Original subtitles

I am shooting Deadpool

with my buddy Rob McElhenney playing a super secret cameo.

And, uh

Deadpool & Wolverine. You're in that movie?

- No! - [laughing]

[chuckling] I was until Ryan cut me out.

[screeching]

[McElhenney] Oh, God, please.

The scene he was in, we cut out then we put back in, and we

I was trying for weeks to find a way just to keep

[Reynolds as Deadpool] Don't worry about a thing. I got you!

[McElhenney] Don't leave me, please!

And at the end, my my editor was like,

- "You're just keeping this whole sequence - [laughing]

because Rob's in it. It's not working."

I got you into this mess, I'm gonna get you--

- [McElhenney screams] - OMG!

They had a They gave me an intervention over you.

They were like, "It's just it's not we got to move."

At this point in my life and career,

the story of me being cut out of it

is funnier and more interesting than me being in it.

Was your first film The Devil's Own, and you were cut out of it?

- That is correct. I have been cut out - That's gotta be devastating.

- Ugh. Devastating. - [laughing]

No, I can look back on it now and it's funny,

but it was not funny at the time.

The Devil's Own was, like, my first job, and I did a scene with Brad Pitt,

a scene with Harrison Ford, Julia Stiles.

And I invited all of my friends and family to the screening.

I had been telling people for months that I was in this movie,

and, uh, and then I just wasn't.

So, that was humiliating and terrible.

It puts you into a dark place 'cause you just feel like a failure.

And then it happened again!

I was cut from seemingly everything I did

for the first, uh, five to seven years of my career.

Bye.

[McElhenney] Getting cut in competitive fields, that's part of the deal.

That happens all the time at a football club

because they believe that you're not the best fit for that team.

You can't help but internalize that and think,

"Well, maybe it's about me."

But sometimes it's about them, and everybody knows it going into it,

but it doesn't make it any less painful when it happens to you.

Sometimes the world's the problem, not you, and you gotta pick yourself up

and put them in your rearview mirror and

and find the place where you will shine.

[shop owner] Obviously the club is on a heck of a positive journey, you know,

and people are saying about some players not performing well.

We're third in the table, so they must be doing something right.

- [American accent] Just taking a look. - [Clarke] Where you from, mate?

- California. - [Clarke] Ah! Brilliant.

Welcome to Wrexham, as the the phrase is.

Um, asking what I think of our strikers not scoring any goals.

[customer] Oh, yeah.

[all shouting] Wrexham!

[Griffiths] Wrexham not making opportunities.

[Gilpin] Mullin and Palmer increasingly don't look much of a goal threat.

We keep saying that Palmer grinds down the defense

and sort of gets them ready for a Fletcher onslaught.

[fans chanting] There's nobody better than Steven Fletcher!

That's fine if you don't concede

[chuckling] but there will be games where we do concede.

We do need our starting strikers to have a genuine goal threat.

[fan] Fletcher then comes on for 20, 15 minutes at the end, and is scoring,

so why can't the strikers who are playing 75, 80 minutes

get the same results really?

[fans groan]

And what do we need?

- Another striker. A backup. - At least one other striker. Yeah.

[fan] We can't win 1-nil, we've gotta be winning 2 or 3-nil.

♪ Don't forget where You came from, don't forget What you're made of ♪

♪ The ones who were there When no one else would care ♪

♪ Don't be afraid to cry now ♪

♪ Even when the world Comes crashing in ♪

♪ Don't forget To sing when you win ♪

♪ Don't forget To sing when you win ♪

[chanting, whistling]

[Griffiths] Welcome to a huge derby. Wrexham visiting Shrewsbury Town.

[chanting continues]

[Griffiths] A massive game for both teams, of course.

Wrexham, pushing for a promotion, with a win would go top today.

Shrewsbury looking to rejuvenate their season

and pull away from the relegation zone.

Parkinson has said goodbye to his old lineup

with Mullin and Palmer both on the bench,

but we all say a fond hello to Elliot Lee,

who's back from injury.

He's playing off Steven Fletcher, making his second league start of the season.

[Roberts] Steven Fletcher, I mean, delighted to see him start.

I think he's been knocking at that door for pretty much most of the season now

with the goals he's getting when he comes off that bench.

[Griffiths] I'd like to see a little bit more service to the feet of Fletcher.

I'd like to see us giving him a chance to use that technique and bring them in.

Ooh, there's an opportunity here for Shrewsbury!

The ball drops loose, Marquis in the box! Scores!

[fans cheering]

That's a great piece of play by Marquis after an error at the back.

And Shrewsbury take the lead. Let's see how Wrexham respond to that.

Cannon now has got an option out wide. Barnett.

This time he's got a chance maybe to run at Benning before he gets support.

Gets around the outside, sweeps into the far post

Fletcher!

