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Wrexham A.F.C.

Wrexham Association Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Pêl-droed Wrecsam) is a professional association football club based in Wrexham, Wales. Formed in 1864,[2] it is the oldest club in Wales and the third-oldest professional association football team in the world.[3] They compete in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system.

Wrexham
Full nameWrexham Association Football Club
Nickname(s)The Red Dragons, The Robins, The Town
FoundedOctober 1864; 158 years ago (October 1864)[1]
StadiumRacecourse Ground
Capacity10,771
OwnersWrexham Holdings LLC (Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney)
ManagerPhil Parkinson
LeagueEFL League Two
2022–23National League, 1st of 24 (promoted)
WebsiteClub website
Current season

The club initially participated in friendlies and cup competitions, and first entered a league by joining The Combination in 1890. It spent 13 seasons in the Combination and two seasons in the Welsh Senior League, winning four Combination titles and two Welsh Senior League titles. It entered the Birmingham & District League in 1905, where it would remain until becoming inaugural members of the Football League's Third Division North in 1921. It spent 37 years in the Northern section until it was placed in the re-organised Third Division in 1958 and then relegated two years later. Wrexham was promoted out of the Fourth Division in 1961–62, only to be relegated again two years later. Another promotion followed in 1969–70, and it reached the Second Division for the first time after winning the Third Division title in 1977–78. Two successive relegations saw it back in the fourth tier by 1983, and it saw no further promotion until 1992–93. Relegated once more in 2002, it gained immediate promotion in 2002–03, before worsening financial problems resulted in another relegation and then administration in December 2004. It took 18 months for the club to exit administration and the club's decline on the pitch continued, as it dropped out of the Football League in 2008. Wrexham subsequently had five unsuccessful play-off campaigns in the fifth tier of the English football league system, before being promoted as champions of the 2022–23 National League; they play in the EFL League Two.

Wrexham's honours include winning the Welsh Cup a record 23 times, the Football League Trophy in 2005 at the Millennium Stadium and the FA Trophy in 2013 at Wembley Stadium. The club are also record winners of the short-lived FAW Premier Cup, winning it five times out of the 11 years of its tenure, participating against fellow Welsh clubs such as Cardiff City, Swansea City and Newport County. However, their biggest rivalries are with English clubs, Chester and Shrewsbury Town, with games between the clubs known as the Cross-border derby. In 1992, Wrexham upset the reigning English Champions Arsenal in the FA Cup. They also scored a 1–0 victory over FC Porto in 1984 in the European Cup Winners' Cup. Wrexham were eligible for the European Cup Winners' Cup due to winning the Welsh Cup; their first European tie was against FC Zürich of Switzerland in 1972 and their last was played in Romania against Petrolul Ploiești in 1995. Wrexham's home stadium, the Racecourse Ground, is the world's oldest international stadium that still continues to host international games.[4] The record attendance at the ground was set in 1957, when the club hosted a match against Manchester United in front of 34,445 spectators.[5]

History Edit

1864–1905: A club of pioneers Edit

 
The Turf Hotel, the building in which the club was founded in 1864

The club was formed in October 1864 by members of the Wrexham Cricket Club who wanted a sporting activity for the winter months. This makes them (after Sheffield, Cray, Hallam, and Notts County) the fifth oldest association football team, the third oldest professional club and the oldest in Wales.[6] Their first game was played on 22 October 1864 at the Denbighshire County Cricket Ground (The Racecourse) against the Prince of Wales Fire Brigade.[7]

As the rules of football were still somewhat fluid at the time, early matches featured teams with up to 17 players on each side (16 players when playing the Provincial Insurance Office and Chester College, 15 players against the Volunteer Fire Brigade). In these early years Wrexham were leaders of the campaign to restrict teams to having just 11 players on the pitch at any one time.[8]

In 1876, the newly formed Football Association of Wales saw Wales play their first international match, against Scotland at The West of Scotland Cricket Club, Partick, featuring Edwin Cross and Alfred Davies as the first of many Wrexham F.C. players to play for Wales.[9]

 
Wrexham side that won the Welsh Cup in 1878

In the 1877–78 season the FAW inaugurated the Welsh Cup competition, to run on similar lines to the English FA Cup. The first Welsh Cup final was played at Acton Park. Wrexham got to the final of the inaugural competition, where they defeated Druids F.C. 1–0, with James Davies being credited with the goal.[10][11] Because of a lack of money at the fledgling FAW, Wrexham did not receive their trophy until the next year. For their first decade, Wrexham mostly played friendly matches against both Welsh and English opposition, with the Welsh Cup providing most of their competitive football, Wrexham winning it again in 1883.[citation needed]

1883 also saw Wrexham's first appearance in the FA Cup, when after receiving a bye to the second round of the competition they were defeated 3–4 at home by Oswestry. Crowd trouble at the game led to the club being expelled from the Football Association, leading to the club being reformed in 1884 as Wrexham Olympic. Olympic was dropped from this club's name in 1888.[12]

Thanks to a dispute with their landlords, who had raised the rent of the Racecourse Ground to £10 a year, Wrexham played their home games in the 1881–82 and 1882–83 seasons at Rhosddu Recreation Ground (changing the club's name to Wrexham Athletic for one season), before moving back to the Racecourse Ground for the 1883–84 season, where the club have played their home games ever since.[citation needed]

In 1890 Wrexham joined The Combination league, playing their first game against Gorton Villa on 6 September 1890, with Arthur Lea scoring Wrexham's only goal in a 5–1 defeat. Lea played for the club despite only having one arm[13] as did playing colleague James Roberts. Wrexham finished the season second from bottom in eighth place in the first season.[citation needed]

Wrexham played in the Combination for four years before a rapid increase in costs resulted in the club joining the Welsh League in the 1894–95 season. Wrexham won the Welsh League both years that they were in it, but they then decided to return to the Combination League in 1896, as despite the reduced support they received, the savings made on their travelling expenses outweighed the reduction in gate revenue.[citation needed]

1905–1968: Into the Football League Edit

 
Chart of yearly table positions of Wrexham in the English football league system

The club remained in the Combination league until 1905, by which time they had managed to win the league four times. After several unsuccessful attempts Wrexham were finally elected to the Birmingham and District League in time for the beginning of the 1905–06 season. Wrexham's first ever match in this league was at home against Kidderminster Harriers at the Racecourse, and two thousand spectators witnessed Wrexham win the match 2–1. Wrexham finished sixth in their first season in this league.[citation needed]

During their time in the Birmingham and District League, Wrexham won the Welsh Cup six times, in 1908–09, 1909–10, 1910–11, 1913–14, 1914–15, and 1920–21. They also reached the First Round proper of the FA Cup for a second time in the 1908–09 season before losing a replay 1–2 to Exeter City after extra time.[citation needed]

In 1921 Wrexham were elected to the newly formed Third Division North of the Football League. Their first League game was against Hartlepools United at the Racecourse in front of 8,000 spectators. Playing in blue shirts, Wrexham were defeated 0–2. The week after this defeat Wrexham travelled north to play Hartlepools and managed to get their revenge by beating them 1–0 in a hard-earned victory.[citation needed]

It was during this particular season that Wrexham achieved many "firsts" in the club's history, such as when Ted Regan scored the club's first ever Football League hat-trick, and also Brian Simpson became the first Wrexham player to be sent off in a Football League game, against Southport in January 1922. Charlie Hewitt was the club's first ever manager during this period.[citation needed]

In the 1926–27 season the club got past the first round of the FA Cup only to be knocked out by Rhyl. The following season Wrexham fought their way to the fourth round before they lost 0–1 to Birmingham City. A record 32 league goals from Albert Mays helped Wrexham to get to third position in the division in the 1928–29 season. And later in that season Tommy Bamford made his first appearance for the club. He went on to score 201 League and Cup goals for the club during his time at the Racecourse. During the 1929–30 season the club recorded their best ever league win to date when they defeated Rochdale 8–0.[citation needed]

Wrexham enjoyed their best ever Third Division North season in 1932–33, when they finished runners-up to Hull City and won 18 of their 21 home games during the course of the season. This was the first season that the club appeared in their now-familiar red and white strip for the first time for the short-lived 1939–40 season.[citation needed]

During the Second World War years, when long cross-county trips were impossible due to the war, Wrexham played in the Regional League West against local teams from Merseyside and Manchester, amongst others in the north west region. Wrexham's position as a barracks town meant that the team could secure the services of many famous guest players such as Stanley Matthews, Stan Cullis, and others.[citation needed]

In the first post-war season Wrexham equalled their best ever position when they again finished third in the Third Division North. In the summer of 1949 the club made its first ever tour abroad when it played three games against the British army in Germany.[citation needed]

The club reached the fourth round of the FA Cup in 1956–57 where they played Manchester United's Busby Babes in front of a crowd of 34,445 people at the Racecourse, which still remains a club record. The 5–0 defeat did not spoil the occasion for the large home crowd, and later that season Wrexham managed to win the Welsh Cup for the first time in 26 years.[citation needed]

1960 saw the club relegated to a lower tier for the first time in their history, and they dropped into the newly created Fourth Division. But their performances improved following the appointment of Ken Barnes as player-manager. He led Wrexham to promotion to the third division in his first season in charge and oversaw the 10–1 trouncing of Hartlepool United, which is still the club's record league victory. Two years after their promotion, Wrexham were relegated to the Fourth Division again, and in 1966 they finished rock-bottom at 92nd in the Football League after an extremely disappointing season.[citation needed]

1968–1982: The glory years Edit

John Neal was appointed manager of Wrexham in 1968, succeeding Alvan Williams who had brought Neal to the club as his assistant.[citation needed] He guided the club to a 9th place finish in 1969, before leading Wrexham to their second Football League promotion in 1970 with a second place finish and promotion to the Third Division.[citation needed] With Welsh clubs now able to qualify for the European Cup Winners' Cup by winning the Welsh Cup, Wrexham played their inaugural match in Europe against Swiss side FC Zurich in Switzerland on 13 September 1972, the game finishing 1–1. In the return leg Wrexham won 2–1, advancing to the second round with a 3–2 win on aggregate. The second round drew Wrexham against Yugoslav side Hajduk Split. Over the course of two games the score finished 3–3 on aggregate with Wrexham matching their more illustrious opponents, but they were knocked out of the competition due to the away goals rule.[citation needed]

The 1972–73 season saw the completion of the new Yale stand, with a capacity of up to 5,500. Including the terrace helped to comprise the bottom tier of the stand. The 1973–74 season saw Wrexham change their badge from the Maelor crest to a brand new badge that had a lot more resemblance to the Welsh roots of the club, with three feathers on the top of the badge and two dragons, one on either side of the badge and facing inwards. This is still the badge for today's team. This season also saw Wrexham reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in another cup run. After victories over Shrewsbury Town, Rotherham United, Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace and Southampton, their cup run finally came to an end with a loss to first division side Burnley at Turf Moor, with 15,000 Wrexham fans present to watch the match.[14] Also that season Wrexham just missed out on the promotion spots, finishing in 4th place at the end of the season.[citation needed]

 
Defender Alan Hill played over 250 games for Wrexham between 1973 and 1983

1975–76 saw John Neal's starlets captained by Eddie May, again shocking the football world by reaching the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup after another sparkling cup run and defeats of several higher quality opponents. In the first round Wrexham beat Swedish team Djurgårdens IF 3–2 on aggregate. They then managed to knock out Polish side Stal Rzeszow 3–1 on aggregate. Wrexham played Belgian champions Anderlecht in the quarter-finals and narrowly lost 2–1 to the eventual winners of the competition.[citation needed]

