Wrexham Boss Draws Lessons From Ryan Reynolds’ ‘Evil’ Soccer Experience Ahead of Promotion-Deciding Match

The script is very much familiar to Wrexham AFC fans. The club is on the verge of promotion and standing in its way is Forest Green Rovers. A win would mean a second consecutive promotion in as many years for Ryan Reynolds’ side. However, it’s a nervous affair, and for inspiration, coach Phil Parkinson is taking reference from a game that made the Deadpool actor ‘edgy as hell.‘

As per his interview on the Wrexham website, Parkinson feels today’s encounter has a lot of parallels with last season’s encounter against Yeovil Town. He explained, “If you remember that night, Yeovil set themselves up to be as difficult as possible which you would expect. We kept chipping away, moving the ball, and eventually the moment came.” At that time Yeovil was bottom of the National League and seeded 22nd. Likewise, Forest Green Rovers is 24th in the EFL League Two standings and the feeling is that they will set up in a defensive mode to make life hell for Wrexham. If this is the case, then Reynolds wouldn’t be too keen his watch his side in action.

Wrexham won 3-0 over Yeovil in April 2023. However, the scoreline wasn’t an accurate representation of what actually happened Wrexham struggled to create anything in the first half of the game. In fact, their first goal came in the 60th minute. As a result, following the match, Reynolds wrote, “Massive three points. [Yeovil] put on a show. The first 45 min were edgy as hell. This sport continues to be evil.”

Also, per Parkinson, Rovers have plenty to fight for. He explained, “We know that Forest Green have got a very experienced Manager in Steve [Cotterill] and will be believing they’ve got a chance of staying in the division until it’s mathematically impossible, which it certainly isn’t.” While a win would boost Wrexham’s chances of promotion, they face some hurdles to do so.

Wrexham dealt with a big blow in their quest for promotion

Unfortunately for Ryan Reynolds’ side, they will have to do the rest of the season without defender Jacob Mendy. The Gambian international injured his hamstring in the team’s 3-1 victory over Colchester recently. As such, the defender is expected to miss the entirety of Wrexham’s remaining matches. Also, it remains to be seen if Wrexham can secure direct promotion.

Unlike League One, in League Two, the top 3 teams earn direct promotion. As things stand, Wrexham is second in the table with 79 points. However, third-placed side Mansfield Town has just 3 points less while having played 1 less game. Moreover, if Mansfield Town does win their game in hand, they will leapfrog Wrexham courtesy of their superior GD (36 vs 27). Hence, the Red Dragons must win all of their games in hand and avoid a potential slip-up.

Can Wrexham beat Forest Green Rovers? Let us know your thoughts below.