[fans cheering, chanting]
[commentator 1] Is this the day that a 15-year wait ends?
A town ready to celebrate, ready to party.
Final seconds at the Racecourse.
All eyes on the referee.
[whistle blows]
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1] Champions! Wrexham are promoted!
["Use Somebody" playing]
[Mullin] Two years of hard work, all put into one, and it was magnificent.
Just to see the emotions on everyone's faces--
It was something that I'll always remember.
[commentator 1] They have their storybook ending.
Their Football League exile is over.
Fifteen long years.
Are the boys back here? Fucking hell.
[team shouting, cheering]
♪ Always looking down at all I see ♪
[Parkinson] The magnitude of getting the club back into the league,
um, yeah, is so important,
because, you know, I really don't think we're gonna be looking back
at the National League again.
[players] ♪ Campeónes! Campeónes! Olé, olé, olé ♪
[crowd cheering]
[team, crowd cheering]
Dad cried when we got-- when we won the cup.
[laughing]
Don't tell them.
Yeah, I did. I did, didn't I?
[Palmer] It was quite an emotional day, it all sinking in,
and my son telling me how proud he was.
He went and stood in front of his whole school at six years old
and told everyone that his daddy won the National League title.
And that really sank in.
That's what I do it for.
- [fans cheering] - [song continues]
♪ Someone like you Somebody ♪
♪ Someone like you ♪
- Now we gotta go into League Two. - Yep!
[both laughing]
- [Reynolds] Love you, buddy. - [McElhenney] Love you.
♪ I've been roaming around Always looking down at all I see ♪
They promised us a big deal, though, at the end of the season.
They promised us a monster one at the end of the season.
If we get promoted, they're gonna take us away somewhere.
[pilot] Welcome, United passengers. Happy to have you aboard.
So sit back, relax and enjoy the flight.
[crowd cheering]
[Foster] The way that Rob McElhenney and Ryan put it on for us was
just like nothing I've ever seen.
- [electronic dance music plays] - [crowd screams]
[Foster] We went to Hakkasan nightclub, right?
And Steve Aoki is playing that night. Yeah, he's the main guy.
And we walk in, and the music shuts off,
and they start playing, like, a Wrexham song, yeah?
And we have got this massive, like,
closed-off VIP area in the middle of everything, right?
And there's, like, a screen, and it's showing, like,
Paul Mullin scoring goals and stuff. And we're in Hakkasan nightclub.
- What, in Las Vegas? Paul Mullin? - [Foster] Yeah. Right.
[Mullin] We just went for it.
We just had, uh, a massive party and enjoyed ourselves.
And to be honest, of what we can remember from it,
it was, uh, really enjoyable.
[McElhenney] There was no mics, no cameras, no adults.
I mean, I was the adult, which is wild.
[Foster] The lads are animals. They're absolute animals.
They've won the league, and just wanted to let their hair down,
and they did it, like... [grunts]
...I was spannered, absolutely spannered, right?
[PA dings]
[pilot] This is your captain speaking.
I hope you had a good vacation.
We got clear skies. It's supposed to be a smooth ride.
So sit back, relax and enjoy.
Right. S-So, uh, the promotion, the trip to Vegas, the hangover.
We had to put all of that behind us,
because, actually, there's a very small amount of time
between the end of last season and the start of the next one.
Um, we're now in League Two. Above us remains League One,
the Championship and then the Premier League,
which is obviously where we aspire to be.
But, uh, for now, we're concentrating on League Two.
In League Two, first, second and third will get automatic promotion,
and then four through to seven is playoffs with one going up from there.
So, obviously four teams can get promoted, as opposed to two in the National League.
So, obviously that gives you
a bit of a bigger window to be able to have success.
One of the big question marks we have going into this season is,
"Will Ben Foster be back?"
I do want to ask you your first question. You staying?
Ooh.
Ooh, gosh. I don't know. [laughs]
[anchors laugh]
[Roberts] Foster's short spell at Wrexham FC was obviously a massive hit,
just across the world in general.
Do I think he'll stay? Is there any signs that he'll stay?
Can you tell us what's happening?
Well, yeah, we're-- we're-- we're talking.
I'm thinking, I'm thinking, and I'm thinking, um...
Well, we hit Ben Foster from every side, right? I mean--
In the heat of the moment, um,
after we won promotion, he made some comment to you.
We'll do it again next year as well.
- Well, like, yes! Your lips to God's ears. - [laughs]
[Reynolds] That's a contract.
- He said we'll do it next year. - [staff 1] Okay.
And there was a lot of text messages.
[notifications dinging]
Uh, a couple of calls.