The 1976–77 season saw Wrexham again beat First Division opposition in both Cup competitions as they went on another cup run, defeating Tottenham Hotspur in the Football League Cup and Sunderland in the FA Cup. However, the league season was a traumatic one as the club, on the verge of promotion to the second division with only four matches left to play, needing just three points to reach their goal, unbelievably missed out after a poor run of form.[citation needed]

Arfon Griffiths took over as player-manager for the 1977–78 season. They reached both the League and FA Cup quarter-finals that season, and Wrexham finally clinched promotion to the second division when they beat Rotherham United 7–1 at a packed Racecourse, and Wrexham went on to win the Third Division Championship that year.[citation needed]

In the 1978–79 season Wrexham made it to the fourth round of the FA Cup, where they narrowly lost to Tottenham Hotspur 3–2 in the replay after the first game finished 3–3. The Spurs team had stars amongst their ranks such as Ossie Ardiles, Ricky Villa, and Glenn Hoddle, and Wrexham were unfortunate to get knocked out.[citation needed]

Following Arfon Griffiths' resignation from the manager's position in 1981, his assistant Mel Sutton was put in charge, with a memorable third round FA Cup win over Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest in another cup run, the highlight of the season.[citation needed]

1982–1991: Decline Edit

The summer of 1982 saw Bobby Roberts appointed the club's new manager. Relegation meant the club had dire financial problems, resulting in the sale of many of the club's experienced and talented players. Frank Carrdus, Ian Edwards, Mick Vinter and Wayne Cegieski had already left during the summer, Steve Fox, Joey Jones, Dixie McNeil and Billy Ronson soon followed. Wrexham were again relegated to the Fourth Division after plummeting from apparent mid-table security. The club's slide continued into the following season, and only goal difference prevented Wrexham from being forced to apply for re-election to the League.[citation needed]

The 1984–85 season saw Wrexham take on FC Porto in European competition. Wrexham won the home leg with a 1–0 victory, but in the second leg Porto showed their class and were 3–0 up after 38 minutes. However, Wrexham pulled goals back and the game finished 4–3, making it 4-4 on aggregate with Wrexham advancing on away goals. The second round draw was to pair Wrexham with Italian side AS Roma, managed by Sven-Göran Eriksson. Wrexham lost 3–0 on aggregate over the two legs. Their league performance was even more dire than the previous year, and by the time Bobby Roberts was finally removed from his post, Wrexham were rock-bottom of the entire Football League.[citation needed]

Former Racecourse favourite Dixie McNeil was appointed caretaker manager, and immediately inspired a revival that saw Wrexham win 7 of their last 10 matches and comfortably finish clear of having to apply for re-election, which earned him the job on a permanent basis that summer. His first season in charge saw the team finish mid-table position in an average season, he led the team to a Welsh Cup final win over Kidderminster Harriers. 1986 saw Wrexham make a return to European football with a first round draw against Maltese side FC Zurrieq, whom they beat 7–0 on aggregate to earn a second round tie against Real Zaragoza which they drew 2–2 with on aggregate but they went out on away goals.[citation needed]

Following the Bradford City stadium fire in May 1985, legislation on ground safety at all football grounds was brought into effect. This eventually led to the closure of the Mold Road stand because it did not reach the necessary safety standards. Led by Dixie McNeil, Wrexham reached the Fourth Division play-offs in 1989, having finished seventh in the league. Wrexham beat Scunthorpe United in the semi-final 5–1 on aggregate, but narrowly lost to Leyton Orient 2–1 in the final. After Wrexham started the next season with just 3 wins from 13 league games, Dixie McNeil resigned before his inevitable sacking.[citation needed]

He was replaced, initially on a temporary basis, by Brian Flynn, but his appointment was made permanent a month later. However the club continued to struggle domestically, and Flynn was forced to make three important signings in Mark Setori, Eddie Youds and Alan Kennedy which saw the team finish in twenty-first place, therefore avoiding relegation.[citation needed]

At the start of the 1990–91 season it was announced there would be no relegation to the Conference Premier as a team had already voluntarily left the league. That season Wrexham were to finish in ninety-second place. Wrexham were knocked-out of the European Cup Winners' Cup in the second round by Manchester United 5–0 on aggregate, who eventually went on to win the trophy.[citation needed]

1991–2001: Giant Killers Edit

The 1991–92 season saw Wrexham still in a poor financial state, as they continued to struggle on the field. With the club knocked out of the League Cup and struggling in the league, it was left to the FA Cup to keep the season alive. Having beaten Telford United and Winsford United, they were drawn to play the previous season's First Division champions Arsenal. Wrexham produced one of their most memorable nights to beat the Gunners 2–1 after being behind, with a thunderous Mickey Thomas free kick and a Steve Watkin goal. They lost in the next round to West Ham United 1–0 in a replay after the first game had finished 2–2.[citation needed]

In an attempt to change the fortunes of the club after several seasons in the doldrums at the bottom of the football league pyramid, the 1992–93 season saw Wrexham manager Brian Flynn make a shrewd signing when he enlisted the services of Gary Bennett, who soon settled and helped Wrexham into the promotion race. Wrexham's season came to a head on 27 April 1993 when with two games left they travelled to Northampton Town requiring a win to gain promotion to the next tier of the English football. The game ended with a 2–0 victory to Wrexham and the 5,500 travelling "Reds" supporters there were jubilant when promotion had finally been achieved.[citation needed]

The 1994–95 season would see Wrexham achieve more success in cup competitions, this time going on a run through the FA Cup. Having beaten Stockport County and Rotherham United, they faced Premier League side Ipswich Town at the Racecourse, with Wrexham running out 2–1 winners thanks to goals from Gary Bennett and Kieron Durkan. In the next round, Wrexham were drawn away to Manchester United and despite taking the lead at Old Trafford, United went on to win 5–2.[citation needed]

The 1995–96 season once again saw Wrexham in European action, with their opposition this time coming in the form of Romanian team Petrolul Ploiești; the home leg ended in a 0–0 draw but Wrexham lost 1–0 in the away leg, with the Romanians scoring the only goal of the match, and Wrexham were subsequently knocked out of the tournament.[citation needed]

The 1996–97 season saw Wrexham set off on another amazing run in the FA Cup and beating more top flight opposition. Following wins at Colwyn Bay and Scunthorpe United, they were drawn to play West Ham United at home, the game ending in a 1–1 draw on a snow-covered pitch after a well earned draw. The replay at Upton Park ended in a shock 1–0 win to Wrexham as Kevin Russell scored in the dying minutes to send Wrexham into the fourth round.[15] After also beating Peterborough United and Birmingham City in the following rounds, they played Chesterfield in an all-Division-2 FA Cup quarter final, Wrexham narrowly losing to the Spireites 1–0.[citation needed]

June 1997 was the date for the official opening of Colliers Park, which was Wrexham's new training ground and was situated just outside Gresford on Chester Road. It was built at a cost of £750,000 and is widely regarded to be one of the best training grounds outside of the top flight. It has been used for training by many visiting teams that play at a higher standard over the years.[citation needed]

The 1999–2000 season saw Wrexham again beat a top-flight team in the FA Cup, this time in the shape of Middlesbrough. The final score of the match was 2–1, with the second half goals coming from Robin Gibson and Darren Ferguson after being behind to the Premiership outfit. Wrexham went on to win the FAW Premier Cup in May 2001.[citation needed]

2001–2008: Administration and the slide into non-League football Edit

 
Match at the Racecourse in 2004

At the start of the 21st century the club was dogged with many problems off the pitch, including then chairman Alex Hamilton, attempting to get the club evicted from the stadium so that he could use and sell it for his own development purposes – the saga involved the sale of the Racecourse Ground to a separate company owned by Hamilton immediately after he became the club's chairman.[16] In the summer of 2004 Hamilton gave the club a year's notice to quit the ground.[17]

The club's fans developed an affinity with the fans of fellow football league club Brighton & Hove Albion, who themselves had managed to successfully depose their chairman and keep control of their stadium after he had sold the ground for development purposes in almost the same circumstances.[18] On 3 December 2004 the club was placed in financial administration by the High Court in Manchester as the club owed £2,600,000, including £800,000 which was owed to the Inland Revenue in unpaid taxes. Wrexham became the first League club to suffer a ten-point deduction under the new rule for being placed in administration, dropping them from the middle of the League One table to the relegation zone after the point deduction, and subsequently condemned Wrexham to relegation.[19]

Despite their financial troubles, Wrexham went on to win the 2004–05 Football League Trophy by defeating Southend United 2–0 after extra time, in Wrexham's first appearance at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.[20] The winning goals were scored by Juan Ugarte and Darren Ferguson as Wrexham ran out winners in front of nearly 20,000 Wrexham fans.[21] Wrexham still retained an outside chance of escaping the drop in the 2004–05 season following an end-of-season winning streak; however, their faint hopes of staying up were ended with a 2–1 home loss to Brentford on 3 May 2005. The 10-point deduction proved decisive in determining Wrexham's fate, as the club finished with 43 points compared to 20th-placed Milton Keynes Dons' 51 – a net points tally of 53 after deduction, which had condemned them to relegation.[22]

 
5 May 2007: Ryan Valentine scores the goal against Boston that keeps Wrexham in the Football League

In October 2005, Birmingham High Court decided that Alex Hamilton's company CrucialMove had improperly acquired the freehold of the ground and the decision went against him.[23] Hamilton then took this to the Appeal Court in London and it ruled on 14 March 2006 that the stadium must remain in the hands of the club's administrators.[24] On 30 April 2006 the administrators reached an agreement with local car dealer Neville Dickens, subject to agreement by the shareholders and creditors (which was achieved on 30 May), for Dickens to take over control of the club and all its assets.[25] Had the club still been in Administration by 3 June then Wrexham would have automatically been expelled from the League because of their financial situation. Wrexham Football Club (2006) Ltd is the name of the "phoenix" company that took over the assets of the old Wrexham Association Football Club Limited – technically, the club is no longer known as Wrexham Association Football Club due to the takeover of the club by Neville Dickens and Geoff Moss and their associates; this is reflected on new merchandise, although most fans will still refer to it as "Wrexham AFC".[citation needed]

 
5 May 2007: Scoreboard showing the final score of game that kept Wrexham in the Football League and condemned Boston United to the Conference

The 2006–07 season started well for Wrexham, as they went 8 games unbeaten.[26] However, the club would then struggle with Denis Smith eventually being sacked in January 2007 with Wrexham in the bottom half of the division and after a poor run of results.[27] He was replaced by coach Brian Carey.[28] Wrexham finished 19th in League Two with 51 points[29] after an impressive late run of form which saw them win 4 out of their last 5 games, which included defeating local rivals Shrewsbury in the last derby match at Gay Meadow.[citation needed] Wrexham's league status was saved on the last day of the season with a vital 3–1 victory on 5 May 2007 over Boston United at home which sent their opponents down to the Conference Premier and ensured that Wrexham would stay in the Football League.[30]