- Scores! - [all cheering]

Wrexham equalize, and Fletcher, in his town of birth,

scores and keeps his remarkable run going.

[commentator] Steven Fletcher in the form that he's in, we're back to 1-1.

- [all shout] Wrexham! - [Griffiths] It's a proper derby match.

[commentator] The noise is brilliant.

There's nobody better than Steven Fletcher!

[commentator] And they know how important it is.

After getting the goal back,

we felt like we'd get the momentum and go on and win the game.

[Griffiths] Second half, it's Castledine working it wide, goes for the return pass,

but Matty James did well, tracked his run

and is back there and calmly to O'Connell who runs into trouble.

- He's fouled surely. - [whistle blows]

[Griffiths] The ref's given a penalty. Hang on.

Oh.

What a mess O'Connell made of that one.

[Roberts] It's a pen all day long.

[Griffiths] Yeah. It's a penalty and here is Marquis to take it.

He steps up now and it's saved by Okonkwo!

- But the rebound is in! - [fans cheering]

[Griffiths] Wrexham shot themselves in the foot with the concession of that penalty

and have got to come back all over again.

An awful way to start the second half.

That was That was disappointing.

[Griffiths] Plenty of firepower on the bench for Parkinson,

but Wrexham need to get straight back at it.

Straight from the restart, McClean, in front of the fans who are booing,

and feeds it forward over the edge of the area.

Good defending again by Hoole, blocks his cross.

Throw to Wrexham, ten yards out.

I am genuinely surprised that they're allowing so many people to amass there

to have a go at McClean, I've got to be honest.

I mean Something is thrown at him there.

[Roberts] I know it's a derby, I know it can get heated,

but you never want to see things like that.

[booing continues]

[Griffiths] And Mullin coming on for Andy Cannon.

I mean, we've got to do something like this. Fletcher gets a partner now.

[fans chanting] We've got super Mullin!

[Griffiths] Lee looks for Rathbone.

Lucky ricochet falls for Mullin, who tries, but well over.

[commentator] Yeah, I don't think Wrexham have really deserved to win this game.

- [Griffiths] No. - Can we make something different

because we're just going in and being so predictable.

[podcaster] The open joke is, we're third in the table and we don't score goals.

If we could go and get someone, this window, a lethal striker,

someone who is too good for this level, break the budget, just do it,

because the reward there is Championship football.

[Ker] The January transfer window

[fan] The chances are, we might slip down a bit.

Realistically, we're gonna lose some games.

Yeah.

- You can't win every game. - [Birrell] No.

- Even Man City lose occasionally. - Well, occasionally.

We'd have given anything

- to be mid table, wouldn't we? - [Birrell] Yeah. Yeah.

To stay in this division.

- Consolidate. That was the word. - Consolidate was the word.

- Everybody was saying, "Consolidate." - [Valentine] "Consolidate."

But now, we've been spoiled because we're doing so well.

- Now it's, "Yeah, we want promotion." - It's expectation now.

- "We could get promotion." - Yeah, the weight of expectation.

Yeah, but Dad said

I mean, Dad said with these fellas in charge, anything's possible.

Anything's poss Yeah.

He could see us going straight up to the Premier, Dad could, with these,

- so I can't see why not. - Yeah.

It was a shame that Dad didn't live long enough

to see us play that first game back in this league.

- [Valentine] I know. - Yeah.

[Birrell] Oof. [stammers] Yeah.

[sighs, sniffles]

Dear me.

My granddad sadly passed away, a hundred years old,

and season ticket holder from,

I think he was nine years old when he started watching Wrexham.

Fans actually lined the streets the day of his funeral.

They gave him a perfect send-off.

- He absolutely adored the football club. - [fans applauding]

- [Birrell] He touched so many people. - [Valentine] Yeah.

All over the world. And people said "thank you" for that.

They said, "Thank you for sharing him with us."

Yeah.

[McElhenney] We're not guaranteed anything except that, at some point,

we're all going to die and that the people around us,

people we love, uh, we're going to have to say goodbye to.

Arthur Massey, this is for you. Thank you.

[McElhenney] For as painful as it is, uh,

when I think about him, mostly I feel gratitude that I got to meet him,

to spend time with him and his family and to understand

So nice to see you. Happy St. David's Day.

what Wrexham meant to him

- as an organization and as a town. - [fans cheering]

But, more importantly, what he meant to the organization

and will continue to.

We invite all supporters to join in a minute's applause for Arthur Massey.

Our oldest supporter has passed away aged one hundred.

[applause]

♪ Be still and know That I'm with you ♪

♪ Be still, be still and know ♪

[Jones] His legacy sort of lives on.

Every time that I go to the game now,

I have a look up at his seat as well.

So, he'll always be at the football club, in my opinion.

