All language subtitles for welcome.to.wrexham.s04e06.1080p.web.h26successfulcrab

[Mark Griffiths]
The red dragon's been
the symbol of Wales

for over a thousand years.

As the myth goes,

the Welsh red dragon defeated
the white dragon representing
the Saxons.

The red dragon represented
hope, resistance, resilience

and the identity of a people
who never gave in and survived
through adversity.

But adaptation
became a matter of survival.

When the world itself
stands against you,
something deeper ignites.

Five stories, five fires.

A team searching
for resistance,
chasing a historical dream.

Heroes facing changes

as they are sidelined from
the kingdom they helped build.

A mission connecting enduring
spirits that spans continents.

A boy proving
that resilience is ageless.

And a man battling his own
body through the streets of
New York.

This is Wrexham.

In an ever-changing
world, they will adapt.

But like the icon of Wales,
they always fight
the good fight.

[crowd] Wrexham! Wrexham!

♪♪ 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 ♪

[song ends]

[crowd cheering]

[Griffiths] Hello, everyone,
and welcome to Wrexham AFC.

It's Wrexham against
Leyton Orient this time.

This is gonna be a proper test

against a side
who are in a playoff spot.

McClean sweeps it under
the bar. Nicely won!
It's there! Rathbone!

Again. He just
can't stop scoring.
That's five for the season.

Brunt misses his
interception and it's in.

Oh, and Wrexham will
be frustrated at that.

...by Rodriguez. Volley
back in, and it's a goal.
What a goal that is.

- [whistle blows]
- We lose at the Racecourse

for only the
second time this season.

Frustration for Wrexham.

[Pollard] Every dropped point
is the end of the world at
the moment, it feels like,

in terms of the wider
hysteria and fan response

where, if we draw a game,
that's it. "It's the end of
the world. Parky out."

If we lose a game,
that's it. "Parky out,
replace the players.

We need a whole
new starting 11."

I just think there's a little
bit more added pressure
these days.

Serious amounts of pressure.

[Griffiths] Mansfield Town
against Wrexham.

The subs' bench for
Wrexham, as you might imagine.

We've got Paul Mullin.

The ball's helped on in
midfield by Baccus but
cleared,

and Cannon's
charging away. Oh!

And I think he's hurt.
He doesn't look good at all.

What a... What a blow that is.

Oh! Just lost behind Dobson.
Cleworth drills it. Yes!

- [crowd cheering]
- Cleworth again!

- [ref blows whistle]
- And there is
the final whistle.

That is a huge,
huge result for Wrexham.

[host 1] Andy, great win
against Mansfield Town
on the weekend.

[Andy] He didn't get to play,
but it was nice seeing Mulls
back in the squad.

It's just really upsetting
about Andy Cannon's injury.

[host 1] Yeah, ruptured
ACL. Not good. Really,
really tough injury for him.

But he'll get the best care
possible for a quick return.

[Griffiths] It's Wrexham
against Rotherham United.

Rodriguez gets in front of his
man and flicks on beautifully.

Smith, one on
one with the keeper.

- Round the keeper and scores!
- [crowd cheers]

Sam Smith
opens up the scoring.

[crowd] Wrexham!

What a noise here at
the Racecourse. Wrexham get
the win, a huge win.

It's the strikers, Smith,
Rodriguez, Fletcher.
All did tremendously.

Still love Mullin though.
I'd like to see Mullin back,
to be honest.

[host 2] It was nervy,
uh, but we got there.

And, Liam,
is it a two-horse race now?

[Liam] It definitely feels like
it really is in our hands.

Definitely got second in
the league now. I've no doubt
about it, to be honest.

[players shouting]

[host 3] I can't believe
by the time we come round
to next week's pod,

we're gonna be in
single digits for games left.

That is absolutely crazy.

We're gonna go up, we're
gonna go up no matter what.

We will be in the
Premiership no matter what.

[host 3] Outgoings. Potential
outgoings. There's a lot of
discussion about Palmer.

I mean, how much
are we reading into that?

[host 4] Rodriguez
and Sam Smith coming in.

They are the type of player
that would really force
Palmer out of the squad.

[host 5] Can we just talk about
Mullin? Where do we think
we are with Mullin now?