Expectations were high for the 2007–08 season, with fans expecting a promotion push.[citation needed] However, the season started badly with the club in 24th by November 2007.[citation needed] Brian Carey was eventually sacked, and on 15 November 2007, Brian Little was named as Wrexham's new manager and the replacement to Carey, who took the role of assistant manager.[31] After a promising start to his reign, Wrexham experienced a run of seven straight league defeats, prompting the club to bring in eleven new players during the January transfer window.[32][citation needed] Wrexham went six matches unbeaten before some poor form which saw defeats against some fellow strugglers.[citation needed] Wrexham were finally relegated to non-League following a 2–0 defeat away at Hereford United, ending the club's 87-year stay in the Football League.[33]

2008–2020: The non-League years Edit

The 2008–09 season started well, with a 5–0 home victory against Stevenage Borough.[34] However a run of poor results followed, with Wrexham being left in the mid-table battle, only four points above the relegation zone and only keeping two clean sheets all season. Following a 3–0 home defeat against Rushden and Diamonds, and fans calling for his dismissal, Little left Wrexham by mutual consent.[35] Little was replaced by Dean Saunders.[36] Wrexham's first full season in the Conference Premier ended in a disappointing 10th place.[37] The following year, 2009–10, ended in a similar fashion with Wrexham finishing in 11th position, well off the pace of the promotion battle.[38]

 
Wrexham at Wembley Stadium in 2013

In March 2011, the ownership of the club became subject to two bids: one from Wrexham Supporters' Trust and another from local businesswoman Stephanie Booth.[39] Wrexham's MP and AM indicated that they would prefer Wrexham Supporters' Trust to secure the bid.[40] A third bid later came in, but after WST and Booth came to an agreement, their bid was then re-accepted. In April 2011, the club were served with a winding up order from HMRC, with an unpaid tax bill of just under £200,000.[41] The team finished the 2010–11 season in 4th place, qualifying for a play-off spot, but were beaten 5–1 on aggregate by Luton Town in the semi-final.[42]

During the 2011–12 season, Wrexham were invited back into the Welsh Cup after 16 years, entering at the third round stage.[43] New manager Andy Morrell guided Wrexham to a record tally of 98 points but this was not enough to gain automatic promotion, as they ended the season only 5 points adrift of Fleetwood Town, who gained the only automatic place.[44] Wrexham lost in the play-offs to Luton Town again.[45] Wrexham earned themselves places in both the FA Trophy final and the Conference Premier play-off final, their first two appearances at Wembley Stadium in the club's 150-year history to date, and within five weeks of one another. In the FA Trophy final, Wrexham won on penalties after a 1–1 draw with Grimsby Town.[46] A 5–2 aggregate win over Kidderminster Harriers in the two-legged play-off semi-final saw Wrexham through to the final versus Newport County, the first play-off final to feature two Welsh teams; Newport defeated Wrexham 2–0.[47]

In February 2014, Andy Morrell stepped down as manager.[48] Billy Barr was appointed as interim manager before being replaced a few weeks later by Kevin Wilkin.[49] Wrexham finished the 2013–14 season in 17th place.[50] In 2018–19, Wrexham finished in 4th place but lost the play-off quarter-final to Eastleigh.[51] In 2019–20, the club finished 19th on points per game after the season was ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lowest position in the club's 150-year history.[52][53]

2020–present: New owners, return to EFL Edit

In November 2020, Canadian-American actor Ryan Reynolds and American actor Rob McElhenney, through their RR McReynolds Company LLC, bought the club. The deal received the backing of 98.6% of the 2,000 members of the Wrexham Supporters Trust that voted[54][55] and was completed in February 2021. They were included in FIFA 22 as part of the "Rest of World" section, becoming the first non-league team to be featured in the series.[56] In 2021–22, Wrexham finished 2nd before losing the play-off semi-final 5–4 to Grimsby Town after extra time.[57] Wrexham also reached the 2022 FA Trophy final which they lost 1–0 to Bromley.[58]

Following the takeover, a docuseries called Welcome to Wrexham was announced to be in production for FX with Boardwalk Pictures. The series debuted on 24 August 2022 on FX and Hulu in the United States, followed by a release on Disney+ in the United Kingdom and Ireland the next day.[59][60][61] The acquisition by Reynolds and McElhenney and the attendant publicity from Welcome to Wrexham had a significant impact on the club's visibility, leading to its acquiring a new global fanbase with no precedent for a team in the fifth division.[62][63][64] The club's fortunes began to attract dedicated coverage from global sporting media that would not typically be afforded teams outside the Premier League.[65] This in turn inspired debate about the potential replicability of this strategy for other lesser-known clubs and leagues, with The Guardian remarking that "everybody wants to ‘do a Wrexham’, but not everybody can."[66]

During the 2022–23 season, the team progressed to the fourth round in the 2022–23 FA Cup, being the only National League team to do so, beating Coventry City in an upset in the third round, and eventually being knocked out by Sheffield United in a replay. The first game against Sheffield United, which ended in a 3–3 draw, was ESPN's most followed football game across its digital platforms.[67] Wrexham vied with Notts County throughout the season to lead the league, trading the first spot back and forth, and both setting new National League records for wins, goals, and goal difference, while 20+ points ahead of the third place team by the end of the season.[68] On 22 April 2023, Wrexham secured winning their first league title in 45 years, and were promoted to the EFL League Two after a 15 year absence, following a 3–1 win against Boreham Wood.[69] The club amassed a tally of 111 points that season, a record for the top five divisions of English league football, beating Notts County to the championship and single automatic promotion spot.[70][71]

On 5 August 2023, Wrexham played their first Football League match in 15 years, losing at home to MK Dons.[72]

Sponsorship Edit

Wrexham's home kit is red shirts, white shorts, and white socks. The club have played in a predominantly red kit with white features since the late 1930s. The away kit is white shirts, red shorts and red socks. In 2014–15, to celebrate the club's 150th anniversary, Wrexham wore a red and black hooped Nike home shirt as this was the club's first ever recorded home shirt.[73] Macron have been the kit supplier of Wrexham AFC since 2016 and helped arrange a pre-season training camp for the first team in pre-season 2017 in Portugal where over 600 supporters travelled over to support the team in a 2–1 win over Louletano. They still visit Portugal each summer.[citation needed]

In April 2011, Wrexham signed a two-year sponsorship deal with Greene King brewery. This was cancelled in September after Glyndŵr University bought the Racecourse, as the university had an exclusive deal with another brewery.[74] Starting with the kits for the 2021-22 seasons, the back neck of the shirt has the number "1934" embroidered in, in remembrance of the Gresford disaster.[75] In May 2023, the team's training kit was announced to be sponsored by Betty Buzz, a beverage company owned by Ryan Reynolds' wife Blake Lively, for the 2023–24 season.[76]

 
The old Wrexham club shop

Kit manufacturers and sponsors Edit

Source:[77]
Period Brand Shirt Sponsor (chest) Shirt Sponsor (sleeve)
1984–85 Patrick Crosville Buses none
1985–87 Winning Ways Marston's
1987–88 Hi-Tec Sports
1988–89 Admiral Sportswear
1989–91 Spall
1991–92 EN-S
1992–98 Wrexham Lager
1998–2002 Super League
2002–04 Vandanel Gap Personnel
2004–06 Just Go
2006–08 Lease Direct
2008–11 Umbro
2011–12 Puma Glyndŵr University
2012–14 Adidas
2014–15 Nike
2015–16 Adidas
2016–21 Macron Ifor Williams Trailers
2021–22 TikTok, Expedia (back) Aviation American Gin
2022–23 Vistaprint
2023–present United Airlines, Vistaprint (back) HP Inc.

Stadium Edit

 
The Racecourse Ground

Since 1864, Wrexham have played their home games at The Racecourse Ground, situated on the Mold Road, which is the main through road heading into Wrexham; it is opposite the residential area of Maesgwyn, situated between Glyndŵr University and Wrexham General railway station.[78] In August 2011 Glyndŵr University purchased the stadium and the club training facilities in Gresford,[79] adding their name to the stadium for it to become The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium. Subsequently, in 2016, Wrexham Supporters Trust secured a 99-year lease on the ground, and the name reverted to the Racecourse Ground.[80] The capacity is 10,500, which made it one of the largest stadiums in the National League.[81]

In June 2022, Wrexham AFC purchased the Racecourse Ground freehold from the university and are planning renovations to the stadium.[82]

Support Edit

In August 2011, Wrexham were faced with being expelled from the Football Conference,[83] fans rallied and raised £127,000 in one day[84] to help pay a bond, so they could secure football for the forthcoming season. A month later the Wrexham Supporters' Trust (WST) took over day-to-day running of the club.[85] Fan ownership of Wrexham was finally ratified on 12 December 2011.[86] As of May 2015 the WST had 4,129 adult members and joint-owners of the club.[87]

 
A sold out Kop End and Mold Road Stand

As well as the city of Wrexham, support is drawn from the surrounding towns and villages of the district, such as Gwersyllt and Rhos,[88][89] the Flintshire towns of Mold,[90] Buckley,[91] Holywell[92] and Deeside. For the 2013 FA Trophy final coaches of Wrexham fans came from many North Wales towns including; Bala, Bangor, Caernarfon, Colwyn Bay, Denbigh, Flint, Llandudno, Prestatyn, Rhyl and Ruthin.[93] Additionally, many Wrexham fans reside in Shropshire.[94] Exiled supporters clubs can be found in South Wales,[95] Manchester and London.[96] Over the past 15 years, even as a lower-league side, Wrexham have been able to attract gates of 11,000+ for big games at the Racecourse.[97][98]

Famous Wrexham fans include Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield,[99] former Royal butler Paul Burrell,[100] actor and television presenter Tim Vincent,[101] actor Llŷr Ifans,[102] actor and Comedian Ted Robbins,[103] Sweet guitarist Andy Scott,[104] Lloyd Roberts of rock band Neck Deep,[105] 2012 Olympian weightlifter Gareth Evans,[106] Sky Sports reporter Bryn Law,[107] Rugby World Cup Referee Nigel Owens[108] and former footballers Neil Roberts,[109] Robbie Savage[110] and Mark Hughes.[111]

Rivalries Edit

Wrexham has a fierce rivalry with Chester,[112][113] the clubs are just 10 miles apart, but are Welsh and English respectively. The two contest the Cross-Border Derby, the first match was held in 1888 with Wrexham running out 3–2 winners at Faulkner Street, the former home of Chester City, the last derby, to date, was played at the Swansway Chester Stadium where Wrexham won 1–0 on 8 November 2017.[114] Wrexham lead the head-to-head rivalry with 67 wins compared to Chester's 50. Games between the two are classed as "high risk"[115] for potential of disorder and are generally moved to early kick-offs with a large police presence to prevent it,[116] though arrests do still occur for various offences surrounding the fans of both clubs.[117][118][119]

 
Chester vs Wrexham in 1954

Former Chester City player Lee Dixon said of the derby "I'm telling you, Chester versus Wrexham was a real derby! It's difficult to compare if you've not played in each one but there's something special about any derby at any level. I played for Chester v Wrexham and that could get ferocious, It lost nothing in ferocity compared to Arsenal v Spurs".[120] Former Wales and Liverpool striker Ian Rush who played for both clubs, said in 2013 the Cross-border derby between the two clubs is "as intense as they come" and "It is like Wales v England really, it is incredible".[121]

