thank him and notice that there is a group of men gathered around two tables, talking and enjoying themselves.

 I sit at a table by the windows and the man is out quickly.  He likes to talk and I do too.  He has a large tattoo on his left forearm “Tracey”.  He takes my order, coffee and a scone with butter.  It begins to gets busy—a two top inside opens but is quickly filled by a father and son.  The guy brings my coffee and scone.  He asks if I have seen “Welcome to Wrexham”.  I take a pause and confess that, yes, I have seen most of the first season.  He begins to bubble with enthusiasm and tells me all about how Tracey’s Café is featured in the series.  He says that the film crew came back and started shooting the second season a few weeks ago. 

I am pleased that the company/owners are carrying through.  He tells me that they talked to them and Rob Clarke, again.  I ask who Rob is and he says Mad4Video, around the corner.  You should talk to him, too. I remember actually seeing Rob on the show.  I tell him that I got to see the match on Saturday (free ticket) and I tell him how great it was.  He is genuinely happy for the team’s success and that Ryan and Rob have made good on their promise.  He goes in and I see a thirty-something year old man inside putting on an apron.  I see at once it is the guy’s son.  The woman must be his mother.  I finish and go in to pay. 

The guy is washing dishes in a small sink.  He dries his hands and helps me.  Seeing the tattoo again I’m a little confused and asked if he is Tracey.  A hear a collective chortle from behind—the ‘off work’ guys. He says no I’m not Tracey, she is, pointing to his wife. Oops-sorry. One of the guys says ribbing-ly, 'you sure look like a Tracey'.  I am embarrassed by my mistake, apologize and he says it’s alright.  He says his name is Dave Rogers. I shake hands with him and say I am Dave Jones.  His is glad I came in and to enjoy Wrexham, oh and go talk with Rob.  I thank him and saying goodbye to Dave and Tracey, I leave. 

I walk into the Butcher’s Market and quickly find Mad4Video.  Rob has a customer, but he is gone quickly. I introduce myself and tell him Dave said I should talk to you.  We have a short talk about ‘Welcome” and I tell him I am going to Minera to check out my family history.  He is positive about the possibilities of finding out about my ancestor.  He also lets me know the “Welcome” crew has been back to interview him. I tell him it’s good they came back and talked to you again.  I leave the Market liking Wrexham more and more.

 

6 May  After 15 years, Wrexham Has Ascended  (old news)

April was the stellar month for the third oldest football team.  Their wins have catapulted them up into the English Football League with a 3-1 victory over Boreham Wood.  Wrexham has an amazing 34 wins for the season–-and reached 111 points. I admit that I have been sucked into the ‘vortex’ of Wrexham football.  After I witnessed them win 5-1 over Oldham Athletic on April 1^st, Wrexham AFC fought uphill and have been be promoted, after a 3-1 win on April 23. 

Prince William even sent a special message to Wrexham after the win after a 15-year absence,

The team had a temporary stymie in Wrexham, but Elliot Lee scored about 15 minutes in and then #10, Paul Mullin, scored with two goals and Wrexham won the title.

 

The crowd respectfully waited to the final whistle and then thousands of Wrexham fans flooded the pitch.  There was a huge exuberant cheers and red smoke bombs--an incredible sight to witness. R&R were obviously caught up with emotion, tears in fact.  I was screaming like a little girl.  The team hadn’t done that since 2008!

 

After the game, Prince William personally complimented the Welsh team for their promotion back into the fourth tier. He said, “Congratulations @wrexham_afc! A club with such amazing history, looking forward to a very exciting future back in the Football League. Doing Wales proud. W” Cool.  (I am writing this as William, Kate and the kids are riding in a carriage in the Royal Procession after the coronation of King Charles III—May 6th.)  

 

I am following Wrexham fan pages, Welcome to Wrexham and Wrexham AFC on Face Book and I have tried to piece together all the real news and near-news.  To be sure there are new stars in the Football Firmament. All the Team are stars. So is Manager Phil Parkinson. 

He is quoted as saying, “We’ve kept our feet firmly on the ground. But there’s going to be a big party over the next few days in Wrexham. I want all the supporters who have had these tough times supporting the club to enjoy it and really embrace tonight. They’ve got really amazing owners – we’ve got amazing owners – who have been so supportive to me and this football club. I think everybody knows now about 15 years outside the league, and the journey this club has been on throughout those 15 years has been torturous at times.  The club nearly going out of business and the owners coming in and what they’ve done and the positivity in the town about the football club and how the players and staff have galvanized that. It’s been very special and I genuinely feel this is the start of a journey.”