Paul Mullin is just the
eternal question for Wrexham
fans at the moment

because, you know,
we love the guy.

It's a shame that Mullin's
disappeared off the...

Well, I'd love to... again,
see Mullin given a chance,
you know.

I'm not sure if
he's still injured or not.

[fan 1] And it's a shame about
Paul Mullin not even making
the bench these days.

Palmer as well. You know,
the two players that have got
us to where we are,

but, obviously,
I gotta trust in the manager.

[ringing tone]

[father] Hi.

- You all right?
- Yeah, you?

Um, Gaffer pulled me today.

[father] Yeah.

I was completely left out of
the squad as of today in
training.

And I know the industry
that I'm in, you know,
it's ruthless,

And I know the industry
that I'm in, you know,
it's ruthless,
and I know the club that I'm
at, it moves so fast,
but I love it here.

and I know the club that I'm
at, it moves so fast,
but I love it here.

The hard bit is where
you go from playing every week

to, all of a sudden,
you're seventh.

[father] Well, you've
played six months out of nine.

Well, I know.

Stevenage at home was the last
game I played this season.

If I'm being totally honest,
you know, it's slightly more
mentally challenging.

I've never been left
out of a squad before.

Obviously, you're training with
the boys throughout the week

knowing that you're not gonna
be involved unless something
unforeseen happens

such as
an injury or a suspension.

It's undeniable with
Ollie Palmer. When he plays,
we win games.

You know, I remember
the day that we signed him.

He played that night and
scored on his debut, didn't he?

- Yeah.
- He's been great, you know,

but it's a different level now.

He's not scoring goals, but he
puts in the other type of work,

the dirty work like
defending, claiming corners.

He's always trying.
He's always after it.

Yeah, it's like Mullin. They
just can't score at the moment.

- So, last night,
you weren't in the squad.
- Nope.

Tell me about that.

It's been hard to just find
myself in this position now
from where I've been.

It's been tough to take and
just felt like it's through no
fault of my own.

I've had mental struggles this
season, mainly from coming back
from injury.

I got the surgery, and
they told me it'd be six weeks,

and then I could start running,
and then once, obviously,

I got a little bit fitter,
I could get back involved
in things.

But for some reason, after
probably eight to ten weeks,

I was still having severe
pains while I was training.

The surgeon decided to tell me

that it can take
up to six months, um,
for you to feel full relief.

So that was challenging
because I wanna give even more

to make sure that when
I go on the pitch, I'm myself.

It's been tough
coming back mentally

'cause I've never been
injured for that long before,

and then you start
overthinking things,

and I haven't felt the same
mentally as I did before.

And then this year sort
of came back, and I was just...

Obviously, I understood
I was gonna have to wait
for an opportunity

because the lads who'd been
playing in my absence had been
doing really well.

But when the opportunity
came, I thought that'd be it,

and it'd be a chance to
carry on from where I left off

and it sort of
didn't transpire that way.

And I let that get to me,
to be honest.

From everywhere I've been
to then only being allowed
to play four games,

just finding myself being left
out the team. I resented it.

Carried that for weeks
because I didn't...
I feel it was unjust.

So, what's the difference
between annoyance
and resentment?

I don't know. To be fair,
it's probably the same.

It's probably just
a different way of...

No, I think I'm
more annoyed now.

And I'm
assuming the annoyance...

Well, the annoyance
is towards who or what?

It's more annoyance of, like,
training every single day,

doing everything I can.

Obviously, looking back
on everything I've done.

And Mullin scores his 100th!
His 100th goal for the club.

Like feeling like I was
a main part of why we got
to this situation.

And then feeling like
I'm not being allowed the
platform to get back there

or the opportunity to go
and do it again.

I think Paul Mullin
needed a full preseason.

He's been playing
catch-up all year long.

Ultimately, he was
never gonna catch up.
We don't have a reserve,

we don't play
enough friendly fixtures.

But you can't expect
a player to just,
you know, come out cold,

straight into the team,
do what he's done
for the last two years.

Impossible, even for him.

With Mullin and Palmer,
we've had the sentimentality
for so long

because they've literally
dragged us kicking and
screaming

- from nonleague
to where we are.
- Yeah, yeah.

