Non-league club 'one letter away' from Wrexham tries to catch Ryan Reynolds' eye

A non-league football club that claims it was "one letter away" from being taken over by Ryan Reynolds is hoping to catch the Wrexham co-owner's eye with a cheeky video.

Norfolk-based outfit Wroxham FC and the Red Dragons, owned by the Hollywood A-lister and fellow actor Rob McElhenney, might have similar names.

However, their fortunes on the pitch couldn’t be further apart, with Wrexham currently battling it out for promotion in League One and Wroxham lying just once place above the bottom of the Isthmian North League, five divisions below them.

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The minnows, nicknamed the Yachtsmen, shared a trailer at the weekend advertising their new three-part documentary, humorously titled ‘Welcome to Wroxham’.

It features a confused Wrexham fan asking "Where is Wroxham?" and a character called Dadpool in reference to Reynolds' title role in the Deadpool movies.

Meanwhile, adverts for the rival documentary were “accidentally” placed outside locations made famous by Welcome to Wrexham, including The Turf pub, before the North Wales side’s game against Mansfield on Saturday.

The trailer quickly gained traction on social media, with more than 300,000 views and hundreds of comments.

Wroxham FC chairman James Blower admitted the club was deliberately aiming to attract the attention of Reynolds and McElhenney to highlight its story.

He also raised the possibility of a friendly between the two teams - jokingly dubbed the Vowel Derby.

Blower said: “We’ve watched from the subs' bench as Wrexham AFC has soared up the leagues and achieved global fame thanks to their celebrity owners.

“There’s plenty of people around this great little club that think, but for one letter, it could have been us.

“We’ve finally been able to make the documentary that tells our side of the story, and with a bit of luck with all the social media reaction, put the club on the map to maybe secure our own celebrity investment.

“Our dream is for Ryan and Rob to spot our own special story and maybe set up a pre-season grudge match.”

One of the stars of the documentary is Wroxham’s head groundsman, Barry Letten.

The 78-year-old has tended to the club’s pitch on a voluntary basis for the past two decades and has already enjoyed a taste of stardom following the trailer’s release.

Letten said: “I walked into the clubhouse this morning, and a couple of regulars asked for a photo with me. Apparently I’m a social media sensation now, whatever that means.

“I’m more pitchfork and wheelbarrow than TikTok star, but this must be what Ryan Reynolds feels like when he turns up at Wrexham.

“Wroxham FC means the world to me. I’m here five days a week, come rain or shine, looking after the pitch, cleaning the toilets, sweeping the changing room, whatever is needed.

“It’s a community club that deserves its time in the limelight, and to be what everyone is calling ‘the star of the show’ means an awful lot. I love it.”

The average attendance at Wroxham FC’s home games at Trafford Park is around 150, compared to the regular sell-out crowds of more than 13,000 at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground.

While Welcome to Wrexham is aired on Disney+, the first episode of Wroxham’s documentary will go live on the club’s YouTube account from 9am on Sunday (November 17).

The show has been made possible via the non-league club’s sponsorship with Riot Labs, a company that sells vape liquids.

Ben Johnson, the firm’s CEO, said: “To be able to support the club and give them the platform and investment to share their unique story is an honour, and the reaction has been brilliant.

“We hope it helps them attract future sponsors and maybe even Hollywood owners of their own.”