Uh, hey-- hey, buddy. It's, uh, Ryan Reynolds here.
I just wanna-- Give me a ring back when you, uh, when you get a chance.
[McElhenney] Hey, Ben.
Uh, Rob again. [chuckles] Hey, call me back, man.
[Reynolds] Hey, Ben, it's-- I-I thought you might've called. [sighs]
Uh, anyway, it's-- it's just me again. It's Ryan... Reynolds.
[line clicks]
Basically, sort of, like, pinned me into a corner and, like,
"Right, next season. What's happening next season?"
[host] Is this Ryan and-- Ryan and Rob? So they've got ya.
Yeah, yeah. They were like, "We need you back," basically. "We want you back."
And I went, "Yes, mate. Don't even worry about it.
We'll sort it, all right."
And he was like, "Cool. As long as that-- that-- that's gospel, yeah?
Like... [stammering] ...your word's--
You're a man? If you're saying it, that's it."
And I was like, "Yep, cool. We're doing it. Don't worry."
We put some effort into creating an environment
that he would want to return to, and he said yes.
When you find something that works that well, you really want to make sure
that as much of that chemistry remains in place as-as humanly possible.
[group] ♪ Super Ben Foster in goal, oh ♪
[Gilpin] Here we are, three weeks to the start of the season.
[Edwards] Yeah. I mean, the preseason in full swing,
but, you know, instead of tried and trusted preparation,
the team are flying out to the US on a high-profile tour.
[Gilpin] Yeah, it's a packed schedule. It's four games in ten days.
They'll face the likes of Premier League giants like Man United and Chelsea.
[Bennett] My guest today is a gent who is a master promotion whisperer.
[Parkinson] Thanks, Rog.
Mighty Wrexham are about to match up to Premier League giants,
Chelsea and Manchester United.
What-- What for you is the measuring stick for success?
[Parkinson] Just, um, level of performance, really.
A-And I'm really looking forward to seeing
how we cope with that higher level of play that,
you know, we're where we need to be i-individually and collectively as a team.
We know the targets we-we need to hit to be prepared for the new season.
[Edwards] I mean, it's a really good test, innit, for Wrexham?
I mean, Andy, come on. Chelsea, United.
That is gonna be a good barometer of where we really are.
["My Baby Loves Me" playing]
♪ I gotta stop this talking to myself ♪
[reporter] The Wrexham USA Invasion, summer 2023
in which the club will sweep our nation from sea to shining sea.
In 247 years of American history,
Wrexham might be the very first League Two team
to undertake a nationwide, coast-to-coast tour
of the United States of America.
[commentator 2] International friendly here in Chester, Pennsylvania.
[commentator 3] Welcome to sunny San Diego in California.
[commentator 4] Fans braving North Carolina's grueling temperatures to try
and get on goalkeeper Ben Foster's GoPro.
[reporter 2] Wayne Jones, the owner at now-famed Turf Hotel,
walking around the stadium, mobbed as if he was Harry bloody Styles.
[Jones] From the minute we landed till the minute we left,
like, we were just made to feel like superstars.
Come on, Wrexham!
I never thought I'd see little old Wrexham playing in America
against Man United and Chelsea
and have thousands and thousands of supporters cheering on us
rather than Man United and Chelsea.
♪ She loves me good ♪
It's a pinch-me moment, you know?
- Wrexham, baby! Wrexham! - Wrexham!
[Wrexham fan 1] We watched Welcome to Wrexham season one
and are big Wrexham fans now. Yeah.
Yeah, never thought they would come over here.
So we're really pumped to have a-- have a chance to see them play.
[Ker] You know, I met people that had driven from Canada and driven from Texas.
I mean, these are 20-hour drives.
But, you know, to go to Kenan Stadium in North Carolina,
have 55,000 people there.
And I genuinely believe that probably of those 55,000,
35,000 were there for Wrexham. Insane.
To inspire that much excitement and interest is everything
we-we might've dreamt of at the start of this process.
[fans cheering]
What wasn't as fun was watching the divide-- to see very clearly
the divide between where we're at and where we would like to be.
[commentator 5] Here's an opportunity for Jackson.
Nice footwork. Good lay off too.
Perfect start.
And Chelsea have doubled their lead not long before halftime.
As we said, Wrexham were looking a little tired.
Chelsea have punished them again.
[McElhenney] When we played Chelsea,
that was a pretty stark reminder of the difference.
- I believe we lost 27-0? - [Reynolds sighs]
- Twenty-eight, yeah, zero, I believe. - Yeah. We got smacked around a little bit.
Yeah, they gave us 90 minutes of "shut the fuck up."
- Yeah. Yeah. - Yeah.
