Wrexham FC: Five things you need to know

In a story straight out of Hollywood itself, a provincial football club is catapulted onto the world stage by... two Hollywood stars.

Too far-fetched? Not for the screenwriters of their own story, also known as real-life celluloid stars Ryan Reynolds, he of Deadpool fame and one of the most highly paid actors in the world, and Rob McElhenney, creator of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

And the pair have now completed their takeover of Wrexham FC, currently languishing in the non-league Conference Premier or the fifth division of English football, to those not au fait with the system.

They have already invested £2m in the club and, in a nod to their new baby, signalled the takeover by changing their names to Wryan and Wrob, on social media.

But for their legion of fans - 17 million on Reynolds's Twitter account alone - who will suddenly be hearing a whole lot more about this Welsh town, here's a few things you may not know about its unsung club.

That's right. Its hometown in north east Wales, population 65,000, may not have the Premier League power of nearby footballing giants Liverpool FC or Manchester United, but it can pull rank when it comes to longevity.

Wrexham was founded in 1864, making it the oldest in Wales. For context, the American Civil War was raging across the Atlantic, with six months still to run when Wrexham played its first match, and Abraham Lincoln was just about to be re-elected as president.

In case you were wondering, and while there is some dispute, Notts County is generally accepted to be the oldest pro club in existence. That's Nottingham of Robin Hood fame for our overseas readers.

In what some might say was a taste of things to come (sorry Wrexham), its first game was not a rip-roaring success.

The match took place on 22 October, 1864, after Wrexham Cricket Club formed its own football team.

The squad played against just 10 members of the Prince of Wales Fire Brigade - okay full disclosure, Wrexham fielded 10 players too. Perhaps neither side could muster the usual 11 players.

According to reports from the day, the fire crew won "comfortably" with a 2-1 victory.

It's not just the Wrexham players whose red shirts have graced the Racecourse stadium over the years.

The red dragon of the national team first roared onto the pitch in 1877, for Wales' first ever home international game. They didn't do any better than Wrexham did in their first game though, losing to Scotland.

That makes it the oldest international stadium still in use anywhere. The 10,500 capacity stands most recently hosted Wales men's team against Trinidad and Tobago in March 2019.

... the name does (or did) what it says on the tin. There are records of racing taking place in Wrexham town from the 1600s.

It developed into the Wrexham Races, taking place in October every year and attracting people from far and wide.

By 1793, a new course had been built.

It was upgraded at the start of the 1800s and a public house called the Turf Tavern was constructed to keep those thirsty racing fans happy.

It's still there today. Guess what that makes it? You've got it - the oldest pub attached to a sports stadium IN THE WORLD. It's getting a bit repetitive now, isn't it?

So here's a quick run through. Wrexham dates back to at least the 11th Century (think William the Conqueror skipping on over from Normandy and you're in the right ball park. Not the football park just yet though.) and probably all the way back to the 8th Century.

It was once the most populous place in Wales but those heady days of the 17th century are long gone, and much like Wrexham FC's slide down the footballing leagues, the town is now only the fourth largest urban area in Wales.

However, it has packed in the action over the years. It was an Industrial Revolution powerhouse, with coal mining, lead extraction, iron and steel production all in the mix.

More importantly in many people's eyes, it was big on brewing. There were 19 breweries by the mid 19th century, thanks to a good underground water supplies.

Indeed, Wrexham Lager was the first brewer in the UK to produce lager (clue's in the name). No wonder it's popular with football fans.