So when all of a sudden
they're kind of frozen out,

it does rankle with a large
proportion of the fan base.

- Yeah.
- So we have to
get used to that aspect

of seeing this final
run-in without those guys.

So talk about, uh, your
relationship with the manager.

Like, he picked you, and
you thrived and scored and
helped the team succeed.

And now, obviously,
he's not picking you.

How do you feel about that
relationship and that change?

Um...

It's been...
I don't know. It's difficult.

I don't know what's caused him
to trust me less,
but he clearly does.

Well, obviously he wants
the best for the team.

When we bought two strikers
in January, we always knew
we'd have a surplus.

So people would find themselves
out of the 18-man squad

because you can only
have seven substitutes.

That's... That's the way it is.

Mulls didn't just quite
get the goals, you know,
which he normally does.

And I thought he had a good
start to the season, Ollie.

And his general performances
were decent,
but the goals didn't come.

And, you know,

we just needed more from
the player in that number nine
role really.

So Paul and Ollie found
themselves out
the 18-man squad.

It's a harder level
than we've been operating at.

So both good lads,
you know, really good lads

have carried on training
well for us, but it's tough.

It's-It's a competitive
division. To make the
step up, it's not easy.

He thinks it's best
for me to go out on loan.

I said I wanna be
a part of the promotion.

I said I wanna be
a part of the promotion.
I've given
everything to this club

I've given
everything to this club

- and the community
and loved it.
- Yeah.

- Why would
I then wanna... Yeah.
- ...till the last minute.

It's just I've
built a bond with the boys

- and the staff and the fans...
- Yeah.

...and everything
to do with Wrexham.

I just don't know what to do.

You don't wanna be somewhere
where you're not wanted,

but my heart is to
be at this football club

and continue what
I've been doing and help
the team in any way.

So I just don't know.
I don't fucking know.

So, what's your plan now?
How are you gonna get back
in the team?

Yeah, as I say, I've let go
of all resentment and anger.

Like... And also going forward,

I'm just, like, well,
the only thing I can do
is control myself.

And lately as well,
I've just been making sure
that when I go home,

- I'm satisfied
with my day's work.
- Yeah.

Not trying to
satisfy someone else,

whereas I think that's where
it led me the last few months,

so I was going in trying to
satisfy someone else every day

and that I don't satisfy me,
'cause I wouldn't be me.

Just to play one game in
the Championship with Wrexham

would be worth
absolutely everything.

Be the icing on the cake
for this story, and, uh,

who knows where it could end,

but I've enjoyed
absolutely every minute here.

And if we could get to
the Championship,
then that'd be phenomenal.

But from
a personal point of view,

I don't think I'll have any
part to play in it from
here on in.

[host 6] Is there any chance
Mullin or Palmer comes back
into the fold?

Can you see that happening
before the end of the season,

or do you think that we are
just reaching the end of
that era?

I think that there's definitely
a future for Paul at
the football club.

I think it's a case of
working hard, training hard

and working on the training
pitch to dislodge one of
the other strikers.

I think for
Ollie, age is a factor.

That's a taller task for him.

Another thing I've learned in
football is that things
can change

in the drop of a hat.

And if someone gets injured,

somebody who is currently
further down the pecking order

can step into the breach and
completely change
their fortunes.

It's obviously frustrating,

but the club's
bigger than any player.

And that's just the way it is.

Is it tough?
Yeah, it's fucking hard.

But I'm not gonna
be a bitch about it.

I'm just gonna get my
head down, gonna work hard.

And when an opportunity
opens, I'm gonna take it.

Nothing can change what I've
done in the past,
do you know what I mean?

I've achieved that even if
I didn't ever play again.
That can't be rewritten.

These last six months since
the summer have been really
challenging.

But one thing I can guarantee
is the next time I do step foot
on the pitch,

I'll be playing as myself.

I haven't been able to give
the best version of myself
this season

through many factors, but
I've no doubt that eventually

I'll find myself again
whether it's here, um,

or when it's somewhere else.

It's out of my control. I hope
it's here, but you never know.

[anchor] Thousands of
runners are making their way

from Prospect Park to
Central Park for the 2025
New York City Half Marathon.