[commentator 6] It is an international friendly tonight
between LA Galaxy II and Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham are in their blacks with the red and white trim.
[Ker] Uh, one of the advantages of being promoted to League Two is that we can wear
our very smart new black kits, which you may remember Rob was a big fan of.
Couldn't do that in the National League due to kit restrictions.
But now the bosses are happy.
[McElhenney] I just love the black kit.
We felt like it was something that people would be proud to wear.
So to see those, um, out on the pitch, it's been awesome.
Yeah.
["Black Betty" playing]
♪ Whoa Black Betty Bam-ba-lam ♪
♪ Black Betty had a child Bam-ba-lam ♪
♪ The damn thing gone wild Bam-ba-lam ♪
♪ I said oh, Black Betty Bam-ba-lam ♪
♪ Whoa Black Betty ♪ Bam-ba-lam ♪
- Bit of a gamble, right? - [McElhenney] Yeah.
If we didn't get out of the National League,
we would have to throw those into the trash.
[commentator 7] Welcome to the much-heralded meeting
of Manchester United and Wrexham.
[Reynolds] Man United have a following that is legion.
If I were to equate any kind of comparison to them,
uh, in terms-- in US terms, I would say that they're the Yankees maybe?
♪ Glory, glory, Man United ♪
Get the fuck in! Get your fucking bagpipes out.
Fucking hell!
[fans shouting]
Yankees times ten.
They are a global force.
So for us to play them is a-- is a great honor for them.
[chuckles]
[commentator 7] A group of gnarled veterans against
a bunch of Manchester United's best up-and-coming prospects.
Wrexham in the red.
Manchester United are wearing green.
[commentator 8] So this will be competitive, this first half.
That's for sure.
[crowd screams]
[commentator 7] Here's Ollie Palmer.
[commentator 8] This is what they do. Worked so well, the front two for Wrexham.
Just couldn't quite find the right pass at the end of it.
[Parkinson] Well played, boys! Well done!
[commentator 7] Off goes Paul Mullin.
And Mullin got there just ahead of Bishop.
[player] Hey!
[commentator 7] And the referee has gone to his pocket for a yellow card.
Concern for Mullin as we see once again precisely how it unfolded.
[commentator 8] Mullin is quicker than Jonny Evans.
And there's the challenge, and it's not a good one.
[heavy breathing echoing]
- [Mulholland] What you feeling, Mulls? - [Mullin groans] I can't breathe.
[Mulholland] Yeah, we've got, like, that one.
- [Mullin] I can't. No. - [Mulholland] Here we are.
- [grunts] - [Mulholland] Just relax.
- Good, yeah. Okay. - [Mullin groans]
[Mulholland] We get oxygen and a SATS, please.
Collision into his left side of ribs. He's really struggling with it.
[commentator 7] An oxygen mask has been brought out.
[Mullin] I can't breathe.
[player] He can't breathe.
[Mulholland] Try and get some oxygen in.
Try and take some deep breaths in and out for me.
Guys, give us some space, all right? You're getting in the way.
[Mullin groaning]
[Mulholland] Can we get that oxygen on, please?
[commentator 7] Had that been a Premier League game or any competitive game,
I think that's a sending off.
- [Mullin sighs] - [Mulholland] Just lay back. Relax.
- Keep that oxygen up. - Take a breath.
[Mullin] Hurting to breathe. I feel like I can't.
- Okay. - [Mullin] You know what I mean? Speaking.
- Yeah. [speaks indistinctly] - [Mullin] It hurt--
- [Mullin] I'm trying to speak. - Can we get that oxygen back on?
- [Mullin grunting] I can't. - Um.
- [medic 1] Get 'em going. - [Mullin grunts]
- [Mulholland] And take him to get-- - [Mullin coughs]
[Mulholland] You just need to check the lungs, yeah? Especially when you're having
difficulty breathing, 'cause your oxygen level's a bit--
We have to take you to the hospital, Mulls.
Just to get a chest X-ray. All right?
- [medic 2] Okay. - [medic 1] Do you want to go in the car?
[medic 2] Sure.
[Parkinson] You know, we-we really don't know.
So, probably be tomorrow morning when we get a specialist to look at it.
I'm fuming. I've gotta be honest with you.
I thought it was, like, a clumsy, reckless challenge, preseason game.
Um. Yeah. Can't say any more on it. I'm-I'm not happy with it at all.
[chatter over radio]
[Ker] For several long minutes,
34,000 people held their breath and waited.
Paul Mullin suffered a punctured lung and-and four fractured ribs
during those excruciating moments on the pitch.
[Mullin] Hit the floor and thought I was just winded--
Um, it will go, it will pass.