Wrexham also have a fierce rivalry with Shrewsbury Town[122][123] and Tranmere Rovers due to geographical proximity. The games are often moved to early kick-offs, in accordance with police wishes, to minimise the potential of trouble as has happened between clubs previously. In 2003, 32 hooligans were jailed after a Tranmere v Wrexham match at Prenton Park[124] and trouble was again evident when the two clubs met in a 2013 friendly at the Racecourse Ground.[125] Though not as intense as they once were, due to divisional differences, Crewe Alexandra and Port Vale, as well as fellow Welsh clubs Cardiff City, Newport County and Swansea City are also classed as rivals.[122][126][127][128] Since the start of the 2020s a rivalry with Notts County has developed due to the two teams fighting for promotion simultaneously.[129] Wrexham is represented by a hooligan firm known as the 'Front Line' that have been involved in major disorder around Britain since the early 1980s.[130]

 
Wrex the Dragon

Team mascot Edit

Wrex the Dragon is the official team mascot of Wrexham. The mascot, along with the team nickname "The Dragons", was introduced in 2001–02 by the Commercial manager following a ballot of fans to help increase sponsorship and promote the club's Welsh image whilst also providing a more original nickname as Bristol City, Swindon Town and Cheltenham Town also use the nickname of 'The Robins'. 'Wrex' wears a red face and Wrexham F.C. shirt wearing the number "1864".[citation needed]

Training ground Edit

Wrexham's training ground was the purpose-built Colliers Park, in neighbouring Gresford.[131] When the construction had been completed it was officially opened in June 1997, at a building cost of £750,000.[131] It is widely regarded in British football as one of the best training grounds outside of the top flight and one of the best never to have been used by a top-flight team.[132] The England national team, Barcelona, Rangers and the Wales national team have all used it for training purposes.[132][133] Colliers Park continues to be improved; a running hill, as well as all-weather pitches and a small stand have been constructed since the facilities opened in 1997. Andy Rupp. Colliers Park is now owned by Glyndwr University as part of their purchase of the Racecourse Ground assets.[citation needed]

For the beginning of the 2016–17 season, Wrexham moved back to their former training ground at Stansty Park.[134] This is also the home of Welsh National League side Lex Glyndwr. Wrexham did however retain the use of Colliers Park for Youth and Reserve fixtures. After one season training at Stansty Park, Wrexham announced they would be moving to a new training ground at Nine Acre for the beginning of the 2017–18 season based near the city centre.[citation needed] Wrexham occasionally train at their former site, Colliers Park.[citation needed]

Players Edit

Squad Edit

As of 8 September 2023[135]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
20 MF   ENG Andy Cannon
21 GK   ENG Mark Howard
22 MF   IRL Thomas O'Connor
23 MF   IRL James McClean
25 DF   SCO Will Boyle
26 FW   SCO Steven Fletcher
27 FW   WAL Jake Bickerstaff
29 MF   ENG Ryan Barnett
30 MF   SCO James Jones
31 GK   IRL Luke McNicholas (on loan from Sligo Rovers)
32 DF   WAL Max Cleworth
33 GK   ENG Arthur Okonkwo (on loan from Arsenal)
34 DF   ENG Aaron James
35 MF   ENG Owen Cushion
38 FW   ENG Elliot Lee
39 DF   WAL Daniel Davies
GK   ENG Liam Hall

Out on loan Edit

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
24 DF   WAL Scott Butler (on loan at Nantwich Town until January 2024)

Notable former players Edit

For all players with a Wikipedia article see Wrexham A.F.C. players

Hall of Fame Edit

The following are members of the Wrexham A.F.C. Hall of Fame.[136] Entry is not restricted to players; anyone who has made a great contribution to the club in any capacity can be considered.

Player of the Year Edit

Player records Edit

Reserves Edit

Between 1988 and 1995 the reserve team of Wrexham played in the Welsh football leagues.[144]

On 2 August 2022, Wrexham announced their participation in the upcoming 2022–23 Central League season.[145]

Team records Edit

European record Edit

European Cup Winners' Cup:

Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate Ref
1972–73 Cup Winners' Cup First round   FC Zürich 2–1 1–1 3–2 [157][158]
Second round   Hajduk Split 3–1 0–2 3–3 [159][160]
1975–76 Cup Winners' Cup First round   Djurgården 2–1 1–1 3–2 [161][162]
Second round   Stal Rzeszów 2–0 1–1 3–1 [163][164]
Quarter-final   Anderlecht 1–1 0–1 1–2 [165][166]
1978–79 Cup Winners' Cup First round   Rijeka 2–0 0–3 2–3 [167][168]
1979–80 Cup Winners' Cup First round   FC Magdeburg 3–2 2–5 5–7 [169][170]
1984–85 Cup Winners' Cup First round   FC Porto 1–0 3–4 4–4 [171]
Second round   Roma 0–1 0–2 0–3 [172][173]
1986–87 Cup Winners' Cup First round   Żurrieq 4–0 3–0 7–0 [174][175]
Second round   Real Zaragoza 2–2 0–0 2–2 [176][177]
1990–91 Cup Winners' Cup First round   Lyngby 0–0 1–0 1–0 [178][179]
Second round   Manchester United 0–2 0–3 0–5 [180][181]
1995–96 Cup Winners' Cup First round   Petrolul Ploiești 0–0 0–1 0–1 [182][183]

Club officials Edit

As of 19 May 2023[184]

Coaching staff Edit

 
Current Wrexham manager, Phill Parkinson joined the club in 2021
Role Name
Manager   Phil Parkinson
Assistant manager   Steve Parkin
First-team coach   David Jones
Goalkeeping coach   Aidan Davison
Head of Performance, Medicine and Sport Science   Kevin Mulholland
First Team Sports Scientist   Owen Jackson
First Team Strength and Conditioning Coach   Richard Hill
First Team Physiotherapist   Jonny Griffiths
First Team Sports Physiotherapists   Gemma Bamford
  Ryan Murray
  Ashley Painter
Performance Analyst   Kyle Crutchley
Chief scout   Andy Kidby
Kitman   Iwan Pugh-Jones
Centre of Excellence Manager   Dan Nolan
Youth Team Coach   Cledwyn Ashford
Youth Team Analyst   Aaron Bennett

Board of Directors Edit

As of 19 May 2023[185]

Honorary Edit

Role Name
Club President Dixie McNeil
Vice Presidents Dave Bennett
Dave Griffiths
Spencer Harris
Gavin Jones
Rob Parry
Phil Salmon
Mark Williams

Managerial history Edit

Honours Edit

Wrexham AFC's honours include:[186]

League

Cup

Literature Edit

Wrexham related books

  • Wrexham FC 1872–1950 by Peter Jones and Gareth Davies
  • Wrexham FC 1950–2000 by Peter Jones and Gareth Davies
  • Wrexham – A Complete Record 1872 – 1992 by Peter Jones
  • Wrexham; The European era by Peter Jones
  • Wrexham; Through The Trap Door by Peter Jones
  • Wrexham FC, An A-Z history by Dean Hayes
  • The Racecourse Robins from Adams to Youds by Peter Jones and Gareth Davies
  • The Giant Killers; a Wrexham fan's view by Richard Partington
  • Wrexham Football Club Pen-Portraits by Don Meredith
  • Tinseltown: Hollywood and the Beautiful Game - A Match Made In Wrexham by Ian Herbert

The Wrexham football team plays a significant role in the 1994 Peter Davies book Twenty Two Foreigners in Funny Shorts which was written for the World Cup in the US. It also profiles the Robins' ongoing and ultimately successful promotion effort.

See also Edit

Notes Edit

  1. ^ Notable for the first occasion of three hat tricks in a single Football League game.[citation needed]

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External links Edit

  • Official website  
  • Wrexham A.F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures

