Wrexham 3-2 Notts County: Drama befitting Hollywood as hosts close on League return

The on-field play captivated Wrexham's Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney arsenic overmuch arsenic the remainder of the crowd

When those progressive successful the satellite of film, phantasy and superheroes conflict to find the consciousness successful the drama, past you cognize you are witnessing thing special.

When the fans yet made their mode retired of the Racecourse aft their top-of-the-table thriller with Notts County connected Monday, erstwhile adjacent the groundstaff had stopped moving connected the pitch, the northbound Wales club's co-chairmen were inactive treading the turf, inactive smiling, inactive seemingly shaking their heads successful disbelief.

Granted, their fiscal backing and each the razzmatazz that accompanied it was ever going to marque promotion backmost to the Football League look similar a world for Wrexham aft 15 agelong years.

But the mode successful which they took an almighty measurement towards ending that exile in a 3-2 triumph implicit nearest rivals Notts County was stretching credibility adjacent for those utilized to the weird and fantastic of Hollywood.

Both teams already connected 100 points going into the game? Needs work. Two teams with much than 100 goals? A spot much oomph, perhaps. How astir a punishment successful the last infinitesimal of wounded time, saved by a 40-year-old, successful erstwhile England keeper Ben Foster, returning to the nine helium past played for 18 years ago?

"I tin hardly speak, it was absolutely, stunning, fantastic, incredible," said McElhenney. "I deliberation that was the astir breathtaking sporting lawsuit this assemblage ever seen, fto unsocial the millions watching astatine home."

And determination were millions watching, partially due to the fact that of the record-breaking runs engineered by some sides amid the jeopardy of lone 1 automatic promotion spot, and partially curiosity astir the Welcome to Wrexham TV documentary that has been a deed connected some sides of the Atlantic.

Journalists from the Netherlands, Italy and Germany were each represented successful the Racecourse's property box, portion section hoteliers said that proceeding northbound American accents connected trips to ticker Wrexham are present commonplace.

On Thursday, a manager travel with fans from San Francisco turned up conscionable to spot the pub featured successful the documentary and drawback a glimpse of the stadium.

Those who descended connected Monday, though, were precise overmuch present for the crippled being billed arsenic the biggest successful non-league history.

By mid-morning the fans were queuing adjacent the stadium, trying to participate the pre-match parties. Even the nighttime earlier the speech was of tickets, of tactics, of the hostility of not blowing their large accidental of promotion.

They knew the A-list owners would beryllium successful town, but that's the norm now. That's conscionable Ryan and Rob. The shot was what mattered.

And the showpiece delivered. The unsmooth and tumble of non-league football, illuminated by the accomplishment of John Bostock's opening free-kick for the visitors successful first-half wounded time, past the surge of Wrexham momentum that saw Paul Mullin and Jacob Mendy enactment the hosts ahead.

• Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney awarded state of Wrexham

Notts County, having shown this play they fancied much than a supporting relation successful this Hollywood script, responded, past trailed erstwhile more, earlier their punishment successful the last seconds.

"Excluding the commencement of my children, I'm not definite I have," said Reynolds erstwhile asked if he'd ever experienced thing rather arsenic emotionally draining arsenic the match, answering against the inheritance dependable of Status Quo. Surreal, but again the norm.

"This is the astir romanticist crippled connected earth. It was 1 of the astir unsocial situations. My dependable is changeable from screaming.

"I'm utilized to moving nether utmost pressure, but usually I person immoderate benignant of accidental and power successful it; present I had thing truthful each I could bash was ticker and anticipation similar everyone else."

And truthful they did, each infinitesimal captured by documentary cameras.

Yet talk to anyone astir the nine and it is wide that this is not for show. They person fallen for shot - and Wrexham - hook, enactment and sinker.

In turn, the fans of Wrexham who person seen capable atrocious times to beryllium justifiably cynical, person fallen for them.

They excessively shook heads successful disbelief. More than once, arsenic the songs from the adjacent Turf edifice wherever the nine was founded carried connected into the night, supporters turned and said 'you couldn't marque it up'.

Reynolds added: "Everything astir the athletics and the mode the athletics is handled here, the pyramid system, relegation and promotion, creates stakes similar thing else.

"This was a crippled radical volition speech astir for ages and the attraction coming connected the National League is special, but worthy of this municipality and of Notts County.

"What some sides person achieved is historic. I don't deliberation I've seen thing similar it."

Reynolds is not wrong. Wrexham - who pb Notts County by 3 points with a crippled successful manus - request 7 much points from their last 4 games to beryllium definite of promotion.

They are already conscionable 4 shy of breaking the grounds for astir points successful a nonrecreational league successful the past of English football.

"I talk for Rob excessively erstwhile I accidental our hopes and goals remainder connected the hearts of the Wrexham supporters," added Reynolds, who with McElhenney invested £3m past play unsocial according to caller accounts aft their archetypal £2m to instrumentality implicit the fan-run nine successful 2021.

"We privation this for the municipality arsenic overmuch arsenic anything. I'll beryllium good nary substance what happens, but we privation this for the municipality and the community."

A assemblage it's present mean for them to consciousness portion of. They were conscionable 2 of the 10,000 astatine The Racecourse connected Monday, ones who threw their arms astir each different and celebrated into the nighttime similar each the rest.

Surreal yes. But that's Wrexham for you these days.