[anchor 2] It starts in
Prospect Park,
runs over the Brooklyn Bridge

through Times Square and
ends there in Central Park.

[Ker] Today's the day of
the half marathon. It's a big
old stepping stone

to the full blinking marathon.

So, um, with the kind of advent
of more and more people coming
into the club

in different roles,

my initial sort of handling
whatever gets thrown my way has
changed a little bit.

I was formerly executive
director, and now I am
community director.

In the main now,

In the main now,
my focus is much more
specifically on the foundation,
our charitable arm.

my focus is much more
specifically on the foundation,
our charitable arm.

In my capacity as community
director, I am patron of
Wrexham Miners Project,

so it just seemed to make sense
that if I was gonna do some
horrible thing

like run a marathon,
it was gonna be, you know,

on behalf of the foundation to
raise money for a charity
that I am patron of.

[announcer 1] We wish you all
the best of luck here on this
Sunday morning.

And wave number 3,
we have just got word.

We have got clearance on
the roadway,
so we are set to begin.

- Mamma mia!
- [announcer 2] Mamma mia!

You're gonna
have a great race.

[announcer 1] United
team is coming through.

[Ker] Target time
today is to finish.

I think if I get two and a half
hours, I'd be happy with that.

♪♪ I got way too much ambition ♪

♪♪ I keep on
beating statistics ♪

♪♪ I keep on
beating statistics ♪ ♪♪ I will not be denied ♪

♪♪ I will not be denied ♪

♪♪ My only option is winning ♪

♪♪ I'm crossing
the finish line ♪

As a non-runner myself, and
obviously being strong enough

not to be
bullied into doing it,

I was able to find a spot
just outside Times Square.

All of a sudden, there's this
vision coming up with
Times Square behind him.

A 6'7" colossus as he's running
down the middle of the road.

And I have to say,
I was concerned when I saw him.

He certainly didn't
look like he was enjoying it.

He looked like somebody had
thrown a bucket of water
over him.

But what you could tell was
his determination to get to
the end,

and it makes me
proud to say he's my mate.

[all cheering]

[Ker] Just ran
the New York Half Marathon in
two hours, 24 and 59 seconds.

It was really, really,
really, really hard. [chuckles]

No inspirational chat here.

It nearly killed me.

Well done, mate. Well done.

- No. Not even nearly.
- Right. Right, right.

- You're okay.
- That scared
the shit out of me,

to be honest.

Crossing the finishing line,

I didn't really feel
a sense of achievement,

more just
a sense of real dread.

And I've gotta do
that twice. In a row.

Pray?

Did you get what
you want, you vultures,
for your television program?

Never again. [groans]

So as we continue up
the football pyramid,
the change is constant.

Everybody's roles are changing.

Somebody like Paul,
who is a Wrexham legend,

is adjusting to
the changes of the squad.

As is the nature of the sport.

But the great news is that Paul
is a force of nature in so many
different ways,

and he has
an incredible platform

and a desire to reach
out and uplift the community,

and that's what
Wrexham's all about.

[Mullin] Cheers,
guys. Thank you.

[indistinct chatter]

[knocking]

- Hello.
- [all laughing]

- Are you okay, kid?
- Yeah.

- How are we?
- Good.

Still got
your Wrexham gear on then?

- Yeah.
- [mother] Always.

- There's not enough room
for it, is there?
- [all laughing]

[Mullin] During my time off,

I met up with a good little
friend of mine and we had
some fun.

That was your last
photo with Archie. [chuckles]

- [Mullin] Give us a look.
- [father] Before you shaved
your hair off.

- [mother] Yeah.
- [Archie] Yeah.

Archie, the little star,
he's got a rare form of
blood cancer,

which is obviously
not very nice to hear.

But him and his fam have
been spending a lot of time

at Alder Hey Children's
Hospital in Liverpool.

Dad, I think we're gonna
be framing a lot of stuff.

Yeah.

My name is Sarah,
and I am Archie's mum.

Last year, his eyes
and nose kept running, um,

very tired, he wasn't himself.

And then in the summer,
when we went away on holiday

was when he first had a joint
pain attack and his face was
totally deformed.

That is when I thought
he needs to go to the hospital,

I need to rush him in.