And then obviously as the seconds went
and I tried to take a breath in and I couldn't,
that's when I thought, like, "Ah, Jesus." Like, "I could be in trouble here."
[Lee] But, yeah, straightaway you knew something weren't right.
That's the thing with Mulls, he isn't gonna pull out of that either.
No, no. But...
- It was a nasty collision. - Yeah.
[Lee] I could see that there was a bit of panic in his face.
[Forde] I looked at him on the floor,
his lips were going blue, and he was like... [gasps]
[Lee] I thought he was winded, 'cause I've seen people lose their breath.
I looked at his face, and his lips were bright blue.
I was like, "Something's not right." So I started shouting for Kev.
[Mulholland] Second on. Second on, please.
- [Mullin] Help me up. - [Mulholland] No. Stay where you are.
- [Mullin] No, I'm gonna stand up. - [Mulholland] You're not gonna walk.
- Sit-- Paul. - [Mullin] No. Kev, can I?
- [Mulholland] Gonna sit you in the buggy. - [Mullin] There's people at home watching.
[Mulholland] We're gonna sit you in the buggy.
[Mullin] I'm walking out.
[Mulholland] You'll sit on the buggy. We'll take you off. Please.
[Mullin] I was trying to tell the physios, "I cannot sit on a stretcher.
There's family watching at home. It's early hours in the morning.
Like, if I sit on that or lie on that with the oxygen mask on, like,
they're gonna be even more worried than they are now."
- [Mullin] I'm walking. - [Mulholland] Paul, Paul.
- I'm walking. I'm fine. - [Mulholland] Put the oxygen on.
- Please. Paul. - I'm walking.
I should never have done that,
but, as I say, I had to do it with family watching.
It was something that was nonnegotiable for me.
[Harvey] I actually thought it was his shoulder to start with,
which are notoriously difficult injuries to manage.
So it might sound harsh,
but actually to find out it was only a punctured lung and broken ribs,
which have got a quicker recovery time,
and less inherent longer-term problems than shoulder injuries.
There was that sense of relief.
But then, of course, comes the real consequences of--
That means he can't fly for a fortnight.
We're leaving San Diego.
You know, nobody's gonna postpone the start of the league season.
Preparations for the next campaign had to continue.
So, we've got Paul's well-being to take care of,
but we've also got to start to deliver on the club's ambitions
of trying to get promotion.
Oh, yeah.
[interviewer] Oh, yeah. Can you just, like, speak about how you feel right now?
Like, not being able to be there?
It's, uh, the first thing I asked when I got injured.
They were telling me, like, the recovery time sometimes isn't that long and stuff
till you're back playing. I said, "Couldn't care less.
When can a fly home? Like, I just want to go home and see my kid."
Like, it got to the point where the-- it was the excitement building with me
'cause I knew it was only two or three days from going home.
And when he told me I couldn't fly, obviously-- Actually filled up.
Sat there, like, I didn't know what to think.
So how are you right now? How are--
Feeling better. The-- The first couple of days were really rough, to be fair.
Away from the family.
I'm looking forward to getting back and seeing my little boy.
He doesn't quite understand why his dad hasn't been there for so long,
but his mum, Mollie's, done an unbelievable job
and I'm looking forward to getting back and seeing them.
They basically said that if, uh, I got on a plane, my lung would expand
and 'cause there's a hole already in it, basically it would pop.
And then you're in trouble when you're flying over the Atlantic Ocean.
You ain't got many hospitals to go to in that circumstance.
So I had to wait for the two weeks to-- to fully heal
and for the hole to close over.
And then I could actually fly.
Is it true that Rob McElhenney invited you to stay with him
while you're here in Southern California and you said,
-"No. I do not wanna stay"? - Absolutely true, yeah.
Both my two friends from Liverpool were here watching me for the tour,
and they, um, both decided that they'd like to stay with me
just to keep me company and give me some home comfort.
So, I know he's probably got the rooms in the house, but, um,
I don't think he'd have liked the scouse company too much after a couple of days.
Here we are. What's this?
- [Mullin's friend] Has he got one of them? - Not yet. He'll love that.
So he'll be happy.
Uh, you-- Rob was so kind.
He offered his own home for Paul to stay in.
Um, I felt a little like, "Hmm. I'm gonna have to compete with that somehow."
So I-I offered, uh, Paul my lungs.
I just said, "You can have my lungs. Uh, and you'll be playing before you know it."
- You've got robust lungs, I'm sure. - Yeah.
- Not the lungs of a 26-year-old, though. - No.
- I was like, "He could have one." - Yeah. Yeah, that's a good--
[Bennett] Wrexham have already been named by bookmakers
as 4-1 favorites to win League Two.
