BEST&WORST WREXHAM AFC
Rich Fay, host of Red Dragons podcast RobRyanRed, talks us through Porto, spiders and Xabi Alonso’s bestie
XI
BEST: Andy Marriott; Curtis Obeng, Joey Jones, Gareth Davies, Phil Hardy; Darren Ferguson, Mel Sutton, Arfon Griffiths, Carlos Edwards; Tommy Bamford, Gary Bennett. WORST: Xavi Valero; Jazzi Barnum-Bobb, Richard Hope, Hamza Bencherif, James Hurst; Nortei Nortey, Adam Barton, Hedi Taboubi; Maheta Molango, Michael Bakare, Khaellem Bailey-Nicholls.
PLAYER
B: Paul Mullin [right], for the ridiculous number of goals he has scored already and how much he just gets it. The Scouse striker has fallen in love with Wrexham and has since made himself eligible to play for Wales.
W: Few were as disappointing as Welsh striking legend Ian Rush. He signed late in his career to massive excitement, failed to score in 17 starts, and was shifted into midfield.
MOMENT
B: It’s tempting to say the Hollywood takeover, but one moment tops it. Back in August 2011, the club was given one day to raise £100,000 or be kicked out of the Conference for the upcoming season. Against the odds, seven hours later, the figure had been raised by fans and the club was saved. The Wrexham Supporters Trust then steadied the ship before handing over the reins to Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
W: Relegation from the Football League in 2008. After years of turmoil, bad owners and administration, our 87-year stay in the Football League came to an end after a 2-0 defeat on a Tuesday night at Hereford.
GAME
B: You want me to say Arsenal, don’t you? [A 1992 FA Cup upset spanning three tiers.] Sorry: head back to ’84 and Fourth Divison Wrexham faced Porto in the Cup Winners’ Cup. Porto lost 1-0 at the Racecourse but raced into a 3-0 lead in the second leg. Wrexham then rallied to lose only 4-3, winning the tie on away goals. Incredible.
W: It was our 150th anniversary in 2014-15. What better way to celebrate than to lift a trophy at Wembley in front of a bumper crowd? We were 2-0 up against North Ferriby in the FA Trophy final with 15 minutes left but managed to draw 3-3 and lose on penalties.
SIGNING
B: Karl Connolly, the man we signed from Napoli. Well, Liverpool Napoli, of Warrington Sunday League. Not much was expected of him [below] but he left us with 88 goals in 358 games, a Welsh Cup medal, an appearance in the PFA Second Division team of the year and legendary status.
W: Literally anyone signed by Gary Mills in his second season.
NICKNAME
B: “Dior Angus, he’s Perfume and Steak”.
W: Spider-Man. James Gray earned his nickname after his season was interrupted when he was bitten in his sleep by a venomous widow
