- The two League One teams, owned by American megastars, faced off in Wales
- City won comfortably in the Midlands in the previous clash last year.
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Obviously, soccer games are still a big deal for Americans at Birmingham City. So much so that the club's billionaire owner, Tom Wagner, took up residence in the visiting field for the match they had been calling Hollywood Derby II.
Wagner, an asset manager, jumped much further than Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney managed during his only experience of being with the fans – in the tight little away end at Maidenhead, where they took a stick from the home side and watched their team loses in 2021.
The closest McElhenney could get to the experience of last night's big game was a seat in the “immersive” dome where this game was being screened. He has just returned to his own home, having been forced to evacuate during the Los Angeles fires.
Reynolds also skipped the game. He and McElhenney have only been here twice this season. But it is clear that the couple are now putting the pieces in place to make the club more self-sufficient and move forward with much less.
Chief executive Michael Williamson, appointed last summer, spoke in his program notes last night about a series of new executive hires and the club's new investors: the New York-based Allyn family.
A hard-fought game was testament to how far the North Wales club has come under the Filmmakers' ownership, with relegated Birmingham outspent everyone in this division last summer.
The spoils were split between Wrexham and Birmingham in their League One Hollywood tie.
Lydon Dykes scored the visitors' goal, nine minutes after Ollie Rathbone had given the hosts the lead.
Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds (left) and Rob McElhenney (right) did not attend the match.
Meanwhile, James McClean (left) captained the hosts a day after being involved in a car accident.
Back in the days when roof truss and agricultural machinery manufacturers were Wrexham's main sponsors, rather than United Airlines and Blake Lively's range of health drinks, the idea of them going toe-to-toe with Birmingham in the league would have been far-fetched. When they beat the Blues in a Cup tie at St Andrews en route to a giant run to the FA Cup quarter-finals in 1997, City quickly splashed out £1m on the North Wales team's best player , Bryan Hughes. Hughes remains the only £1 million player in Wrexham's history.
Different days. Although City, top of the table and intent on an immediate return to the Championship, were by far the better team in September's 3-1 win in the Midlands, Wrexham took the lead in the second leg before they could catch their breath. . Ollie Palmer hounded Taylor Gardner-Hickman to break up possession and Ollie Rathbone, the local summer signing from Rotherham, latched onto the loose ball and unleashed a beautiful opener from 20 yards.
A sign, in that combination, of the way Wrexham have spent their significant sponsorship money in recent years. Palmer was one of the first big purchases, coming from Wimbledon. Rathbone was a record £375,000 signing from Rotherham last summer but barely featured before October. There is no starting point here for Paul Mullin, a figure in Wrexham documentary history, struggling for goals and fitness.
Birmingham equalized within nine minutes, after Wrexham mishandled a deep corner from Marc Leonard and allowed Lyndon Dykes to send a header that grazed George Dobson's back on the way. Jay Stansfield entered the Wrexham area to pose a danger but could not. I can't find support.
But the second half was Wrexham's way: their performance suggests, after a difficult few weeks, that they will compete at the top of a division that City look destined to win. Full-back Ryan Barnett's attempt was deflected by goalkeeper Ryan Alsop, who then saved a shot from James McClean. A brilliant save from Ben Davies prevented Steven Fletcher, another Wrexham substitute, from latching on to McClean's cross at the death.
The spoils were shared out before a crowd of 13,237 and the people of North Wales pinched themselves once again, still in disbelief of how far their club had come.