Forty-six games lie ahead there.
You know well, you really do, that the level of play is gonna go up.
And as good as this Wrexham squad is,
I mean, you-- you have experience after experience that tells you
it's not always gonna be sunny in North Wales.
Yeah. The lads know that this division is gonna be tougher.
The top teams in the National League would hold their own i-in League Two.
But all the games in League Two are gonna be of the standard
of when we play Chesterfield and Notts County.
Every game is gonna be tight,
uh, and we've gotta get the detail right in our performance.
We're working towards that. And, you know, everyone's saying we're favorites.
And great, we'll take that pressure.
But equally, you know, we've got to make sure that we put the processes in place
to justify that favorites tag.
[Palmer] Come on. What you got? Oh, brilliant.
- [Forde] That's quite a good kick to do. - [Palmer] Oh, my fucking God.
That is off a different fucking planet.
There is a higher caliber of player and team in League Two.
Uh, teams here have deeper benches, they have better squads.
Um, but we're pretty proud of the squad we have,
and we think that adding to that, uh, will get us to where we need to be.
And the fans of Wrexham, I think, know that--
that one or two quality additions should see us compete this year.
[Jones] Yeah. Why can't we have a top three?
We've certainly got the squad and Phil's built a squad for League One.
That was the talk around everything,
that they want to try and build a team capable of competing in League One.
Um. And obviously we're in League Two. So, you know, we want to be--
we want to be right up there.
[podcast host 1] Welcome back to the Football League.
Fifteen years, we have waited for this.
Champions of the National League. Can they be the champions of League Two?
Here we go. Walking in.
Walking around the corner and the point where you see, for the first time...
- massive floodlights... - [fans chanting]
...of the town. It's gonna be a great day.
Come on, Wrexham.
Finally, after all this time.
- Mm-hmm. Here we are. - Fifteen years out of the league.
I can't explain how big it is for the town.
Uh, just to be back where we rightly belong.
Sort of the start of a new journey, right?
'Cause I think we can surpass where we've been in previous years,
and actually reach new heights.
Not great, uh, losing our star player, Super Paul Mullin.
Um, we thought-- Well, we've got a very strong squad.
Phil feels confident. We feel confident that even without Paul,
that this is a team that's been together and is gonna put on a pretty good fight.
[podcast host 2] You know, League Two, I do fancy Wrexham to go straight through.
I think even with the squad now, it's a top-three squad already
because there's very few players who weren't either in League One or Two.
So these guys have been there, seen it, done it.
They've got the quality to win promotion.
So I don't see any reason why they honestly can't do it again,
because it's such a strong unit.
Team's good enough. Team's good enough.
Parky knows that.
Ryan and Rob know that.
Fans know that.
So, yeah.
Yeah, playoffs, at the least. [chuckles]
For promotion.
[fans chanting]
[Wrexham fans] ♪ Everywhere we go ♪
[podcast host 1] Pressure is a privilege. Wrexham are very privileged.
[both] Hi, documentary!
[podcast host 1] And what a bloody good way to start the new season.
MK Dons at home. That is--
That's as big as it gets, really, for League Two.
But it's a good start, you know. It's a good League One team coming down,
and, obviously, like you just said, we're coming up.
So it's a clash of-- It's a cla-- It's a clash of the leagues effectively. Um.
I believe Wrexham are big favorites. We're at home in front of a sellout crowd.
Um, and you'd have to back us because we haven't lost at home in two years.
What's the, uh, prediction for today then?
- 2-1. - 2-1. Alex?
- 3-2, Wrexham. - 3-2, Wrexham.
- Cooke, you're back. We back. 3-1! - Cooke! Cookie! 4-1!
Here we are again, beginning of another season.
- You and me... - [grunts]
- [muffled] ...doing this one more time. - Let's go.
Hopefully, a hundred more times, but, like, what a special thing.
Like, let's not let that pass without marking the moment of like, "Holy shit.
We're standing at a-- in the English Football League now."
We're in the English fucking Football League now.
We're back. We're back.
[crowd] We are Wrexham, super Wrexham. We're gonna win the league.
[fans chanting]
I'm just excited to be back.
It's just emotional to be back in this place.
New season in the football league.
This crowd is pumping, like,
I haven't seen it like this since Notts County played here last.
[chanting continues]
So, uh, the empyrean heights of hope are that we finish the league number one.
Automatic promotion.
Um, and then, realistically, I'm hoping that we finish the league number one
with an automatic promotion.
[fans chanting]
We're gonna watch the-- the game from down there, from where you guys were.
- It's so good down there. - It's cool, right?
Wear-- Wear something warm.