[applauding continues]

♪ If you forget the way to go ♪

[McElhenney] Saying goodbye and loss is a part of life,

and Arthur's life will always be a part of this club's history and of its future.

He's one of the reasons that the world has fallen in love with Wrexham,

and we will honor him forever.

♪ Be still, be still and know ♪

[Valentine] I like to think he's still watching, he's just in a different place.

[Birrell] Yes. Best seat in the stadium.

Best seat in the stadium. Yeah.

But, you know, he's passed the baton on to us, hasn't he?

Yeah. And we have to pass it on. You know, Wrexham fans will go on.

They'll go on forever. Going from generation to generation.

[Jones] This is the newest addition to the family.

- [coughing] - Oh, no.

♪ If no one Is standing beside you ♪

[Massey] I guess you could say I'm a Wrexham boy through and through.

♪ Be still and know I am ♪

t game of the season.

Birmingham gave us a bit of a lesson at their place,

so hopefully tonight we can show them what we're actually made of.

Up the town.

- This league is ours. - [fan 2] It's gonna be a tight game today.

Would you play Mullin or Marriott today because Marriott's back now, isn't he?

You can see Mullin's fuming. He's fuming with himself.

His name is Tom Wagner. Show some respect.

Who's Tom Wagner?

[Wagner] Thought it'd be a nice gesture to buy everyone a round

and demonstrate that it's really more than just about,

you know, one team versus the other, but really the culture of British football,

and that's what we're trying to represent.

We love each other, but hate each other tonight.

[McElhenney] We're here to watch a football match,

with the Red Dragons against Tom Brady and Tom Wagner's evil Birmingham,

whatever they are. Blues?

It's gonna be a really tough game,

but I'd like to believe that we're gonna come out victorious.

[fans chanting]

[Griffiths] Welcome to Wrexham.

Wrexham at home to Birmingham City, third against first, the light show begins.

A win here tonight and Wrexham will be just two points behind the league leaders.

Come on, let's give 'em a Wrexham fucking night.

[Griffiths] Ollie Rathbone, who's new in this season,

and has been making a huge impact for us so far,

starts in midfield and Ollie Palmer returns to the starting lineup.

Come on, you reds!

[Griffiths] And Birmingham kick off.

[fans chanting] Wrexham! Wrexham!

[Griffiths] Wrexham fans are in good voice.

Birmingham, they're moving the ball around confidently, looking good,

and it's gonna be very interesting how Wrexham cope with that.

Can't pick out May.

Hurried pass for O'Connor, doesn't find Palmer.

Now Wrexham looking to break from the back.

Good challenge, wins it, and Rathbone can hit this. He curls it!

- [shrieks] What a goal! - [fans cheering]

[McElhenney] Yes! Rathbone! Ollie!

[Griffiths] That is an absolute screamer!

I mean, you could see from the very start that Rathbone was a player

who was going to be showing terrific energy,

but he has a bit of quality that does raise him up a bit of a level.

For me, he looks like a Championship player who's playing at this level.

[commentator] I don't think he has a bit of quality, I think he has a lot.

[all] Wrexham!

What a goal.

At the game that I went to in Birmingham, it was the ninth minute

where we scored the first goal, and then they came back and smashed us.

[Griffiths] Birmingham get a corner. Ball over the top looking to the far post

There's a free header. It's in.

[Olsen] No!

- [Griffiths] 1-1. Very, very simple. - [commentator] Fucking hell!

Come on, boys.

[Griffiths] Ruby slippers invoking the spirit of the patron saint of lost causes,

Taylor Swift, and saying "Shake it off, Reds.

You've got plenty of time."

As Palmer is wrestled around. Ref doesn't give it.

Lee is trying to hold it up on the left flank, falls over,

and the ref gives that one.

Hallelujah.

There we go.

[Griffiths] O'Connor whips the ball in to the far post

- and a chance for a shot for Rathbone! - [fans cheer, groan]

- [Griffiths] Rathbone puts it just over. - Oh, my God.

[Griffiths] Halftime whistle then goes, and we've given as good

as we've got against a strong Birmingham side.

My name is Ollie Rathbone, and I play for Wrexham Football Club.

Grew up in Blackburn.

My dad was a physio, and he was a player himself.

My granddad as well. He was a footballer back in the '50s,

so mad football family.

Ever since I can remember, it was always a ball at my feet. It was my life.

[Griffiths] Can Rathbone do something? Carries to the edge of the box.

- Left-footed strike! - [fans cheering]

[Griffiths] Ollie Rathbone with a screamer!

[Rathbone] I played at Manchester United until I was, like, 14.

When a lot of lads started to grow and started to develop, I just didn't,

so it kind of meant I couldn't compete in my own age group there.

I'd wanted to play first-team football,

so I signed for Rochdale in League One.