And then they decided to
get the oncology team involved.

We got taken out of
the room and he just said,

"I'm so sorry, he's got a rare
cancer called myeloid sarcoma."

It's a leukemia.

I just felt so numb.

It just changed me as a parent.

Completely.

To tell your child
that they have cancer...

you-you can't find
the words to say it.

I just blurted out this speech,
and he just went, "Oh. Okay."

And I remember
the first day of chemotherapy.

He was just very quiet.
Very brave, but very quiet.

- Yeah.
- [Mullin] That's good,
isn't it?

- [Archie] Yeah.
- [Mullin] So that's
good news then?

- Yeah.
- So you're getting
stronger every day.

Yeah. I'm like the Hulk.

- [Sarah] "I'm like the Hulk."
- [all laughing]

- [Mullin] Better than the Hulk.
- He has been like the Hulk.

Or like Deadpool.

Archie is my
little best friend.

And I am, you know,
very proud to be his mum,

but to see him being
sick daily, unable to walk

was very difficult to watch,
and you have to be strong.

He made me strong,
and it should have been
the other way around.

He's very resilient.

Yeah.

[Mullin] I think I might give
you a good run for
your money, mate.

He spent a lot of
time with Paul Mullin.

In fact, he's been incredible.

We basically class him as part
of our family now after
everything he's done.

[Mullin] Good shot.

I can't lose this.

- I can't lose this.
- I need to win this.

It's quite
a difficult thing to explain.

From one moment you get sort
of, not a happiness, but a joy

of being able to provide a bit
of comfort and put a smile on
the face of someone

who's gone through
such a challenging time.

Yes.

As long as I can help with
that, it's a good sign for me

As long as I can help with
that, it's a good sign for me
because I get to speak to him
a lot, but it also helps me to
feel better.

because I get to speak to him
a lot, but it also helps me to
feel better.

No pressure, but everyone in
America's gonna watch
this shot.

When I was visiting Archie...

Shot.

...I quickly learned
that he was a real big Marvel
fan and superhero fan,

so I thought there'd be
no better way to cheer him up

than to giving
a friend of mine a call.

- [Ryan] There he is!
- No!

You. You!

How you doing?

- Good.
- Yeah?

Yeah. I can't
believe you answered.

Well, of course.

- I can't believe he answered.
- He answered for you.

He's the superstar. I'm
just... I just work for Paul.

- No way.
- Can I tell you
one thing, Archie?

- Yeah, go on.
- This is something

that's really important.

When someone who's, like,
going through a lot of,

I think we can all say shit,
like you are...

- Yeah.
- ...and you're talking to me,

it's only because the people
that are around you
love you so much.

Like, I mean it.

They love you so much
'cause they're going
through this with you.

Every single second of this,
they go through it with you.

We'd like to thank you all
for everything you've
done for the town,

the football club.

We've been going since...
We're five generations of red.

And it really, really
means the world to us all.

Honestly, the club's done
more for me than I could
ever do for it.

And this town has done
more for me than I could
ever do for it.

The football club, it means
absolutely everything to him.

It's something that has been
engraved in him from the minute
he was born.

My window could
see the floodlights.

He was wrapped in
a Wrexham scarf straightaway.

It's massively helped
Archie throughout all of this.

Really, really spurred him on.

The fact that the whole of
the football team have been
so supportive

and making sure that,
you know, Archie is okay,

it's just made it so special.

[Ryan] I will see you soon.
And remember you can
get a hold of me, okay?

- All right. Yeah.
- Cheers. All right, Archie.

- Thank you very much.
- Bye-bye.

- See you later.
- Talk to you soon, Paul.

Bye.

- Wow.
- What?

It's a real privilege to be
in a position where you
can help other people,

and to be able to provide
that opportunity to Archie
and his family

was something
that I don't take for granted,

but it's something
that I love to do anyway.

That cool?

Yeah.

- [Archie] I wasn't
expecting that.
- You all right?

Who's Paul Mullin? [laughs]

- [Sarah] Yeah.
- [laughter]

- [Harvey] Good to see you.
- [friend] Good to see you.

- How are you?
- Hello.

- Hello.
- Thank you.