wrexham, this, article, about, welsh, football, club, affiliated, women, football, club, women, wrexham, association, football, club, welsh, clwb, pêl, droed, wrecsam, professional, association, football, club, based, wrexham, wales, formed, 1864, oldest, club. This article is about the Welsh men s football club For the affiliated women s football club see Wrexham A F C Women Wrexham Association Football Club Welsh Clwb Pel droed Wrecsam is a professional association football club based in Wrexham Wales Formed in 1864 2 it is the oldest club in Wales and the third oldest professional association football team in the world 3 They compete in EFL League Two the fourth level of the English football league system WrexhamFull nameWrexham Association Football ClubNickname s The Red Dragons The Robins The TownFoundedOctober 1864 158 years ago October 1864 1 StadiumRacecourse GroundCapacity10 771OwnersWrexham Holdings LLC Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney ManagerPhil ParkinsonLeagueEFL League Two2022 23National League 1st of 24 promoted WebsiteClub websiteHome coloursAway coloursThird coloursCurrent seasonThe club initially participated in friendlies and cup competitions and first entered a league by joining The Combination in 1890 It spent 13 seasons in the Combination and two seasons in the Welsh Senior League winning four Combination titles and two Welsh Senior League titles It entered the Birmingham amp District League in 1905 where it would remain until becoming inaugural members of the Football League s Third Division North in 1921 It spent 37 years in the Northern section until it was placed in the re organised Third Division in 1958 and then relegated two years later Wrexham was promoted out of the Fourth Division in 1961 62 only to be relegated again two years later Another promotion followed in 1969 70 and it reached the Second Division for the first time after winning the Third Division title in 1977 78 Two successive relegations saw it back in the fourth tier by 1983 and it saw no further promotion until 1992 93 Relegated once more in 2002 it gained immediate promotion in 2002 03 before worsening financial problems resulted in another relegation and then administration in December 2004 It took 18 months for the club to exit administration and the club s decline on the pitch continued as it dropped out of the Football League in 2008 Wrexham subsequently had five unsuccessful play off campaigns in the fifth tier of the English football league system before being promoted as champions of the 2022 23 National League they play in the EFL League Two Wrexham s honours include winning the Welsh Cup a record 23 times the Football League Trophy in 2005 at the Millennium Stadium and the FA Trophy in 2013 at Wembley Stadium The club are also record winners of the short lived FAW Premier Cup winning it five times out of the 11 years of its tenure participating against fellow Welsh clubs such as Cardiff City Swansea City and Newport County However their biggest rivalries are with English clubs Chester and Shrewsbury Town with games between the clubs known as the Cross border derby In 1992 Wrexham upset the reigning English Champions Arsenal in the FA Cup They also scored a 1 0 victory over FC Porto in 1984 in the European Cup Winners Cup Wrexham were eligible for the European Cup Winners Cup due to winning the Welsh Cup their first European tie was against FC Zurich of Switzerland in 1972 and their last was played in Romania against Petrolul Ploiești in 1995 Wrexham s home stadium the Racecourse Ground is the world s oldest international stadium that still continues to host international games 4 The record attendance at the ground was set in 1957 when the club hosted a match against Manchester United in front of 34 445 spectators 5 Contents 1 History 1 1 1864 1905 A club of pioneers 1 2 1905 1968 Into the Football League 1 3 1968 1982 The glory years 1 4 1982 1991 Decline 1 5 1991 2001 Giant Killers 1 6 2001 2008 Administration and the slide into non League football 1 7 2008 2020 The non League years 1 8 2020 present New owners return to EFL 2 Sponsorship 2 1 Kit manufacturers and sponsors 3 Stadium 4 Support 4 1 Rivalries 4 2 Team mascot 5 Training ground 6 Players 6 1 Squad 6 2 Out on loan 6 3 Notable former players 6 3 1 Hall of Fame 6 3 2 Player of the Year 6 3 3 Player records 6 4 Reserves 7 Team records 7 1 European record 8 Club officials 8 1 Coaching staff 8 2 Board of Directors 8 3 Honorary 8 4 Managerial history 9 Honours 10 Literature 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 External linksHistory Edit1864 1905 A club of pioneers Edit nbsp The Turf Hotel the building in which the club was founded in 1864The club was formed in October 1864 by members of the Wrexham Cricket Club who wanted a sporting activity for the winter months This makes them after Sheffield Cray Hallam and Notts County the fifth oldest association football team the third oldest professional club and the oldest in Wales 6 Their first game was played on 22 October 1864 at the Denbighshire County Cricket Ground The Racecourse against the Prince of Wales Fire Brigade 7 As the rules of football were still somewhat fluid at the time early matches featured teams with up to 17 players on each side 16 players when playing the Provincial Insurance Office and Chester College 15 players against the Volunteer Fire Brigade In these early years Wrexham were leaders of the campaign to restrict teams to having just 11 players on the pitch at any one time 8 In 1876 the newly formed Football Association of Wales saw Wales play their first international match against Scotland at The West of Scotland Cricket Club Partick featuring Edwin Cross and Alfred Davies as the first of many Wrexham F C players to play for Wales 9 nbsp Wrexham side that won the Welsh Cup in 1878In the 1877 78 season the FAW inaugurated the Welsh Cup competition to run on similar lines to the English FA Cup The first Welsh Cup final was played at Acton Park Wrexham got to the final of the inaugural competition where they defeated Druids F C 1 0 with James Davies being credited with the goal 10 11 Because of a lack of money at the fledgling FAW Wrexham did not receive their trophy until the next year For their first decade Wrexham mostly played friendly matches against both Welsh and English opposition with the Welsh Cup providing most of their competitive football Wrexham winning it again in 1883 citation needed 1883 also saw Wrexham s first appearance in the FA Cup when after receiving a bye to the second round of the competition they were defeated 3 4 at home by Oswestry Crowd trouble at the game led to the club being expelled from the Football Association leading to the club being reformed in 1884 as Wrexham Olympic Olympic was dropped from this club s name in 1888 12 Thanks to a dispute with their landlords who had raised the rent of the Racecourse Ground to 10 a year Wrexham played their home games in the 1881 82 and 1882 83 seasons at Rhosddu Recreation Ground changing the club s name to Wrexham Athletic for one season before moving back to the Racecourse Ground for the 1883 84 season where the club have played their home games ever since citation needed In 1890 Wrexham joined The Combination league playing their first game against Gorton Villa on 6 September 1890 with Arthur Lea scoring Wrexham s only goal in a 5 1 defeat Lea played for the club despite only having one arm 13 as did playing colleague James Roberts Wrexham finished the season second from bottom in eighth place in the first season citation needed Wrexham played in the Combination for four years before a rapid increase in costs resulted in the club joining the Welsh League in the 1894 95 season Wrexham won the Welsh League both years that they were in it but they then decided to return to the Combination League in 1896 as despite the reduced support they received the savings made on their travelling expenses outweighed the reduction in gate revenue citation needed 1905 1968 Into the Football League Edit nbsp Chart of yearly table positions of Wrexham in the English football league systemThe club remained in the Combination league until 1905 by which time they had managed to win the league four times After several unsuccessful attempts Wrexham were finally elected to the Birmingham and District League in time for the beginning of the 1905 06 season Wrexham s first ever match in this league was at home against Kidderminster Harriers at the Racecourse and two thousand spectators witnessed Wrexham win the match 2 1 Wrexham finished sixth in their first season in this league citation needed During their time in the Birmingham and District League Wrexham won the Welsh Cup six times in 1908 09 1909 10 1910 11 1913 14 1914 15 and 1920 21 They also reached the First Round proper of the FA Cup for a second time in the 1908 09 season before losing a replay 1 2 to Exeter City after extra time citation needed In 1921 Wrexham were elected to the newly formed Third Division North of the Football League Their first League game was against Hartlepools United at the Racecourse in front of 8 000 spectators Playing in blue shirts Wrexham were defeated 0 2 The week after this defeat Wrexham travelled north to play Hartlepools and managed to get their revenge by beating them 1 0 in a hard earned victory citation needed It was during this particular season that Wrexham achieved many firsts in the club s history such as when Ted Regan scored the club s first ever Football League hat trick and also Brian Simpson became the first Wrexham player to be sent off in a Football League game against Southport in January 1922 Charlie Hewitt was the club s first ever manager during this period citation needed In the 1926 27 season the club got past the first round of the FA Cup only to be knocked out by Rhyl The following season Wrexham fought their way to the fourth round before they lost 0 1 to Birmingham City A record 32 league goals from Albert Mays helped Wrexham to get to third position in the division in the 1928 29 season And later in that season Tommy Bamford made his first appearance for the club He went on to score 201 League and Cup goals for the club during his time at the Racecourse During the 1929 30 season the club recorded their best ever league win to date when they defeated Rochdale 8 0 citation needed Wrexham enjoyed their best ever Third Division North season in 1932 33 when they finished runners up to Hull City and won 18 of their 21 home games during the course of the season This was the first season that the club appeared in their now familiar red and white strip for the first time for the short lived 1939 40 season citation needed During the Second World War years when long cross county trips were impossible due to the war Wrexham played in the Regional League West against local teams from Merseyside and Manchester amongst others in the north west region Wrexham s position as a barracks town meant that the team could secure the services of many famous guest players such as Stanley Matthews Stan Cullis and others citation needed In the first post war season Wrexham equalled their best ever position when they again finished third in the Third Division North In the summer of 1949 the club made its first ever tour abroad when it played three games against the British army in Germany citation needed The club reached the fourth round of the FA Cup in 1956 57 where they played Manchester United s Busby Babes in front of a crowd of 34 445 people at the Racecourse which still remains a club record The 5 0 defeat did not spoil the occasion for the large home crowd and later that season Wrexham managed to win the Welsh Cup for the first time in 26 years citation needed 1960 saw the club relegated to a lower tier for the first time in their history and they dropped into the newly created Fourth Division But their performances improved following the appointment of Ken Barnes as player manager He led Wrexham to promotion to the third division in his first season in charge and oversaw the 10 1 trouncing of Hartlepool United which is still the club s record league victory Two years after their promotion Wrexham were relegated to the Fourth Division again and in 1966 they finished rock bottom at 92nd in the Football League after an extremely disappointing season citation needed 1968 1982 The glory years Edit John Neal was appointed manager of Wrexham in 1968 succeeding Alvan Williams who had brought Neal to the club as his assistant citation needed He guided the club to a 9th place finish in 1969 before leading Wrexham to their second Football League promotion in 1970 with a second place finish and promotion to the Third Division citation needed With Welsh clubs now able to qualify for the European Cup Winners Cup by winning the Welsh Cup Wrexham played their inaugural match in Europe against Swiss side FC Zurich in Switzerland on 13 September 1972 the game finishing 1 1 In the return leg Wrexham won 2 1 advancing to the second round with a 3 2 win on aggregate The second round drew Wrexham against Yugoslav side Hajduk Split Over the course of two games the score finished 3 3 on aggregate with Wrexham matching their more illustrious opponents but they were knocked out of the competition due to the away goals rule citation needed The 1972 73 season saw the completion of the new Yale stand with a capacity of up to 5 500 