I was a really late developer,

so I always felt that I had to do more than everyone else,

which is something I think I still carry with me today.

Played preseason friendly against Rotherham,

and they put a bid in for me the next day.

And a week later, I was at Rotherham United.

[fans cheering]

First year, got promoted automatically out of League One to the Championship.

Then, unfortunately, in the third year, the division was just too tough for us,

and we ended up getting relegated back to League One.

My dad's career was kind of plagued,

and he regrets he didn't enjoy it enough,

so he insists that I just have to enjoy it as much as I can.

You've got, like, such a short career

that you wanna maximize it as much as you can.

My agent said, "You have a call with Phil, and I think they might be interested."

And you want to feel like you're involved in something special.

New record fee to sign Rathbone

That's what really attracted me there.

[producer] What's it like, first of all, going into a new dressing room?

Uh, difficult.

Head up to the gym.

Look at this. Wow.

I saw straightaway it was such a tight-knit group

that have achieved so much together, so I was very eager to impress.

[Griffiths] Rathbone with a lung-busting run, and he's won it!

And then he's got two men now by two in the middle, pulls it back.

- Fletcher! - [all cheering]

[Griffiths] Rathbone tees up Steven Fletcher.

[Parkin] Ollie fucking Rathbone. Wowser!

Ollie Rathbone's been an absolute genius this season.

[Griffiths] The ball's swept into the crowd and it's there!

Ollie Rathbone!

Not only on the pitch, off the pitch, he's been a great addition.

Steven Fletcher if anyone knows him.

That's my mate, Jurassic Mark, as we call him.

[Lee] He sums up what we're about.

- He doesn't normally do this. - [laughs]

We're a team of hardworking lads trying to achieve success for this great club.

[Griffiths] Welcome back to Wrexham against Birmingham. Great run by Rathbone.

Birmingham are on the ropes, they're reeling here, aren't they?

They can't get the ball off us.

[Rathbone] I'm here to make a mark and be part of this journey

and hopefully be remembered.

The only thing that really matters is

that you enjoy where you are, and at Wrexham, I've felt that.

[Griffiths] Forward to Rathbone who rips it in the box.

And, wow, one all, the final score. Brilliant stuff.

All right. I'll take it.

[commentator] That is not a bad result

to take a point from such a strong side in this division.

We're only one win away from an automatic promotion spot.

Next few matches against lower-ranked teams as well.

But who knows what's gonna happen?

[fans chanting] Ollie Rathbone!

[Parkinson] The striker dile

We're getting to the point where we've gotta put bids in.

- It's January. You're gonna overpay a bit. - Yeah.

If you bring in a 35-year-old striker,

36-year-old striker, that might help with the now.

You maybe pay a lot of money, but in the future,

there really isn't anything there to go forward.

If you bring in a 25-year-old striker, it's gonna cost a lot of money.

And, honestly, for the now,

there's probably, you know, limited upside to some extent.

You know, Phil, it'll take six months before they get,

you know, kind of situated with the whole environment that we have around here.

So try to find something in between.

- Yeah, it's never easy. - No.

It's so difficult.

People never understand how hard it is

to get a player to improve what you've got.

The player we bring in has gotta be significantly better than one we've got.

And that hierarchy in the dressing room,

we've gotta make sure we keep the status quo in there.

It seems like it keeps getting more and more expensive.

That's the problem.

[Griffiths] Since the last season, I've retired as a teacher.

Get up at 8:00, have a nice coffee.

Put on the TV, play with the cats.

Huh? That's right.

But being retired is lovely. I'm getting used to it.

I've always been really good at lounging around and appearing busy,

and now I feel like I've found that perfect arena

to really express those skills.

I love teaching, but when people say, "Do I miss teaching?"

[chattering]

[chuckling] No, I do not miss working.

My long-suffering wife, it's much worse for her now that I'm at home.

I'm realizing how much of my energy I got out when I was teaching.

I was an annoying guy on the corridors,

and now I'm just an annoying guy around the house.

I'm retired. Enjoy school tomorrow.

Mark

- Oh, yes. - [teacher] Harsh.

So because I'm retired,

my intention at the start of the season was I would cover every game.

You'd have to drag me out of there kicking and screaming

to stop me doing this.

He takes the back pass, you know, he'll get that first.

- Oh! What a goal! - [all cheer]

[Griffiths] It's exciting to be able to just focus on doing stuff for the football club

and sit around the house thinking about football all the time,

which makes me a top husband.

- [Griffiths] Wait for me. - [giggles]

[Griffiths] When I was working, there was always a voice in the back of my head

saying I resent having to work. I want to spend time with her.

I annoy her because I can be borderline clingy.

Emma would cut the "borderline" out that sentence.

