Tom Brady‘s Birmingham City have been relegated to League One, where they will face Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds’ AFC Wrexham, who celebrated their promotion to the third tier earlier this season and are now gearing up for the next phase of their journey in English football.
Under the ownership of Hollywood stars, Wrexham has achieved successive promotions from the National League to League One. The recruitment of players such as Steven Fletcher, James McClean, and Jack Marriott has been instrumental in their rise through the ranks.
Rob McElhenney reflects on Wrexham journey and actors strike
Joining Wrexham in League One next season are Stockport County, Mansfield Town, and Rotherham United, all of whom are determined to bounce back after relegation from the Championship.
Wrexham are ready for the challenge
Humphrey Ker, Wrexham’s executive director, is aware that the competition in League One will be fierce, with several big clubs, including Brady’s Birmingham, possessing greater resources than Wrexham.
“We’ve sort of bludgeoned our way out of the National League and League Two,” Ker told talkSPORT.
“We signed the best League One players who we could persuade to drop down to us. Phil has done an unbelievable job with that, because as we know there are a number of clubs who have spent a huge amount of money and not forged that team into a coherent unit on the pitch.
“We are about to get into an environment where we won’t be the biggest fish in the pond. If Birmingham drop down…already there are clubs in League One who are as storied as us, who have larger stadiums than us and bigger fanbases than we do.
“Phase one of what we’re trying to do is probably coming to a close now. Phase two is starting and we have got to be on our game.”