Including the terrace helped to comprise the bottom tier of the stand The 1973 74 season saw Wrexham change their badge from the Maelor crest to a brand new badge that had a lot more resemblance to the Welsh roots of the club with three feathers on the top of the badge and two dragons one on either side of the badge and facing inwards This is still the badge for today s team This season also saw Wrexham reach the quarter finals of the FA Cup in another cup run After victories over Shrewsbury Town Rotherham United Middlesbrough Crystal Palace and Southampton their cup run finally came to an end with a loss to first division side Burnley at Turf Moor with 15 000 Wrexham fans present to watch the match 14 Also that season Wrexham just missed out on the promotion spots finishing in 4th place at the end of the season citation needed nbsp Defender Alan Hill played over 250 games for Wrexham between 1973 and 19831975 76 saw John Neal s starlets captained by Eddie May again shocking the football world by reaching the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners Cup after another sparkling cup run and defeats of several higher quality opponents In the first round Wrexham beat Swedish team Djurgardens IF 3 2 on aggregate They then managed to knock out Polish side Stal Rzeszow 3 1 on aggregate Wrexham played Belgian champions Anderlecht in the quarter finals and narrowly lost 2 1 to the eventual winners of the competition citation needed The 1976 77 season saw Wrexham again beat First Division opposition in both Cup competitions as they went on another cup run defeating Tottenham Hotspur in the Football League Cup and Sunderland in the FA Cup However the league season was a traumatic one as the club on the verge of promotion to the second division with only four matches left to play needing just three points to reach their goal unbelievably missed out after a poor run of form citation needed Arfon Griffiths took over as player manager for the 1977 78 season They reached both the League and FA Cup quarter finals that season and Wrexham finally clinched promotion to the second division when they beat Rotherham United 7 1 at a packed Racecourse and Wrexham went on to win the Third Division Championship that year citation needed In the 1978 79 season Wrexham made it to the fourth round of the FA Cup where they narrowly lost to Tottenham Hotspur 3 2 in the replay after the first game finished 3 3 The Spurs team had stars amongst their ranks such as Ossie Ardiles Ricky Villa and Glenn Hoddle and Wrexham were unfortunate to get knocked out citation needed Following Arfon Griffiths resignation from the manager s position in 1981 his assistant Mel Sutton was put in charge with a memorable third round FA Cup win over Brian Clough s Nottingham Forest in another cup run the highlight of the season citation needed 1982 1991 Decline Edit The summer of 1982 saw Bobby Roberts appointed the club s new manager Relegation meant the club had dire financial problems resulting in the sale of many of the club s experienced and talented players Frank Carrdus Ian Edwards Mick Vinter and Wayne Cegieski had already left during the summer Steve Fox Joey Jones Dixie McNeil and Billy Ronson soon followed Wrexham were again relegated to the Fourth Division after plummeting from apparent mid table security The club s slide continued into the following season and only goal difference prevented Wrexham from being forced to apply for re election to the League citation needed The 1984 85 season saw Wrexham take on FC Porto in European competition Wrexham won the home leg with a 1 0 victory but in the second leg Porto showed their class and were 3 0 up after 38 minutes However Wrexham pulled goals back and the game finished 4 3 making it 4 4 on aggregate with Wrexham advancing on away goals The second round draw was to pair Wrexham with Italian side AS Roma managed by Sven Goran Eriksson Wrexham lost 3 0 on aggregate over the two legs Their league performance was even more dire than the previous year and by the time Bobby Roberts was finally removed from his post Wrexham were rock bottom of the entire Football League citation needed Former Racecourse favourite Dixie McNeil was appointed caretaker manager and immediately inspired a revival that saw Wrexham win 7 of their last 10 matches and comfortably finish clear of having to apply for re election which earned him the job on a permanent basis that summer His first season in charge saw the team finish mid table position in an average season he led the team to a Welsh Cup final win over Kidderminster Harriers 1986 saw Wrexham make a return to European football with a first round draw against Maltese side FC Zurrieq whom they beat 7 0 on aggregate to earn a second round tie against Real Zaragoza which they drew 2 2 with on aggregate but they went out on away goals citation needed Following the Bradford City stadium fire in May 1985 legislation on ground safety at all football grounds was brought into effect This eventually led to the closure of the Mold Road stand because it did not reach the necessary safety standards Led by Dixie McNeil Wrexham reached the Fourth Division play offs in 1989 having finished seventh in the league Wrexham beat Scunthorpe United in the semi final 5 1 on aggregate but narrowly lost to Leyton Orient 2 1 in the final After Wrexham started the next season with just 3 wins from 13 league games Dixie McNeil resigned before his inevitable sacking citation needed He was replaced initially on a temporary basis by Brian Flynn but his appointment was made permanent a month later However the club continued to struggle domestically and Flynn was forced to make three important signings in Mark Setori Eddie Youds and Alan Kennedy which saw the team finish in twenty first place therefore avoiding relegation citation needed At the start of the 1990 91 season it was announced there would be no relegation to the Conference Premier as a team had already voluntarily left the league That season Wrexham were to finish in ninety second place Wrexham were knocked out of the European Cup Winners Cup in the second round by Manchester United 5 0 on aggregate who eventually went on to win the trophy citation needed 1991 2001 Giant Killers Edit The 1991 92 season saw Wrexham still in a poor financial state as they continued to struggle on the field With the club knocked out of the League Cup and struggling in the league it was left to the FA Cup to keep the season alive Having beaten Telford United and Winsford United they were drawn to play the previous season s First Division champions Arsenal Wrexham produced one of their most memorable nights to beat the Gunners 2 1 after being behind with a thunderous Mickey Thomas free kick and a Steve Watkin goal They lost in the next round to West Ham United 1 0 in a replay after the first game had finished 2 2 citation needed In an attempt to change the fortunes of the club after several seasons in the doldrums at the bottom of the football league pyramid the 1992 93 season saw Wrexham manager Brian Flynn make a shrewd signing when he enlisted the services of Gary Bennett who soon settled and helped Wrexham into the promotion race Wrexham s season came to a head on 27 April 1993 when with two games left they travelled to Northampton Town requiring a win to gain promotion to the next tier of the English football The game ended with a 2 0 victory to Wrexham and the 5 500 travelling Reds supporters there were jubilant when promotion had finally been achieved citation needed The 1994 95 season would see Wrexham achieve more success in cup competitions this time going on a run through the FA Cup Having beaten Stockport County and Rotherham United they faced Premier League side Ipswich Town at the Racecourse with Wrexham running out 2 1 winners thanks to goals from Gary Bennett and Kieron Durkan In the next round Wrexham were drawn away to Manchester United and despite taking the lead at Old Trafford United went on to win 5 2 citation needed The 1995 96 season once again saw Wrexham in European action with their opposition this time coming in the form of Romanian team Petrolul Ploiești the home leg ended in a 0 0 draw but Wrexham lost 1 0 in the away leg with the Romanians scoring the only goal of the match and Wrexham were subsequently knocked out of the tournament citation needed The 1996 97 season saw Wrexham set off on another amazing run in the FA Cup and beating more top flight opposition Following wins at Colwyn Bay and Scunthorpe United they were drawn to play West Ham United at home the game ending in a 1 1 draw on a snow covered pitch after a well earned draw The replay at Upton Park ended in a shock 1 0 win to Wrexham as Kevin Russell scored in the dying minutes to send Wrexham into the fourth round 15 After also beating Peterborough United and Birmingham City in the following rounds they played Chesterfield in an all Division 2 FA Cup quarter final Wrexham narrowly losing to the Spireites 1 0 citation needed June 1997 was the date for the official opening of Colliers Park which was Wrexham s new training ground and was situated just outside Gresford on Chester Road It was built at a cost of 750 000 and is widely regarded to be one of the best training grounds outside of the top flight It has been used for training by many visiting teams that play at a higher standard over the years citation needed The 1999 2000 season saw Wrexham again beat a top flight team in the FA Cup this time in the shape of Middlesbrough The final score of the match was 2 1 with the second half goals coming from Robin Gibson and Darren Ferguson after being behind to the Premiership outfit Wrexham went on to win the FAW Premier Cup in May 2001 citation needed 2001 2008 Administration and the slide into non League football Edit nbsp Match at the Racecourse in 2004At the start of the 21st century the club was dogged with many problems off the pitch including then chairman Alex Hamilton attempting to get the club evicted from the stadium so that he could use and sell it for his own development purposes the saga involved the sale of the Racecourse Ground to a separate company owned by Hamilton immediately after he became the club s chairman 16 In the summer of 2004 Hamilton gave the club a year s notice to quit the ground 17 The club s fans developed an affinity with the fans of fellow football league club Brighton amp Hove Albion who themselves had managed to successfully depose their chairman and keep control of their stadium after he had sold the ground for development purposes in almost the same circumstances 18 On 3 December 2004 the club was placed in financial administration by the High Court in Manchester as the club owed 2 600 000 including 800 000 which was owed to the Inland Revenue in unpaid taxes Wrexham became the first League club to suffer a ten point deduction under the new rule for being placed in administration dropping them from the middle of the League One table to the relegation zone after the point deduction and subsequently condemned Wrexham to relegation 19 Despite their financial troubles Wrexham went on to win the 2004 05 Football League Trophy by defeating Southend United 2 0 after extra time in Wrexham s first appearance at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff 20 The winning goals were scored by Juan Ugarte and Darren Ferguson as Wrexham ran out winners in front of nearly 20 000 Wrexham fans 21 Wrexham still retained an outside chance of escaping the drop in the 2004 05 season following an end of season winning streak however their faint hopes of staying up were ended with a 2 1 home loss to Brentford on 3 May 2005 The 10 point deduction proved decisive in determining Wrexham s fate as the club finished with 43 points compared to 20th placed Milton Keynes Dons 51 a net points tally of 53 after deduction which had condemned them to relegation 22 nbsp 5 May 2007 Ryan Valentine scores the goal against Boston that keeps Wrexham in the Football LeagueIn October 2005 Birmingham High Court decided that Alex Hamilton s company CrucialMove had improperly acquired the freehold of the ground and the decision went against him 23 Hamilton then took this to the Appeal Court in London and it ruled on 14 March 2006 that the stadium must remain in the hands of the club s administrators 24 On 30 April 2006 the administrators reached an agreement with local car dealer Neville Dickens subject to agreement by the shareholders and creditors which was achieved on 30 May for Dickens to take over control of the club and all its assets 25 Had the club still been in Administration by 3 June then Wrexham would have automatically been expelled from the League because of their financial situation Wrexham Football Club 2006 Ltd is the name of the phoenix company that took over the assets of the old Wrexham Association Football Club Limited technically the club is no longer known as Wrexham Association Football Club due to the takeover of the club by Neville Dickens and Geoff Moss and their associates this is reflected on new merchandise although most fans will still refer to it as Wrexham AFC citation needed nbsp 5 May 2007 Scoreboard showing the final score of game that kept Wrexham in the Football League and condemned Boston United to the ConferenceThe 2006 07 season started well for Wrexham as they went 8 games unbeaten 26 However the club would then struggle with Denis Smith