[Griffiths] I love you. You're all right, you are.

You're gonna make me all shy now. [chuckles]

[Griffiths] Saying goodbye to teaching

has given me the chance to say hello again to my wife.

[Emma] Those are nice pieces, eh?

That looks like a piece of a tile or something, doesn't it?

[Griffiths] Hello, welcome to the SToK Cae Ras.

Wrexham against the Stevenage side who have toiled for goals away from home.

- Where's Stevenage now? 15? - Yeah, 15.

And Wrexham at third.

Come on, Wrexham!

[Griffiths] Stevenage have only scored four away goals all season,

and Wrexham are unbeaten at home.

You would hope this is a home win.

[Roberts] You'd absolutely hope so.

[Griffiths] And it's a good pass as well,

and now Kemp is bursting through, three-on-two breakaway.

Plays a nice ball to Roberts. First time finish, Okonkwo saves. The rebound's in!

Stevenage take the lead.

[Roberts] Arthur might be a little bit disappointed to parry it where he does,

but Dan Kemp just reacts quicker and deserves that goal.

[Griffiths] Wrexham go behind at the Racecourse.

[Roberts] Really disappointing from Wrexham

who just really haven't come out the blocks at all,

like we did last week against Birmingham.

[Griffiths] And hits a shot. 2-nil!

[cheering]

- [seat thumps] - [Griffiths] Oh, goodness me.

They just scored half the away goals they've scored all season in 18 minutes.

[Roberts] We've got a real battle on our hands now.

[Parkinson] We got overpowered a bit in that first half,

and when we didn't find solutions to the problems,

it was a case of keep going.

- [Griffiths] The crowd are fractious here. - Fuck off!

[Roberts] You know, you've got to overcome games like this

if you want to be up there in those

in those automatics or even playoff positions.

So, a real big test for Wrexham, see what they're made of, especially at home.

[Griffiths] Wrexham needs to step this up.

[whistle blows]

[McClean] That's as bad as it gets.

From one to eleven, that's as bad as it fucking gets.

Fucking Kemp playing like he's fucking Messi.

I'm fucking stunned really, boys.

We've lost every fucking header, every second ball.

Showed no fucking courage to play. I mean, fucking hell.

But the great thing about football is,

there's forty fucking nine minutes to put it right.

Do you know what I mean? That's what football's all about.

The crowd are booing. Fantastic, well done.

I love nights like this 'cause we're gonna fucking turn it around.

Gonna turn it around by fucking playing properly

and showing some fucking courage.

Mulls, Fletch, come on, boys, great challenge for us. Let's turn it round.

I made changes to get back in it, which is rare for me to do.

Because, I think, if you've picked the 11 you've gone with,

and give them another 15 minutes to try and rectify it.

[Griffiths] Fletcher and Mullin come on to a tremendous welcome

from the Wrexham fans.

[Parkinson] But I felt that we needed to quickly respond within the game.

At halftime, when the gaffer told us we were going on,

I was desperate to get back on the pitch and try and score a goal.

[Griffiths] Mullin fighting, and the crowd love that.

It's a corner. Lee whips it in, knocked down by Fletcher.

Rathbone. Shot comes in. It's there!

- We're back in this match. - [fans] Wrexham!

It took a deflection, but I managed to just help it on.

We looked like we were gonna be the team who were, you know,

gonna go on and get back into it and win the game.

[Griffiths] Mullin's picked up a loose ball, driving forwards.

Can he find something?

Hits it from the edge of the box. Just over.

[fans groan]

Gotta lock it in!

[Griffiths] And now he's taking on Scarr on the right-hand side,

fills it inside nicely.

Danger here, pulled back to Young. Great checkout, and he scores.

Wow, this is something.

[Mullin] It's quite difficult to take,

especially when the fans are right behind us,

and I think that was just a stark reminder for us

how we always need to be a hundred percent at it.

[Parkinson] It was quite a disappointing performance.

It was a shock to the system.

Parky was fuming, the fans were fuming.

Not something we're used to, losing at home.

[Griffiths] Well, they've given it a good go, but too little too late, ultimately.

Wrexham lose at home for the first time this season.

That was probably one of the worst first half performances we've had

since we've been here.

A bit of soul searching to do, I think, boys. For us all.

We've always said to you, since ever we've been here,

"Earn the right to play." Earn the right.

We didn't earn the right tonight.

We didn't earn the right, and that's why they've won.

[podcaster 1] How we didn't score another goal, I'll never know.

[podcaster 2] For the first time ever, really,

I'm seriously questioning the sort of decisions that are made--

[podcaster 1] By Parkinson?

[podcaster 2] Yeah, he's got a massive problem to solve now.

Everybody can see we've got no goal threat.

Parky will live and die by his decisions.

If he's playing players who are not performing,

we'll lose games and eventually, you know, he could pay the price.