- It's cold and it's raining a little. - Yeah.
[fans cheering]
- Welcome to our quiet zone. - Thank you.
Come and enjoy. Hi, welcome.
[McElhenney] There's so many people who want to be a part of the experience,
but for sensory issues, for a-a host of different reasons,
feel more comfortable, um, in environments where it's not as chaotic,
it's not as loud.
So with my son, uh, Axel, we went down to watch in-in the quiet zone
to show our support, and it was lovely.
[Parkinson] Let's start finishing off, boys. Just have a quick chat before we go.
Come on out.
Okay. What we're looking for today is a progression from preseason.
A progression in terms of our performance level. Okay?
So the key boxes we wanna tick today
is play with energy, intensity and physicality.
Anyone who comes here is under fucking pressure from the first minute
to the fucking last. Let's go.
[staff 2] Come on, boys!
[Parkin] Come on. Let's fucking go.
Come on, boys. Get out of here. Whatever happens, that's what we do.
[staff 3] Fucking energy, boys.
[fans chanting]
[fans] Wrexham!
[commentator 9] Good afternoon, and welcome back to the SToK Cae Ras...
Come on, Wrexham!
...for today's EFL Sky Bet League Two feature
between Wrexham and MK Dons.
How good does it feel hearing that?
Wrexham back in the football league,
and we'll be hoping to be back with a bang this afternoon
against MK Dons, who were relegated last season from Sky Bet League One.
Fifteen years of pain and suffering are over...
It's, uh-- It's two weeks from the injury.
Will be Tuesday when I can finally fly home.
Obviously, I'd love nothing more to be there now playing,
then after that, I'd love nothing more to be at home with my-- with my son.
But I think we've got it in us.
[commentator 9] MK Dons to get the game on the way.
[Reynolds] Let's go, boys! Come on!
[commentator 9] Tozer. Back to Foster, who plays.
Mendy rises. A free kick.
Fourth. Fourth. Fourth. Fourth.
Hey, by the way, you must've been able to see that's our ball.
Could you not see that was our ball?
Take your hand off me.
Could you not see that's our ball? Answer the question.
Hey! Answer the question!
[commentator 9] A free kick for MK Dons in the opening minutes of the game.
Robson swings the ball into the area-- It's a good ball. O'Connell.
[crowd groans]
No.
Fuck's sake, man.
[commentator 9] ...and MK Dons take the lead at SToK Cae Ras.
Inside six minutes.
[Reynolds] Own goal. Put it in his own goal.
Eoghan O'Connell. It's an inauspicious start.
[commentator 9] Not the start that anyone would have hoped for here.
And work to do for Wrexham here.
And the Wrexham fans are looking to get behind their team here.
Leko takes it down and across.
Into Eisa. Can he get the shot?
He cuts back to his right, gets through the middle,
and it's 2-nil to MK Dons.
[crowd groaning]
Absolutely walking through us. Awful.
Have you ever played before?
[commentator 9] Mo Eisa danced back onto his right foot.
There was a sea of red shirts in front of him.
No one got near him.
And Wrexham are 2-nil down.
Oh, my God.
[commentator 9] And a stunned silence at the SToK Cae Ras.
Come on.
Just relax, everybody! Relax, everybody.
Tommy, tell Toz to relax!
[Reynolds] This is just-- I don't know what--
We didn't-- We haven't lost at home in a year.
So, this is, you know-- It's unusual, but it, um--
You know, it's, uh, nerves, I think.
- We lost Paul Mullin. - [Kyshkovych] Yes, absolutely.
A little bit of that.
- He was, like, the leader, right? - Yeah.
[commentator 9] It's saved.
Come on. Let's go.
Go.
[commentator 9] Nothing ever happens the easy way for Wrexham.
[fans] Wrexham! Wrexham! Wrexham! Wrexham! Wrexham!
♪ Okay ♪
♪ Yeah This is a battle for the future, ah ♪
[commentator 9] That ball races to Sam Dalby.
Can he get it across to Ryan Barnett?
He does really well. Barnett down the wing.
Barnett now passing down the right-hand side.
Forces in the area. Can he find him? Headed away by Smith.
Jones with the strike!
- Headed away! That one was goal-bound. - [Reynolds] Oh!
Come on! Good pressure, boys!
[commentator 9] Wrexham are playing themselves back into this game.
Robson sets Leko with a shot!
Oh, what an unbelievable save by Foster!
[crowd cheering]
Great save.
[commentator 9] And Foster was more than a match to it.
- ♪ We are giants among men ♪ - ♪ Among men ♪
[commentator 9] Back to Barnett. Driven to Barnett with a one-two.