eventually being sacked in January 2007 with Wrexham in the bottom half of the division and after a poor run of results 27 He was replaced by coach Brian Carey 28 Wrexham finished 19th in League Two with 51 points 29 after an impressive late run of form which saw them win 4 out of their last 5 games which included defeating local rivals Shrewsbury in the last derby match at Gay Meadow citation needed Wrexham s league status was saved on the last day of the season with a vital 3 1 victory on 5 May 2007 over Boston United at home which sent their opponents down to the Conference Premier and ensured that Wrexham would stay in the Football League 30 Expectations were high for the 2007 08 season with fans expecting a promotion push citation needed However the season started badly with the club in 24th by November 2007 citation needed Brian Carey was eventually sacked and on 15 November 2007 Brian Little was named as Wrexham s new manager and the replacement to Carey who took the role of assistant manager 31 After a promising start to his reign Wrexham experienced a run of seven straight league defeats prompting the club to bring in eleven new players during the January transfer window 32 citation needed Wrexham went six matches unbeaten before some poor form which saw defeats against some fellow strugglers citation needed Wrexham were finally relegated to non League following a 2 0 defeat away at Hereford United ending the club s 87 year stay in the Football League 33 2008 2020 The non League years Edit The 2008 09 season started well with a 5 0 home victory against Stevenage Borough 34 However a run of poor results followed with Wrexham being left in the mid table battle only four points above the relegation zone and only keeping two clean sheets all season Following a 3 0 home defeat against Rushden and Diamonds and fans calling for his dismissal Little left Wrexham by mutual consent 35 Little was replaced by Dean Saunders 36 Wrexham s first full season in the Conference Premier ended in a disappointing 10th place 37 The following year 2009 10 ended in a similar fashion with Wrexham finishing in 11th position well off the pace of the promotion battle 38 nbsp Wrexham at Wembley Stadium in 2013In March 2011 the ownership of the club became subject to two bids one from Wrexham Supporters Trust and another from local businesswoman Stephanie Booth 39 Wrexham s MP and AM indicated that they would prefer Wrexham Supporters Trust to secure the bid 40 A third bid later came in but after WST and Booth came to an agreement their bid was then re accepted In April 2011 the club were served with a winding up order from HMRC with an unpaid tax bill of just under 200 000 41 The team finished the 2010 11 season in 4th place qualifying for a play off spot but were beaten 5 1 on aggregate by Luton Town in the semi final 42 During the 2011 12 season Wrexham were invited back into the Welsh Cup after 16 years entering at the third round stage 43 New manager Andy Morrell guided Wrexham to a record tally of 98 points but this was not enough to gain automatic promotion as they ended the season only 5 points adrift of Fleetwood Town who gained the only automatic place 44 Wrexham lost in the play offs to Luton Town again 45 Wrexham earned themselves places in both the FA Trophy final and the Conference Premier play off final their first two appearances at Wembley Stadium in the club s 150 year history to date and within five weeks of one another In the FA Trophy final Wrexham won on penalties after a 1 1 draw with Grimsby Town 46 A 5 2 aggregate win over Kidderminster Harriers in the two legged play off semi final saw Wrexham through to the final versus Newport County the first play off final to feature two Welsh teams Newport defeated Wrexham 2 0 47 In February 2014 Andy Morrell stepped down as manager 48 Billy Barr was appointed as interim manager before being replaced a few weeks later by Kevin Wilkin 49 Wrexham finished the 2013 14 season in 17th place 50 In 2018 19 Wrexham finished in 4th place but lost the play off quarter final to Eastleigh 51 In 2019 20 the club finished 19th on points per game after the season was ended early due to the COVID 19 pandemic the lowest position in the club s 150 year history 52 53 2020 present New owners return to EFL Edit Main articles 2021 22 Wrexham A F C season 2022 23 Wrexham A F C season and 2023 24 Wrexham A F C season In November 2020 Canadian American actor Ryan Reynolds and American actor Rob McElhenney through their RR McReynolds Company LLC bought the club The deal received the backing of 98 6 of the 2 000 members of the Wrexham Supporters Trust that voted 54 55 and was completed in February 2021 They were included in FIFA 22 as part of the Rest of World section becoming the first non league team to be featured in the series 56 In 2021 22 Wrexham finished 2nd before losing the play off semi final 5 4 to Grimsby Town after extra time 57 Wrexham also reached the 2022 FA Trophy final which they lost 1 0 to Bromley 58 Following the takeover a docuseries called Welcome to Wrexham was announced to be in production for FX with Boardwalk Pictures The series debuted on 24 August 2022 on FX and Hulu in the United States followed by a release on Disney in the United Kingdom and Ireland the next day 59 60 61 The acquisition by Reynolds and McElhenney and the attendant publicity from Welcome to Wrexham had a significant impact on the club s visibility leading to its acquiring a new global fanbase with no precedent for a team in the fifth division 62 63 64 The club s fortunes began to attract dedicated coverage from global sporting media that would not typically be afforded teams outside the Premier League 65 This in turn inspired debate about the potential replicability of this strategy for other lesser known clubs and leagues with The Guardian remarking that everybody wants to do a Wrexham but not everybody can 66 During the 2022 23 season the team progressed to the fourth round in the 2022 23 FA Cup being the only National League team to do so beating Coventry City in an upset in the third round and eventually being knocked out by Sheffield United in a replay The first game against Sheffield United which ended in a 3 3 draw was ESPN s most followed football game across its digital platforms 67 Wrexham vied with Notts County throughout the season to lead the league trading the first spot back and forth and both setting new National League records for wins goals and goal difference while 20 points ahead of the third place team by the end of the season 68 On 22 April 2023 Wrexham secured winning their first league title in 45 years and were promoted to the EFL League Two after a 15 year absence following a 3 1 win against Boreham Wood 69 The club amassed a tally of 111 points that season a record for the top five divisions of English league football beating Notts County to the championship and single automatic promotion spot 70 71 On 5 August 2023 Wrexham played their first Football League match in 15 years losing at home to MK Dons 72 Sponsorship EditWrexham s home kit is red shirts white shorts and white socks The club have played in a predominantly red kit with white features since the late 1930s The away kit is white shirts red shorts and red socks In 2014 15 to celebrate the club s 150th anniversary Wrexham wore a red and black hooped Nike home shirt as this was the club s first ever recorded home shirt 73 Macron have been the kit supplier of Wrexham AFC since 2016 and helped arrange a pre season training camp for the first team in pre season 2017 in Portugal where over 600 supporters travelled over to support the team in a 2 1 win over Louletano They still visit Portugal each summer citation needed In April 2011 Wrexham signed a two year sponsorship deal with Greene King brewery This was cancelled in September after Glyndŵr University bought the Racecourse as the university had an exclusive deal with another brewery 74 Starting with the kits for the 2021 22 seasons the back neck of the shirt has the number 1934 embroidered in in remembrance of the Gresford disaster 75 In May 2023 the team s training kit was announced to be sponsored by Betty Buzz a beverage company owned by Ryan Reynolds wife Blake Lively for the 2023 24 season 76 nbsp The old Wrexham club shopKit manufacturers and sponsors Edit Source 77 Period Brand Shirt Sponsor chest Shirt Sponsor sleeve 1984 85 Patrick Crosville Buses none1985 87 Winning Ways Marston s1987 88 Hi Tec Sports1988 89 Admiral Sportswear1989 91 Spall1991 92 EN S1992 98 Wrexham Lager1998 2002 Super League2002 04 Vandanel Gap Personnel2004 06 Just Go2006 08 Lease Direct2008 11 Umbro2011 12 Puma Glyndŵr University2012 14 Adidas2014 15 Nike2015 16 Adidas2016 21 Macron Ifor Williams Trailers2021 22 TikTok Expedia back Aviation American Gin2022 23 Vistaprint2023 present United Airlines Vistaprint back HP Inc Stadium EditMain article Racecourse Ground nbsp The Racecourse GroundSince 1864 Wrexham have played their home games at The Racecourse Ground situated on the Mold Road which is the main through road heading into Wrexham it is opposite the residential area of Maesgwyn situated between Glyndŵr University and Wrexham General railway station 78 In August 2011 Glyndŵr University purchased the stadium and the club training facilities in Gresford 79 adding their name to the stadium for it to become The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium Subsequently in 2016 Wrexham Supporters Trust secured a 99 year lease on the ground and the name reverted to the Racecourse Ground 80 The capacity is 10 500 which made it one of the largest stadiums in the National League 81 In June 2022 Wrexham AFC purchased the Racecourse Ground freehold from the university and are planning renovations to the stadium 82 Support EditIn August 2011 Wrexham were faced with being expelled from the Football Conference 83 fans rallied and raised 127 000 in one day 84 to help pay a bond so they could secure football for the forthcoming season A month later the Wrexham Supporters Trust WST took over day to day running of the club 85 Fan ownership of Wrexham was finally ratified on 12 December 2011 86 As of May 2015 the WST had 4 129 adult members and joint owners of the club 87 nbsp A sold out Kop End and Mold Road StandAs well as the city of Wrexham support is drawn from the surrounding towns and villages of the district such as Gwersyllt and Rhos 88 89 the Flintshire towns of Mold 90 Buckley 91 Holywell 92 and Deeside For the 2013 FA Trophy final coaches of Wrexham fans came from many North Wales towns including Bala Bangor Caernarfon Colwyn Bay Denbigh Flint Llandudno Prestatyn Rhyl and Ruthin 93 Additionally many Wrexham fans reside in Shropshire 94 Exiled supporters clubs can be found in South Wales 95 Manchester and London 96 Over the past 15 years even as a lower league side Wrexham have been able to attract gates of 11 000 for big games at the Racecourse 97 98 Famous Wrexham fans include Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield 99 former Royal butler Paul Burrell 100 actor and television presenter Tim Vincent 101 actor Llŷr Ifans 102 actor and Comedian Ted Robbins 103 Sweet guitarist Andy Scott 104 Lloyd Roberts of rock band Neck Deep 105 2012 Olympian weightlifter Gareth Evans 106 Sky Sports reporter Bryn Law 107 Rugby World Cup Referee Nigel Owens 108 and former footballers Neil Roberts 109 Robbie Savage 110 and Mark Hughes 111 Rivalries Edit Main article Cross border derby Wrexham has a fierce rivalry with Chester 112 113 the clubs are just 10 miles apart but are Welsh and English respectively The two contest the Cross Border Derby the first match was held in 1888 with Wrexham running out 3 2 winners at Faulkner Street the former home of Chester City the last derby to date was played at the Swansway Chester Stadium where Wrexham won 1 0 on 8 November 2017 114 Wrexham lead the head to head rivalry with 67 wins compared to Chester s 50 Games between the two are classed as high risk 115 for potential of disorder and are generally moved to early kick offs with a large police presence to prevent it 116 though arrests do still occur for various offences surrounding the fans of both clubs 117 118 119 nbsp Chester vs Wrexham in 1954Former Chester City player Lee Dixon said of the derby I m telling you Chester versus Wrexham was a real derby It s difficult to compare if you ve not played in each one but there s something special about any derby at any level I played for Chester v Wrexham and that could get ferocious It lost nothing in ferocity compared to Arsenal v Spurs 120 Former Wales and Liverpool striker Ian Rush who played for both clubs said in 2013 the Cross border derby between the two clubs is as intense as they come and It is like Wales v England really it is incredible 121 Wrexham also have a fierce rivalry with Shrewsbury Town 122 123 and Tranmere Rovers due to geographical proximity The games are often moved to early kick offs in accordance with police wishes to minimise the potential of trouble as has happened between clubs previously In 2003 32 hooligans were jailed after a Tranmere v Wrexham match at Prenton Park 124 and trouble was again evident when the two clubs met in a 2013 friendly at the Racecourse Ground 125 Though not as intense as they once were due to divisional differences Crewe Alexandra and Port Vale as well as fellow Welsh clubs Cardiff City Newport