I really thought we would have strikers in by now.

I've got to look closely at myself

because I take full responsibility for that

and make sure we pick a team which is gonna fight tooth and nail for the badge.

[Gilpin] You'd better get a move on 'cause you haven't got much time left

before transfer window slams shut.

[Gilpin] Yep, we may have said goodbye to our long-standing unbeaten hom

but you know what? We've also got reason to say hello, haven't we?

Twenty-four days into the January transfer window

and Wrexham Football Club have finally got our first signing across the line.

Hull City's midfielder Ryan Longman on a deal

until the end of the '26-'27 season.

[Gilpin] Can you give us the lowdown?

He's played as a striker, he's played as a wingback.

[commentator] And Ryan Longman scores for Hull City!

[Gilpin] At the age of 24,

he's already got over a hundred Championship games under his belt.

[Longman] We'll see what happens, but I'm happy we've gotten in over the line.

[Parkinson] Love it. Good.

The results during January, the defeat at Shrewsbury in particular,

as well as we played against Birmingham,

that was five points dropped out of six.

We couldn't afford to lose contact with the teams at the top.

We have a very, very tight window.

It's going to be a large price tag,

but we need a proven goal scorer at this level

to be able to continue this push for promotion.

It's a far cry from where we were 5 years ago, when the odd decent player we had,

you were sort of pacing around the house or the pub thinking,

"I hope nobody comes in for him because we can't afford to keep hold of him."

To be able to be in a position now where it's completely reversed

and we are the club looking to maybe snatch

an absolute class player from somebody else

Anything can happen on the last day of the transfer window.

[Cleworth] Our wish has been granted in the last 48 hours

of the January transfer window.

Wrexham Football Club have signed a striker.

We're talking about Sam Smith.

[McElhenney chuckling] Oh! Not that Sam Smith. This one.

[camera shutter clicks]

Sam Smith is a player I wanted Wrexham to sign

from Reading, fellow League One side, for a reported £2 million,

which has completely smashed the club's record transfer fee.

Wow, I mean, what a signing that is.

He's in great form, he's banging goals in at this level.

He's big and strong, he can do the Palmer-style scrapping for the ball,

but he can also the Mullin-style smashing goals in.

We're taking him away from a club where he is their leading goal scorer.

He's a, you know, fourth-leading goal scorer in League One right now.

Then on top of that, to add to a player that's had over 250 appearances

in the Premier League is incredible to bring Jay in.

[fan] We were able to bring in Jay Rodriguez to the squad.

[Griffiths] Rodriguez who shoots on the turn. A fantastic strike. Jay Rodriguez.

[Griffiths] Rodriguez is just such a clever, clever player.

He'll bring so much for us.

[Harvey] Ryan Longman to fill that right wingback role.

Sam Smith, who was, you know, the number one choice of a striker,

and then Jay Rodriguez

Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy.

[Harvey] who brings an element of experience

that'll make the difference between draws and wins,

and it's the difference between draws and wins that will determine

how successful we are by the end.

[Parkinson] Get yourselves a drink. Well done.

[producer] How's your first week been at Wrexham then, Sam?

[Smith] It's been really good.

It's a lot different to my old club, but got a really good group of lads.

♪ And I get no pleasure From the pain ♪

♪ You say I didn't mean it But I feel it just the same ♪

[Smith] I've enjoyed training.

The team's done so well for two years now

and it's difficult because you have to prove yourself

and you have to try and be accepted by everyone.

Especially when you come in a January window,

your life just gets turned upside down,

living in hotels, can't cook, I'm big on my diet.

The hardest thing is just coming out of your routine.

It's not ideal, but it is what it is.

♪ Some people Have a special kinda knack ♪

Hopefully I'm coming in to make the squad better

and I can help to get us promoted.

♪ It's the leader of the pack Leader of the pack ♪

[Gilpin] So, Crawley Town away. What do you guys think of that?

[Randall] Super Paul Mullin. Not so super this season.

Yeah, well, we've all been talking about, "He needed a goal. He needed a goal."

And then he hits one, which is a joke of a goal.

I don't know what it is, whether it is a bit of confidence, I don't know,

it just doesn't seem to be happening for him.

[Gilpin] Is it fitness, Andy? He's still, he's not 100% fit.

It can't be fitness by now, you've got that,

if you've got five months, four months under your belt of full-time training,

it can't be fitness.

Paul Mullin is absolutely tremendous, what he's done for this club,

but if we can get promoted this season by bringing better players,

players that are more adapted to winning championships, now, I don't know.

[Griffiths] Wrexham against Crawley Town with lots of changes, lots of alterations.

Okonkwo replaced in goal by Mark Howard, but Smith and Rodriguez come in.

[fan] We've got the two new lads straight in.

