Wrexham's Hollywood owners enjoy promotion parade

Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney joined Wrexham's promotion party as thousands of fans lined the streets to celebrate their club's return to League Two on Tuesday.

Reynolds and McElhenney have revitalised Wrexham since their surprise move to buy the unfashionable National League team in 2021.

A Disney documentary series has captured Wrexham's celebrity makeover, giving the club a global popularity unheard of for a team at their lowly level of English football.

Wrexham will play in the fourth tier next season for the first time in 15 years, largely thanks to the reported £10 million ($12 million) investment from Reynolds and McElhenney.

The pair have attended several Wrexham games this season, including their promotion clinching win over Boreham Wood.

And, with the National League title secured, they were back in north Wales for the trophy parade.

Three open-top buses navigated their way around the city on a loop that started and finished outside Wrexham's Racecourse Ground, cutting through a fog of red smoke from flares set off by supporters.

Fans chanted "one more year" at former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster.

Foster, who played in the Premier League with Watford last season, came out of retirement after Wrexham's regular keeper suffered an injury late in the campaign and made a key contribution with a penalty save in the win over promotion rivals Notts County.

Such is Wrexham's fame these days that there were Canadian maple leafs and the American stars and stripes among the hundreds of Welsh dragons along the route.

An American couple joined the hundreds of fans who set up camp in the car park of The Turf pub alongside the Racecourse Ground, having taken time out from a holiday in Ireland to experience the party laid on by a club they discovered during lockdown.

"With Covid happening all around the world we heard this story and we watched them on the streaming services," said Robin Beattie.

"We fell in love with it. We happened to be on vacation in Dublin and said, 'Let's hop on over'. We're very happy to see the excitement in the town. It's a Cinderella story. We love it."

Supporters could have been forgiven for wondering what would become of their club when two Hollywood stars decided to take over.

But Deadpool star Reynolds and McElhenney, who features in the sitcom Always Sunny in Philadelphia, have won them over by embracing Wrexham's traditions and ensuring its identity has not fundamentally changed.

"This is world class, fantastic," said Wrexham native Darren Jackson. "They've done it the right way. It's still the same club, but all this is brilliant."