County and Swansea City are also classed as rivals 122 126 127 128 Since the start of the 2020s a rivalry with Notts County has developed due to the two teams fighting for promotion simultaneously 129 Wrexham is represented by a hooligan firm known as the Front Line that have been involved in major disorder around Britain since the early 1980s 130 nbsp Wrex the DragonTeam mascot Edit Wrex the Dragon is the official team mascot of Wrexham The mascot along with the team nickname The Dragons was introduced in 2001 02 by the Commercial manager following a ballot of fans to help increase sponsorship and promote the club s Welsh image whilst also providing a more original nickname as Bristol City Swindon Town and Cheltenham Town also use the nickname of The Robins Wrex wears a red face and Wrexham F C shirt wearing the number 1864 citation needed Training ground EditWrexham s training ground was the purpose built Colliers Park in neighbouring Gresford 131 When the construction had been completed it was officially opened in June 1997 at a building cost of 750 000 131 It is widely regarded in British football as one of the best training grounds outside of the top flight and one of the best never to have been used by a top flight team 132 The England national team Barcelona Rangers and the Wales national team have all used it for training purposes 132 133 Colliers Park continues to be improved a running hill as well as all weather pitches and a small stand have been constructed since the facilities opened in 1997 Andy Rupp Colliers Park is now owned by Glyndwr University as part of their purchase of the Racecourse Ground assets citation needed For the beginning of the 2016 17 season Wrexham moved back to their former training ground at Stansty Park 134 This is also the home of Welsh National League side Lex Glyndwr Wrexham did however retain the use of Colliers Park for Youth and Reserve fixtures After one season training at Stansty Park Wrexham announced they would be moving to a new training ground at Nine Acre for the beginning of the 2017 18 season based near the city centre citation needed Wrexham occasionally train at their former site Colliers Park citation needed Players EditSquad Edit As of 8 September 2023 135 Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player1 GK nbsp ENG Rob Lainton3 DF nbsp SCO Callum McFadzean4 DF nbsp ENG Ben Tozer vice captain 5 DF nbsp ENG Aaron Hayden6 DF nbsp ENG Jordan Tunnicliffe7 MF nbsp WAL Jordan Davies8 MF nbsp ENG Luke Young captain 9 FW nbsp ENG Ollie Palmer10 FW nbsp WAL Paul Mullin11 FW nbsp IRL Liam McAlinden12 MF nbsp ENG George Evans14 DF nbsp IRL Anthony Forde15 DF nbsp IRL Eoghan O Connell16 FW nbsp ENG Billy Waters17 DF nbsp ENG Bryce Hosannah18 FW nbsp ENG Sam Dalby19 DF nbsp GAM Jacob Mendy No Pos Nation Player20 MF nbsp ENG Andy Cannon21 GK nbsp ENG Mark Howard22 MF nbsp IRL Thomas O Connor23 MF nbsp IRL James McClean25 DF nbsp SCO Will Boyle26 FW nbsp SCO Steven Fletcher27 FW nbsp WAL Jake Bickerstaff29 MF nbsp ENG Ryan Barnett30 MF nbsp SCO James Jones31 GK nbsp IRL Luke McNicholas on loan from Sligo Rovers 32 DF nbsp WAL Max Cleworth33 GK nbsp ENG Arthur Okonkwo on loan from Arsenal 34 DF nbsp ENG Aaron James35 MF nbsp ENG Owen Cushion38 FW nbsp ENG Elliot Lee39 DF nbsp WAL Daniel Davies GK nbsp ENG Liam HallOut on loan Edit Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player24 DF nbsp WAL Scott Butler on loan at Nantwich Town until January 2024 Notable former players Edit For all players with a Wikipedia article see Wrexham A F C players Hall of Fame Edit The following are members of the Wrexham A F C Hall of Fame 136 Entry is not restricted to players anyone who has made a great contribution to the club in any capacity can be considered nbsp Billy Ashcroft nbsp Tommy Bamford nbsp Tommy Bannan nbsp Ken Barnes nbsp Gary Bennett nbsp Horace Blew nbsp Brian Carey nbsp Ron Chaloner nbsp Carroll Clark nbsp Karl Connolly nbsp Dai Davies nbsp Gareth Davies nbsp Carlos Edwards nbsp Johnny Edwards nbsp Mickey Evans nbsp Brian Flynn nbsp Alan Fox nbsp Bert Goode nbsp Arfon Griffiths nbsp Pryce Griffiths nbsp Phil Hardy nbsp Ron Hewitt nbsp Alf Jones nbsp Joey Jones nbsp Albert Kinsey nbsp Dennis Lawrence nbsp Brian Lloyd nbsp Cliff Lloyd nbsp Andy Marriott nbsp Tommy Matthias nbsp Eddie May nbsp Ally McGowan nbsp Sammy McMillan nbsp Dixie McNeil nbsp John Neal nbsp Gareth Owen nbsp Ted Robinson nbsp Kevin Russell nbsp Bobby Shinton nbsp George Showell nbsp Denis Smith nbsp Ray Smith nbsp Mel Sutton nbsp Mickey Thomas nbsp Billy Tunnicliffe nbsp Graham Whittle nbsp Mike Williams nbsp Andy Morrell nbsp Mark Carrington nbsp Wrexham Supporters Trust Player of the Year Edit Main article List of Wrexham A F C records and statistics Wrexham Player of the Year Player records Edit Most goals in a season in all competitions Tommy Bamford 51 1933 34 137 Most League goals in a season Tommy Bamford 44 1933 34 Division Three North 137 Most league goals in total Tommy Bamford 175 137 Most hat tricks Tommy Bamford 16 138 Most goals scored in a single game by one player Andy Morrell 7 against Merthyr Tydfil 16 February 2000 139 Most league appearances 592 Arfon Griffiths 1959 61 1962 79 140 Most appearances in total Most capped player 89 Dennis Lawrence Trinidad amp Tobago 141 Most caps while at Wrexham 49 Dennis Lawrence Trinidad amp Tobago Oldest player Bobby Roberts 43 years 88 days against Worcester City 29 October 1983 142 Youngest player Ken Roberts 15 years 158 days against Bradford PA 1 September 1951 143 Reserves Edit Between 1988 and 1995 the reserve team of Wrexham played in the Welsh football leagues 144 On 2 August 2022 Wrexham announced their participation in the upcoming 2022 23 Central League season 145 Team records EditAttendance 34 445 v Manchester United FA Cup 4th round 26 January 1957 146 League attendance 29 261 v Chester City Division Three 26 December 1936 147 Average attendance 11 651 1977 78 148 Highest league win 10 1 v Hartlepools United 3 March 1962 149 a Worst league defeat 9 0 v Brentford Division Three 15 October 1963 citation needed Biggest cup win 6 0 v Charlton Athletic FA Cup 3rd round 5 January 1980 citation needed Most games won in a row 10 5 April 2003 8 May 2003 2002 03 150 Most league wins in a season 34 2022 23 Most goals in a season 115 2022 23 Longest unbeaten run 28 October 2022 7 April 2023 2022 23 151 152 Most consecutive league clean sheets 7 9 October 26 November 2011 12 153 Most clean sheets in a season 26 1973 74 and 2018 19 154 Highest transfer received 800 000 for Bryan Hughes Birmingham City 1997 155 Highest transfer fee paid 300 000 for Ollie Palmer AFC Wimbledon 2022 156 European record Edit European Cup Winners Cup Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate Ref1972 73 Cup Winners Cup First round nbsp FC Zurich 2 1 1 1 3 2 157 158 Second round nbsp Hajduk Split 3 1 0 2 3 3 159 160 1975 76 Cup Winners Cup First round nbsp Djurgarden 2 1 1 1 3 2 161 162 Second round nbsp Stal Rzeszow 2 0 1 1 3 1 163 164 Quarter final nbsp Anderlecht 1 1 0 1 1 2 165 166 1978 79 Cup Winners Cup First round nbsp Rijeka 2 0 0 3 2 3 167 168 1979 80 Cup Winners Cup First round nbsp FC Magdeburg 3 2 2 5 5 7 169 170 1984 85 Cup Winners Cup First round nbsp FC Porto 1 0 3 4 4 4 171 Second round nbsp Roma 0 1 0 2 0 3 172 173 1986 87 Cup Winners Cup First round nbsp Zurrieq 4 0 3 0 7 0 174 175 Second round nbsp Real Zaragoza 2 2 0 0 2 2 176 177 1990 91 Cup Winners Cup First round nbsp Lyngby 0 0 1 0 1 0 178 179 Second round nbsp Manchester United 0 2 0 3 0 5 180 181 1995 96 Cup Winners Cup First round nbsp Petrolul Ploiești 0 0 0 1 0 1 182 183 Club officials EditAs of 19 May 2023 184 Coaching staff Edit This is about the men s coaching staff for Wrexham A F C s men s team For the Women s coaching staff see Wrexham A F C Women Women s Coaching Staff nbsp Current Wrexham manager Phill Parkinson joined the club in 2021Role NameManager nbsp Phil ParkinsonAssistant manager nbsp Steve ParkinFirst team coach nbsp David JonesGoalkeeping coach nbsp Aidan DavisonHead of Performance Medicine and Sport Science nbsp Kevin MulhollandFirst Team Sports Scientist nbsp Owen JacksonFirst Team Strength and Conditioning Coach nbsp Richard HillFirst Team Physiotherapist nbsp Jonny GriffithsFirst Team Sports Physiotherapists nbsp Gemma Bamford nbsp Ryan Murray nbsp Ashley PainterPerformance Analyst nbsp Kyle CrutchleyChief scout nbsp Andy KidbyKitman nbsp Iwan Pugh JonesCentre of Excellence Manager nbsp Dan NolanYouth Team Coach nbsp Cledwyn AshfordYouth Team Analyst nbsp Aaron BennettBoard of Directors Edit As of 19 May 2023 185 Role NameCo Chairmen Rob McElhenneyRyan ReynoldsExecutive director Humphrey KerChief Executive Fleur RobinsonAdvisors to the Board Shaun HarveyPeter MooreLes ReedHonorary Edit Role NameClub President Dixie McNeilVice Presidents Dave BennettDave GriffithsSpencer HarrisGavin JonesRob ParryPhil SalmonMark WilliamsManagerial history Edit 1925 nbsp Charlie Hewitt 1929 nbsp Jack Baynes 1932 nbsp Ernest Blackburn 1937 nbsp Jimmy Logan 1938 nbsp Tom Morgan 1940 nbsp Tom Williams 1949 nbsp Les McDowall 1950 nbsp Peter Jackson 1954 nbsp Cliff Lloyd 1957 nbsp John Love 1960 nbsp Billy Morris 1961 nbsp Ken Barnes 1965 nbsp Billy Morris 1966 nbsp Jack Rowley 1967 nbsp Alvan Williams 1968 nbsp John Neal 1977 nbsp Arfon Griffiths 1981 nbsp Mel Sutton 1982 nbsp Bobby Roberts 1985 nbsp Dixie McNeil 1989 nbsp Brian Flynn 2001 nbsp Denis Smith 2007 nbsp Brian Carey 2007 nbsp Brian Little 2008 nbsp Dean Saunders 2011 nbsp Andy Morrell 2014 nbsp Kevin Wilkin 2015 nbsp Gary Mills 2016 nbsp Dean Keates 2018 nbsp Sam Ricketts 2018 nbsp Graham Barrow 2019 nbsp Bryan Hughes 2019 nbsp Dean Keates 2021 nbsp Phil ParkinsonHonours EditMain article List of Wrexham A F C records and statistics Honours and achievements Wrexham AFC s honours include 186 League Third Division level 3 Champions 1977 78Fourth Division Third Division level 4 Runners up 1969 70 1992 93 Promoted 1961 62 2002 03National League level 5 Champions 2022 23The Combination Champions 1900 01 1901 02 1902 03 1904 05Welsh Senior League Champions 1894 95 1895 96Cup Football League Trophy Winners 2004 05FA Trophy Winners 2012 13 Runners up 2014 15 2021 22Football League North Cup Winners 1943 44FAW Premier Cup Winners 1997 98 1999 2000 2000 01 2002 03 2003 04 Record Welsh Cup Winners 23 1877 78 1882 83 1892 93 1896 97 1902 03 1904 05 1908 09 1909 10 1910 11 1913 14 1914 15 1920 21 1923 24 1924 25 1930 31 1956 57 1957 58 1959 60 1971 72 1974 75 1977 78 1985 86 1994 95 Record Supporters Direct Cup Winners 2015 16 Shared Literature EditWrexham related books Wrexham FC 1872 1950 by Peter Jones and Gareth Davies Wrexham FC 1950 2000 by Peter Jones and Gareth Davies Wrexham A Complete Record 1872 1992 by Peter Jones Wrexham The European era by Peter Jones Wrexham Through The Trap Door by Peter Jones Wrexham FC An A Z history by Dean Hayes The Racecourse Robins from Adams to Youds by Peter Jones and Gareth Davies The Giant Killers a Wrexham fan s view by Richard Partington Wrexham Football Club Pen Portraits by Don Meredith Tinseltown Hollywood and the Beautiful Game A Match Made In Wrexham by Ian HerbertThe Wrexham football team plays a significant role in the 1994 Peter Davies book Twenty Two Foreigners in Funny Shorts which was written for the World Cup in the US It also profiles the Robins ongoing and ultimately successful promotion effort See also EditClub of Pioneers List of Wrexham A F C seasons List of Wrexham A F C records and statistics Welcome to WrexhamNotes Edit Notable for the first occasion of three hat tricks in a single Football League game citation needed References Edit Randall Liam Wrexham FC Fans To Vote To Accept 1864 Date Change Wrexham com Archived from the original on 20 August 2018 Retrieved 28 June 2012 Randall Liam Wrexham FC Fans To Vote To Accept 1864 Date Change Wrexham com Archived from the original on 20 August 2018 Retrieved 14 October 2014 Jones Peter Wrexham AFC History Archived from the original on 15 December 2012 Retrieved 21 December 2015 Bagnall Steve 17 June 2008 Guinness cheers Racecourse with official record Daily Post Wales Archived from the original on 5 July 2015 Retrieved 18 June 2008 Wrexham v Manchester United 26 January 1957 11v11 com Archived from the original on 29 November 2014 Retrieved 10 April 2014 Wrexham football club could be older than thought BBC News 21 February 2012 Archived from the original on 9 March 2021 Retrieved 21 June 2018 Wrexham FC Fans To Vote To Accept 1864 Date Change Wrexham com Archived from the original on 29 October 2021 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2022 Petrolul Ploiesti 1 Wrexham 0 1 0 on agg Wrexham AFC archive Archived from the original on 25 June 2022 Retrieved 28 June 2022 Who s Who Wrexham AFC Archived from the original on 15 June 2022 Retrieved 10 June 2022 Who s Who Wrexham AFC Archived from the original on 8 March 2022 Retrieved 8 March 2022 The oldest professional Football Club in Wales Wrexham AFC Archived from the original on 15 June 2022 Retrieved 10 June 2022 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wrexham F C Official website nbsp Wrexham A F C on BBC Sport Club news Recent results and fixtures Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wrexham A F C amp oldid 1175862001, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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