Barnett crosses well. Dalby rises.
Waters with a strike!
- [fans groan] - Oh!
[commentator 9] Great save. Mendy with a follow up!
And it's 2-1!
[all cheering]
Get in there!
[commentator 9] Jacob Mendy pulls one back for Wrexham.
Come on. Back again! Yes!
[cheers]
[commentator 9] Incredible strike by Waters falls into the path
of Mendy on the follow up.
Game on now.
[fans chanting]
Here we go!
[all] Wrexham!
Okay. So, a little bit of a rough start, but then I thought--
[Reynolds] Yeah. I need-- I kind of was gonna say,
could you please stay up here for the second half?
I'm gonna stay up here for the second half.
- And they are huge. - [Jackman] Yes.
They are, like, much bigger than us.
But everybody else is feeling good, and the whole crowd seems pretty jazzed.
Yeah.
[McElhenney] I think there's a lot of goals left in this game.
[Mullin] It's a horrible feeling,
but obviously to start the game like that was killer, really.
It's just the first 15 minutes back, and you're 2-nil down,
but they come into the game obviously as it settled down a bit
and created chances and--
The gaffer's class.
At halftime he'll tell the lads exactly where they can create chances,
and where we can get in.
And then it's up to the lads to go out the second half
and take action on it, obviously.
Last year, we usually do that.
This year, we knew it was gonna be more difficult.
It's not gonna be as simple as last year.
Um, we've gotta work hard for it,
but I think we can obviously win the game from this position.
Right, I wanna ask you a question just right before we go out.
Were our fucking arousal levels at the right level
in the first 20 minutes of that game?
Or were you too fucking uptight and fucking 100-mile an hour?
Yeah?
We just all just need to relax and play.
We're back in the game.
These are not a great team. I'll tell you that now.
We've played in bigger games than this, by the way.
The season doesn't get defined by this fucking game.
We fucking had to play Notts County.
We played Sheffield United at home.
Like, you've got in the rhythm in the last 15, 20 minutes
and just fucking start like a good team.
Two minutes, boys. You know what you gotta do.
We've done enough talking. Let's go and play well for 45 minutes.
- Lets show we're good. Come on. - Let's get clean our way.
Come on. Come on.
[fans] ♪ Wrexham FC ♪
[commentator 9] Welcome back, then, to the second half at the SToK Cae Ras.
Wrexham will be hoping that they could come out of the traps fast.
Put MK Dons on the back foot once again.
What will the next 45 minutes take? We shall see.
- [Cooke] Yeah. - Come on, Wrexham.
[whistles]
- [commentator 9] ...half underway. - [fans chanting]
[commentator 9] Good ball to Ryan Barnett in space.
Crossed it to the area, headed away.
Out to Andy Cannon.
[fans exclaiming]
[commentator 9] Strike blocked.
Barnett again, gets across into the area, headed away.
A much more lively start by Wrexham.
[chanting continues]
[commentator 9] Cannon. Referee's played advantage, and Cannon's still down.
And Leko to get the shot away.
- And it gets past Foster and goes in. - [crowd shouting]
[commentator 9] And the two-goal lead has been restored.
Wow. Wow.
For fuck's sake, man.
[commentator 9] A smart finish by Jonathan Leko.
Ollie, Bickers, make sure you're ready.
[crowd chanting]
[Reynolds] Lucky sweater time.
Fitting into this might change the course of the game here.
All right.
[McElhenney] It's getting serious.
[fans] Ollie, Ollie, Ollie!
[commentator 9] Ollie Palmer, Jake Bickerstaff.
Jordan Davies makes his way on as well.
Come on!
[shouts]
[commentator 9] Bickerstaff to Jones. Elliot Lee.
Palmer. Lee. Plays it across.
Can't quite get it out of his feet. But better by Wrexham.
Oh, my God. Just put one in.
[commentator 9] Here come MK Dons again.
And Leko's been let straight through.
Can he make it four?
He can.
[crowd shouting]
[commentator 9] How he's had that much space, I'm not so sure.
And it's 4-1 to MK Dons.
Fuck off. It's a fucking disgrace.
[commentator 9] The away end loving every second of this.
[crowd chanting]
Welcome to the Football League. Welcome to the Football League.
I don't like them singing that.
Is that them singing?
♪ Welcome to the Football League ♪ ♪ Welcome to the Football League ♪
[Wrexham fans] Boo!
- This is just a good old-fashioned... - [McElhenney] Ass whooping?
...pants-down spanking in the supermarket.
[commentator 9] Bickerstaff to Lee.
Lee drives towards goal.
Jordan Davies!
Oh!
Y-- Oh. [winces]
That's why you don't get excited.