Parkinson was referring to a big victory parade this last week.  Two double-decker buses, loaded with player’s fans and celebrities, started at the Racecourse and wound around through the streets of Wrexham.  I can’t tell you what a ‘high’ it was to see videos and photos of the town I have come to know and love with thousands of partying, passionate fans crowding the streets—red smoke bombs hazing the air.  It was surreal.

 

It’s hard to cut through all the hype.  There are those that absolutely hate the Hollywood invasion, and there are others, like me, who credit the team and the town.  I think they started believing in themselves.  The press wants you to believe that it was just R&R, but everyone knows that neither could pull it off single-handedly.

Reynolds says, “There are definitely still some big critics of the club’s owners who still say they want to make it as successful as possible. “Ultimately, like any business, you want it to be able to self-perpetuate and continue growing.  You don’t want to lose money, but I don’t think either of us are in this to make money either.”

Right now Reynolds is saying, “Everything I own smells like champagne, beer and grass. I’m still somewhere between giggling and sobbing. This town and this sport is one of the most romantic things on earth. Thank you.”

A news source (unverified) says R&R, when in the country, are regulars at ‘The Turf’ at the Racecourse. The publicity says they are involved with the local community.  I didn’t hear that or see any evidence during my visit.  I guess Reynolds bought a new £1.5 million house five miles north of the stadium, a new four-bedroom in Marford (population 2,500).  Rumors. More like they’ll use it as a home-base when they are in town.

Wrexham is rising and Mullin seems to be too. Paul Mullin, high scorer, seems to be the celebrity of the moment. He is being compared to Erling Haaland (a Norwegian professional footballer, striker for Manchester City in the Premier League club and the Norway national team.

Back in 2021, Mullin was playing for Cambridge United, got the League Two Golden Boot and Player of the Season awards after scoring 32 goals, getting them a promotion to League One. Cambridge United changed the name of a section of their stadium to ‘The Paul Mullin Stand’ and a new contract.  Mullin turned it down signing a contract Wrexham—now two leagues below Cambridge. No one ever did that for their career.

Mullin was 26, has been a remarkable key to Wrexham’s success.  His gutsy move has endeared him to Wrexham fans.  He makes the most money at the club.  Mullin confesses he was attracted by ambition of the club “it was something I really wanted to be a part of.” There’s rumors, besides R&R, Mrs. Reynolds, Blake Lively Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell are chummy with him.  He is trying to wrap his head around his stardom.  The ‘Liverpudlian’, now 28, still lives in the house that was his mom’s. His family and best friends wouldn’t let him do the ‘star thing’. Mullin has been known to sing a karaoke version of Kenny Rogers ‘The Gambler’. Apropos I still want to hear that—how’s your pitch Paul?

 

The other key to success, I might admit, could be the club’s Hollywood takeover.

Since the promotion, the players and thousands of fans have been celebrating. Mullin says that R&R “have just one rule the players have to follow during the trip.  It became a thing that if we won the league, we’d get a holiday.  So we’re off to Vegas. They told us to leave our cards at home, they’re sorting the lot. They sent us a full itinerary just now. Part of me doesn’t want to go, I might be dead by the end of it. But I’d never go to Vegas by me own accord, so I’m buzzing for it.”

 

Parkinson chose not to attend the Las Vegas promotion ‘treat’ by R&R.  He stayed behind to start preparations for next season, “We’ll leave that one to the lads and hopefully, they will come back in one piece. My job now with the owners and the staff is to keep the good players we have got, I think that’s the key, and hopefully add a bit of quality and give us a good chance next year.”

 

I only wish the best for them all.  They deserve it.  The near cult status of the team has also prompted music and song.  There is a whole list of ‘top hits’ out there on the internet.  Check it out.

 

Start with:

https://open.spotify.com/track/1uOqsDr6B06zBTrjPUMVUW  Wrexham Is the Name  Ratasred

Good to see Elliott Lee has the honor: https://open.spotify.com/album/4YP1jdVXIRTWEdtkLTbexK   Elliot Lee  Ratarsed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSKo0Sz6DBo  Always Sunny In Wrexhman -Declan Swans

And one near and dear to my heart:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYfzy7IUGl4   Wrexham AFC Best Football Chants Liam Roberts

ENJOY!

4 June  Addendum

If you are keeping up with all the things happening at the Racecourse, best of luck to you.  They won their match with Como 3-2 -- AMAZING Come From Behind!  Kings of Leon concerts, #10 Paul Mullin has been awarded the FA Cup Golden Ball for leading goalscorer in 2022-23, the questionably funny Bok Coffee at tea time ad (don't rename the Racecourse!), the expansion plans for the south bleachers, and Ben Foster's decision???

Courtesy of Wrexham AFC