NFL great Tom Brady’s Birmingham City defeated Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham AFC in a 3-1 thrilling match nicknamed the ‘Hollywood Derby’, played at Birmingham’s St Andrew’s pitch. Jack Marriott grabbed the opening goal for Wrexham. But Birmingham City turned the game around. Just before the hour mark, Japan international Tomoki Iwata sealed the game with a third goal. Thus, tempers have flared for their next game, at the Racecourse Ground.

The match had a celebrity presence in addition to a football team match. The activity on the field was less important in Birmingham’s home stadium, St Andrew’s, than the star-studded stands. Alongside his buddy Brady, fans spotted David Beckham observing the game.

In the Wrexham AFC podcast, James McClean opens up about the defeat, “That was just the warm-up! We owe them one, and we’ll get them back at our place.” The Red Dragons were left quite disappointed after their overall performance.

However, this was Wrexham’s first league loss of the year. Conversely, Birmingham maintained the team’s winning streak, giving their supporters some optimism following a difficult time. Brady’s role in the 2023 takeover helped the team recover after a tumultuous period that resulted in its first League One relegation since 1995. Six management changes occurred during the club’s turbulent 2023 campaign, including the dismissal of Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney after just 83 days.

For Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion who retired in 2023 after 23 seasons in the NFL, this victory over Wrexham signified more than just three points. It was a small but meaningful step in Birmingham’s journey to reclaim past glories. Moreover, they left a player in Birmingham.

Wrexham left a key player in Birmingham by mistake after ‘Hollywood Derby’

After the final whistle, emotions ran high as the team lost a prestigious match, which was a tough pill to swallow. George Dobson, who had been delayed because of a standard post-match ‘drug test,’ was inadvertently left behind in the West Midlands as the squad bus headed for North Wales, adding to the turmoil and despair that followed the defeat.

James McClean revealed: “It’s true! He was doing the drug test after the game. Our heads were scrambled, and we just kind of left him.”

Wrexham will get the opportunity to take exact revenge when Birmingham visits North Wales in January. For their next match preparation, Rob McElhenney will probably return to the UK, maybe accompanied by Reynolds. With 16 points from seven games, Phil Parkinson’s team is now a top League One, and Wrexham will be hoping to be in the running for promotion by then.

Things are getting interesting in the ‘Hollywood Derby.’