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

 

 4 April Tuesday   It’s Time to Go Home

I am leisurely about getting ready and going to breakfast.  I have a slight stuffy nose that I don’t want to develop into something else. I almost miss getting food--with 13 minutes to spare.  The kitchen is kind and cooks a traditional breakfast (done well) for me, full meal with the coffee, juice, cereal and baked goods.  I was figuring I could go over to Tracey’s for breakfast, if I missed it here.  My goal today are train tickets—Wrexham Central to Chester, Chester to Crewe, and Crewe to Manchester Airport.  I want to stay as far away from Manchester and Manchester Piccadilly as I can. After eating I go back to the hotel lobby and talk to the woman at the desk.  I say I can’t get my phone to get on line to get a ticket.  I know exactly what I want—I researched it several times.  I just can’t get the internet on the phone.  She immediately says she can help me and we can get it paid for as well.  I am humbled, again, that someone would take the time to be this kind.  Of course the email confirmation doesn’t show up on my iPhone (thanks U.S. Cellular), but she problem-solves and I have a printed confirmation in a couple minutes.  I have to catch the train at Wrexham General—not Central.  Oh well, what’s .8 miles after all the walking I have done the past two plus weeks.

I decide I had better go to the Eagle Meadows Mall, just to say I have been.  I take the sky-bridge over to the tall, impress new buildings.  The brisk wind is blowing around the canyon of cement buildings and chills my bones.  I need to find some gifts of friends, but I can't even find anything that I would want.  None of the men’s spring clothes look appealing in my size and I can’t find a drug store for Vitamin C to help fend off my possible cold. I just don’t feel like doing anything--no side trips to Llangollen or the aqueduct—and definitely not Ruthin.  

 I decide to walk to La Baguette and talk to the guy behind the counter.  I thank him for talking me into going to the match.  Re-live the game, etc. I tell him that I went to Minera yesterday to look through church records for my ancestors.  He tells me that they live in Minera, but he was born in Manchester.  SMALL WORLD, AGAIN.  He says he is surprised that the church would let me be that.  I tell him that I could have just been my contact and explain my on-line connection, how I had tried to go to Palm Sunday service there, how the old Vicar forwarded my emails to the new Vicar, how he referred me to the Warden, and then somehow we started corresponding.  I was hoping that ‘something’ would come of it all, but I really don't understand what I was doing there.  He nods—understandingly.

The guy tells me he also does business (or chef duties in Liverpool).  AND he is a cake decorator.  He refers me to a cake on the side counter (where I ate on Saturday).  This cake is tremendous!…there is so much on it and going on—it’s amazing—sports themed for kids.  There are different frostings, multiple layers and chocolate bars and candy all over it.  A Work of Art.  I compliment him and he says it keeps him ‘busy’.  I tell the guy I want to get a late lunch/early dinner and he suggests that I come by at about 13:30 (2:30 PM).  I head to Superdrug hoping to get something with Vitamin in C in it.  I find some orange flavored lozenges and start popping them.  I next have to find gifts for our friends, Myana and Lise, who are involved with church choir, theater and gives voice lessons.  I stop at Waterstones Bookstore, but I can’t get in because of a group of city-type officials with clipboards are 'assessing' the entrance.  “They still haven’t…notice that the stone at the front of the sliding doors don’t…”  I’m thinking, let the paying customers get in and maybe the store can make some money to correct that problem.  I get in, but after browsing through most the inventory, I can’t find anything for the ladies.  I look at other places, but can’t find anything. 

I decide to run by Tŷ Pawb, hoping there might be something artisan I can get.  I come in to the main room and see the cafeteria area where the Wrexham Community Choir meets—low ceiling, not the best acoustics for singing.  I walk through the row after row of stalls, but 'nada'.  I am just about to exit, when I find a Welsh souvenir store.  There is lots of things, including AFC stuff, comic pokes at the Royals, and memorabilia from all over the country.  I see a flag that I want to get and I settle on a pair of Welsh mugs—perfect.  I am walking to checkout when I let go with a sneeze.  I try to stifle it, but with the merch in my hands, I can’t.  I look down and find I have ‘decorated’ my sweater. Yuck.  I turn away from the clerk, leaving my merch on the counter and say I need to go out for a moment. She hopes I am alright.  I hope I haven’t grossed her out.  I am.  Once I clean up I am back in to pay.  The clerk asks what I am doing in town and I say “not football, ancestry”.  But I do tell her an abbreviated version of my Wrexham/Minera experience. With purchase in hand and not a plastic-a recyclable bag, I walk out with my ‘booty’.  I am quickly back to Wynnstay Arms, going in the back entrance and up to the room.  I smash-pack everything into my suitcase.  I am ready to leave—almost.

I power nap and then head to La Baguette for a Jacket potato, salad and conversation.  The guy is completing an order for a courier as 'take-away’ so I wait.  I look at the menu and see that also have a daily soup.  Once the order has gone out, I find out the soup is Potato-Leek and I order that for immediate consumption and a Tikka Chicken Potato for take-away.   The soup is amazing.  Like no other potato-leek I have ever had or made.  It is very good--green puree.  It’s his recipe.  I ask him what the best restaurant is in town and he says The Fat Boar.  I tell him I almost went there, but I have run short of funds.  I ask the guy why they decided on Minera to live and raise his family.  He says it is safe and peaceful.  I add that it is beautiful, too.  Not wanting to bother him anymore, I am off with my dinner.  Later, I connect to him on Face Book and find out his name is Simon Hough. I eat in my room around 17:00 (6 PM).  Journal and try to sleep.  Same problem—talking down in the parking lot/front entrance.  I wake up in the middle of the night and hear what I think are rowdy, drunk teens (?) chanting and half-singing somewhere far off.  It’s a little unnerving, but I start thinking about all the youth I have seen in town during this Easter break week and how they are a little out of control…vaping, cussing, generally getting into mischief.  I drift off.