[crowd chanting]
[commentator 9] Davies to Bickerstaff. Takes it down well.
[commentator 9] Out to Lee for--
With him on the right. Lee might shoot, himself.
Bryce Hosannah. Back to Jordan Davies!
Great goal from Davies!
[crowd] Yeah!
Yes!
That's how you fucking do it. That's a laser, baby!
[commentator 9] Wrexham get a goal back.
Stop celebrating, lad. Lets go and fucking score again. Come on.
[commentator 9] And is there maybe,
maybe just a chance for Wrexham here.
Cuts inside and shoots.
And that one goes for a corner.
[commentator 9] Goes to the back post to Davies. Across goal!
- Just wide. - [crowd groans]
Fuck! I thought that was fucking in.
[commentator 9] That's seven minutes on it. Still time, then.
And it's 5-2.
Like Ben wouldn't even try.
[commentator 9] And there's not much more to say.
We knew at some point we were going to have to reckon with the idea
that we may have to be careful with what we wish for.
Humphrey, why-- why did you tell us to go to this league?
I like the other league better.
We lost, like, three times in the other one.
- [McElhenney] Yeah. - Like, all year.
I just didn't realize it was gonna happen immediately...
No.
- ...in the beginning of the... - Yeah.
...League Two campaign.
- Let's go back. - Yeah. Can we-- Is that an option?
[commentator 10] Well, some Wrexham fans are leaving
in disgust, understandably.
But we still have more football to play.
[commentator 9] Plays it across to O'Connell.
Forde takes it down well.
- And that's a great goal by Anthony Forde. - All right. Okay. Great.
[commentator 9] Brilliant finish.
Don't underestimate how important those are.
At the end of the season.
Goal differential.
[whistle blows]
[fans cheering]
[commentator 9] At the SToK Cae Ras, it is finished.
Wrexham 3, MK Dons 5.
[commentator 9] A disappointing return to the Football League for Wrexham.
Too many goals.
I'd turn it off if these weren't here.
- When was the last time we lost here? - Grimsby.
Two years ago. Two seasons ago.
Is that the last time we lost here?
[McElhenney] Yep.
- Man, you don't wanna peak too early. - No. [laughs]
[McElhenney] No way.
We can't start games just 'cause how we feel like it.
We gotta start on it, fucking loose as goose.
No fucker concentrating on doing the things that are important,
the basics on fucking first half today.
So, why? Is it the fucking buildup to the game?
Is it the fucking warm-up? Is it the mentality?
Is it the fucking lackluster-- "No, we're fucking Wrexham.
We're a good--" What is it that makes us start shit?
Obviously, MK Dons played very well on the day, but we just
not only lacked sharpness physically, but, mentally,
we looked, like, really below par in terms of our decision-making.
[Parkin] It's a fucking hard league,
and you don't get away with making too many mistakes,
'cause they'll punish you.
And that's what's fucking happened today.
[Parkinson] They played like a proper team.
We played like a fucking non-league team.
The players are stronger the higher up you go.
Do you know what I mean? So we've got a lot of work to do.
And we've gotta accept we've gone up another level.
[Wrexham fan 2] It's a wake-up call, yeah, I think.
Definitely bring us down to earth, I think.
After all the hype and everything,
definitely bring us down to earth that will.
- Fucking shit. Get that on the triple A. - Shit. Yes.
Welcome to the Football League.
We've gone up a league, and it's gonna be a bit--
It's gonna be a bit-- a bit difficult.
People-- I think a lot of people are getting carried away
and thinking we were gonna, you know, win every game 5-nil.
Well, ain't gonna happen, is it?
[Reynolds] It portends to be a very harrowing, edge-of-your-seat season.
I don't think you go through a League Two with another only, you know,
only suffering three losses.
[McElhenney] Well, I don't know where we're starting,
but it's probably in, like, 14th place after game one.
[Reynolds] Yeah.
Oh, sorry. Hold on.
Don't wanna be a party pooper, but, um, we're actually 21st, not 14th.
[Reynolds] Look how fast the crowd is out of here too.
- [McElhenney] It's amazing. - [Reynolds] Just vaporized.
Sometimes you need a day like this, like a reality check, um, to reassess things.
When you go up a level and you make mistakes, you get punished.
And-And that's what happened to us today.
We hard-launched failure.
Yep. Yeah.
See you Tuesday, boys.
- See you, boys. - Thank you.
See you, guys.
[Reynolds] See? It's like a funeral.
[Jackman] It's hard. It hurts.
- [Reynolds] A fucking funeral, right? - [Jackman] I feel the pain.
- [McElhenney] Yeah. - [Jackman groans]