The other guys, they had, you know, plenty of time.

Unfortunately, didn't produce,

and if we want to go up this season, then, yeah, we need some goal scorers.

[Griffiths] No Paul Mullin. He's having a scan on his shin this week.

[Parkinson] Mulls is the type of lad, "I'll probably be on the bench anyway."

But, you know, I just said, "Look, Mulls, until we get that scan tomorrow,

I don't wanna put you at risk because we've got a lot of football to play."

It's a cruel game.

[fans chanting]

[Griffiths] Howard stands it up and Rodriguez the target.

It drops for Barnett. Barnett turns, takes on his man,

drives at the near post, and Rathbone's got to the ball first,

lays it nicely back, and Wrexham take the lead!

- Matty James's first goal for the club. - [fans cheering]

Great start this for Wrexham then. Ahead with a minute on the clock.

[all shout] Wrexham!

[Griffiths] Smith driving forwards, you've got Rathbone arriving with him.

Whips a good ball in to Rathbone, who helps it on nicely. Rodriguez

It was a great chance. That would have been 2-nil.

- [Williams] Great run by Rodriguez. - [Griffiths] It is a step up.

The quality of that pass as well from Smith.

He looks kind of good, doesn't he? [chuckles] I'm encouraged.

[Parkinson] Everyone was looking round,

"Come on, are we gonna bring someone in to give us a lift?"

And we've good players in the building which are gonna be a big signing for us.

[Griffiths] Last minute. Wrexham still lead 1-nil.

Good header by Cleworth, keeps an eye on it well.

Ibrahim tries a long ranger. He scored! Unbelievable strike!

[fans cheering]

[Griffiths] He must've been a good 30 yards out.

Took it on his chest and launched a screamer.

Howard, lunging, had no chance. Top right corner.

And Wrexham concede a late equalizer.

[Parkinson] The lad will never hit a shot like that again in his career.

[Griffiths] I thought we were gonna get a 1-nil.

[Parkinson] The wonder goal could've deflated us,

but this week has been a good week for us in the transfer market,

and football is about big moments of quality.

[Griffiths] Thirty seconds left of added time,

and Wrexham, who looked so bright in the first half,

are digging in to get a point here.

That's a nice pass by Lee. Dobson with a bit of space up to the edge of the area,

held up cutely by Fletcher with a little reverse pass.

Longman stands it in, Free header. It's in!

Wrexham win it with six seconds left! Great delivery by Longman.

[Roberts] That's what teams do at the top of that table.

[Williams] Huge credit to Phil Parkinson

because he has thrown that grenade in the changing rooms

and said, "Right, some things need to change here."

[reporter] We've spoken about the players you've brought in.

Will there be movement out?

[Parkinson sighs] I mean, listen, we're just On the way back tonight,

We're just gonna have a good chat because we've had a very hectic few days

and we'll decide where we go in the next few days.

[member 1] We've done so well,

- back-to-back promotions. - [member 2] Yeah.

[member 3] But we all know there's several players there who aren't gonna be with us.

Yeah, players that have done good service for the club,

but they're just not going to feature.

[Harvey] In the transfer window, a decision was made

to release James Jones and Anthony Forde.

When you've got a big squad,

that means players who have been part of the club for a long period of time,

need to leave to continue to play football.

So, there's a natural ceiling that players get to,

and that ceiling is reached quicker the better you do.

There's bound to be players who are part of that absolute legacy

who are gonna fall by the wayside.

[McElhenney] It's very hard because not only do you become so close with them,

but because you ask them to do a job

and they did that job for you, and then they recognize

that they might be promoting themselves out of a job.

[Howard] It's tough, but ultimately football does go on.

New players come in and take their position.

We have to constantly keep adapting,

and it's hard because you make a lot of friends in football.

[Faal] You spend time with these players every day,

and it's always hard to say goodbye.

That's why you cherish every moment

and enjoy those times 'cause things change very quickly.

[Lee] It was sad to see JJ go.

But equally, for Forde's career, it was the best thing for him.

He needs to show what a quality player he is.

[Jones] I've been at Wrexham so long,

it's been all I've known for the last three and a half years.

Only look back on it with fond memories.

All the craziness that goes along with being a Wrexham player.

[players chanting]

[Smith] The lads are an amazing group and we've bonded really well,

and I think that's showed on the pitch.

There's a lot of lads that have made an effort with me and Laura,

always trying to help and something I've definitely appreciated.

[Jones] The Wrexham dream can't last forever.

It is tough, but that's kind of what we signed up for

and everyone will eventually go through it.

There'll be very few that hang on all the way up to the top.

Happy that I've played a big part in the club's history.

I'll always have that to look back on.

[fans cheering]

[commentator] Anthony Forde.

