Wrexham play the support act in promotion sequel
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are used to being the star attractions, both in their day jobs as actors and in their roles as Wrexham’s owners.
It may have been something of a novelty for the Hollywood pair, then, when their football club shared a stage with Stockport County on Saturday.
This was a celebration of Wrexham’s second successive promotion but, in front of another sell-out crowd at their Stok Racecourse home, the League Two A-listers were the support act for the day.
That was because their visitors had already been crowned the division’s champions and, as a graceful nod to that achievement, Wrexham’s players gave their Stockport counterparts a guard of honour on to the field before kick-off.
Standard as that might be for newly-minted league winners, it was still a significant gesture from Wrexham towards rivals who had pipped them to promotion from the National League two years before they had beaten them to the League Two title.
A boxer might say one needs a dance partner to bring out the best in them. In the parlance of Reynolds and McElhenney’s industry, a superhero needs a villain for the most fulfilling narrative arc.
On this occasion, with Reynolds tied up with filming commitments, it was only McElhenney at the Racecourse.
“I spoke with Ryan quite a bit though the match,” McElhenney said. “I FaceTimed him, I couldn’t hear him and he can’t hear me because there’s 12,000 screaming people.
“He was obviously disappointed to miss it but work is work. I’m not complaining, it’s been a magical season.”
Celebratory as the mood undoubtedly was – and fans had been gathering outside the stadium since mid-morning – it was certainly more muted than the delirious scenes which greeted their National League triumph here a year earlier.
That was catharsis for Wrexham, a moment of glorious release after 15 years in the non-league wilderness; fans streaming on to the pitch, a visibly emotional Reynolds and McElhenney holding the trophy aloft.
This time was low key by comparison. Where there were tears of joy 12 months ago, this celebration was coloured with calmer hues of quiet contentment, smiles of satisfaction.
McElhenney aside, there were no celebrities in attendance. The referee was Steve Martin. Just not that one.
Long after the final whistle had sounded and the crowds had dispersed, McElhenney joined club staff, players’ families and a few other guests on the pitch.
Vaughan Gething was among them, enjoying a kickabout with his son in front of the goal at the Tech End. Yet even with the first minister around, it all felt rather tranquil, like this could have been happening at a nearby park.
That chimed with the season as a whole for Wrexham. Speaking to players, coaches, staff or supporters, you got the sense that this season was simply about getting the job done with promotion.
The manner in which they accomplished it had something to do with it too, having secured their passage to League One with two games to spare.
“I don’t think anything could replace the tension of last season,” manager Phil Parkinson said.
“I think that stemmed from the 15 years in the National League and with only one team getting promoted [automatically] and the head-to-head battle with Notts County. There hasn’t quite been that tension because we got the job done two weeks ago.”
No matter how comfortably promotion was achieved, though, nobody was taking this for granted.
Wrexham have not played in the third tier for two decades, so securing their return to that level is a massive stride forward for a club on an upward trajectory.
You could hear that much during the second half as Wrexham scored twice to beat Stockport, with a capacity crowd at the Racecourse roaring ‘The town are going up’.
There was no pitch invasion this time. The documentary’s camera crews followed every move of every player and coach after the final whistle – but Disney’s third series will not have the drama of its second season.
That is how Parkinson and Wrexham’s players and fans would have wanted it. No tension, no fuss, no drama.
It may not be a recipe for the most watchable docuseries but, after last season’s white-knuckle ride, even its producers – Reynolds and McElhenney – might have been glad for a steadier campaign.
After all, there will be plenty more time to chronicle the wild tribulations owning a football club. Once next season comes around, even in League One, Wrexham will be a star attraction once again.