[Griffiths] James Jones! What a wonderful finish that was!

[member 1] We've now got legend players to come back who achieved something.

A group of heroes for the younger fans to look at.

I'm really sad to see a couple of them go.

James Jones put it all on the line for us.

Sad to see Anthony Forde move on. He's never let us down.

[commentator] It's towards Dalby. He's run past him.

Anthony Forde makes it six!

[Griffiths] Genuinely sad to see James Jones and Anthony Forde go,

but it's premature to assume that this will be the end for them though.

[Fay] Wrexham back in action this weekend, the early kickoff

Is this, you know, another one of those tests

where we'll get a clearer indication of how much we did strengthen in January?

Yeah, if we come out and we beat Northampton, happy days.

[Griffiths] Welcome to Northampton Town.

It's a horrible day here, just misty and rainy,

and we're about to get things underway.

Wrexham's two new strikers, Smith and Rodriguez, are both in the starting 11.

They showed great potential against Crawley

in what was yet another close win,

and they've certainly earned themselves the start today.

With Northampton, who are 19th in the table,

this is a great chance for Wrexham

to stay within striking distance of second-placed Wycombe.

Absent once again from the lineup entirely are Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer.

Parkinson is clearly demanding

an immediate return from his two new strikers.

They've certainly got big boots to fill.

So it's away we go.

And immediately Smith pops the ball backwards

and Cleworth sets himself, stands over the top.

Smith is trying to run in behind that,

takes it beautifully but loses his footing.

[commentator] What a great ball.

- [fans chanting] Wrexham! - [commentator] Fans very loudly singing.

[Griffiths] Good noise, isn't it?

Cleworth putting it into midfield for Rodriguez nicely.

Smith is there first. Dyche is with him.

Two Wrexham players arrive in the box. He pulls it back.

Return pass is overhit though.

There's a threat. Something's coming with those front two.

Howard over the top,

and again Smith's after this, and Willis lets it bounce.

Smith runs onto it in the box, hits it.

And Sam Smith has scored his first goal for Wrexham!

[fans cheering]

[Griffiths] He took a push in the back. It didn't bother him.

First-time, left-foot finish across the keeper and Wrexham take the lead.

[Parkinson] That goal, it sums up why we've had to bring in a Smith.

It's because he's mobile.

And this is no disrespect to Ollie Palmer,

he gives us so much in that first half of the season.

But Smith's got that little bit of pace that when that ball does go in behind,

he's away and he's got a chance of getting on the end of it.

Whereas Palmer would be more in a fight, maul with the center halves.

Tremendous finish.

[all shout] Wrexham!

[Griffiths] Back into midfield. Directs the ball back to O'Connell.

Dyche stretching. Heads it away, only as far as Rathbone, edge of the area,

can't quite bring it down but he keeps going Hits it!

And it's in! 2-nil!

Ollie Rathbone continues his scoring run.

[Parkinson] 2-nil. What a start.

Rathbone does so well. He just smells it, doesn't he?

- Smells those timings. - [Griffiths] Yep.

But this is certainly encouraging,

as the Northampton fans leave the ground in numbers.

We have dominated them on their own patch.

And that is the final whistle.

We've been winning by the skin of our teeth for so long.

This is the first time in 14 matches that we've won by more than a single goal.

So goodbye, scoring droughts, hello, Smith and Rathbone.

A great sign of things to come for Wrexham.

[McElhenney] In football, as in life, the only thing more constant than change

is the feeling it leaves behind.

We said goodbye to a legend who gave us his Saturdays,

players who left it all out on the pitch.

To lifelong careers, to roles we thought were permanent.

And in every space that opened up, someone else walked in.

A new voice, a new spark, a new name on the back of a shirt.

But not every chapter has an ending.

Some stories are still being written.

[Edwards] What do you think is in the future for Paul Mullin?

Because, obviously, he's done fantastic for us,

and there is a hell of a player there.

Is this an indication of what is in the future for Paul Mullin

when he's so low down the pecking order?

[Gilpin] It's strange to say that, isn't it? Because for the last three or four years,

he's been our star man,

and you don't know what's going on behind the scenes.

You don't know his fitness levels. Last season we needed him

because we weren't going to get promoted without him.

I just don't think that's gonna happen this season

because we've got Smith, you know, the Fletcher role is quite well-known.

[Edwards] In terms of strikers, it just feels like we've got too many now almost.

[Gilpin] I do wonder if Mullin will be there at the end of the season.

[Williams] So where does that leave him, really?

[Randall] I look at him not making even the bench

and I'm like, "Oh, yeah, thanks for the hundred-odd goals,

but, yeah, thanks for that."

[Gilpin] I wonder if he will want to move on and get first team action elsewhere.

[Williams] It's a weird thing to have to say it, but ultimately you have to say it.

That's football.