[Harvey] When I first
came to Wrexham in 2021

after leaving my role as
the CEO of the EFL in 2019,

I was an adviser to
the board, mostly part-time.

But as the club experienced
rapid growth and expansion,

But as the club experienced
rapid growth and expansion,
my role evolved into a more
permanent position with broader
responsibilities.

my role evolved into a more
permanent position with broader
responsibilities.

Come on then,
I'll get you a pint.

My role changed when
the decision to bring
a new CEO in was made.

The biggest change is that
I no longer have day-to-day
responsibility.

I still sit on
the board of directors,

and, you know, provide
to Michael and his team,
you know, history

and lessons from... that we've
learned so far on this journey.

If we don't go up, we get
to turn to you guys and go,

- "Why did you let us do this?"
- [all laughing]

- Yeah.
- "How could you
let this happen?"

A lot of the jobs
that Shaun was doing,

Michael is reorganizing
within the organization.

For us, we wanna make sure
that he is still a major part
of this moving forward.

[Harvey] The club had
to change to move forward,

and that meant me
taking on a new role.

The club's success is more
important than the degree to
which I'm involved.

So I'm cautiously optimistic
moving forward in this
new role.

Oh, yeah. No, no, listen,

they've got a set of fixtures
that you wouldn't want at this
time of year.

However, if you're
winning, you do want,
you just keep going, don't you?

[Harvey] Coming to Wrexham,

I hope I've been
able to change my image
amongst fans in the EFL.

Yeah. So, Shaun was,
or has been historically
quite a divisive figure.

I mean, I think lots of people
have, um, taken agin him...

[♪ fanfare plays]

...in his various roles,
but particularly as-as CEO
of the EFL,

because in that capacity,
he's often had to kind of
intervene and adjudicate

in situations surrounding
various different
football clubs.

Well, I joined the EFL in 2013,

left in 2019.

It was a job
that I absolutely loved,

but it came with a significant
amount of pressure.

All 72 clubs of
the EFL fell under your charge,

and keeping those clubs in
business for the benefit of
the communities

from which they took their name
was one of the key aspects
of the job.

[crowd] We want Oyston
out! We want Oyston out!

[Harvey] Every change of
control or change of ownership

that was
happening at an EFL club

came ultimately via my desk.

[protester] Don't forget this,
EFL. This is our show today.

No one's bought your ticket.

Stage right, get out.
You're not fit for purpose.

A lot of people have laid the
sins of football at his door.

You know, I know that he's not
a very popular figure in
Blackpool

or in Reading,
or in a number of other places.

Speak of the devil,
he's calling me now.

He can tell I'm
talking about him. Uh-oh.

You know, there were
issues with many clubs,

Blackpool at different
times, Charlton, Coventry,

all fan groups who had
disputes with their owners,

who wanted to see a change
of control at their club

and felt that the
responsibility did fall to
the EFL to achieve this.

[protester] You're
not fit. You're not proper.

Get some people in with
proper football governance.

[Harvey] As the CEO
of the EFL, you know,

you are the face
of the organization.

Obviously then you become,
you know, the lightning rod,
ultimately,

for any criticism, blame,
or even just general angst.

What are you doing,
Shaun Harvey, leeching off
the fans like a tick?

Ultimately, at one stage,
you know, there were threats
against my kids.

There was a threat
of kidnap at one stage.

So, you know,
there is a dark side to this.

It's sad, in reality.

Nobody should ever
have to go through that.

Big game tonight.
We're on us way to Reading.

Unfortunately for Reading,
and their fans in particular,

they've been through a number
of different ownership sagas.

When the current owner of
Reading was allowed to buy
the club,

I was the CEO of
the EFL at the time.

Whilst it was never my single
decision to allow him to buy
the club,

you know, ultimately I was in
charge at that particular time.

And whilst the EFL had
absolutely no reason not to
allow him to buy the club

at that time,

when things go
sour and bad like this,

then ultimately there's always
got to be somebody to blame.

And some fans blamed me.

[Ker] All I have ever seen
Shaun do in the last four years

is try and do right by
football, by football clubs,

particularly Wrexham,
because that's been
his specific purview.

But I think that, you know,
his trials and tribulations in
the past

are often put in a situation
where he has got to pick
the lesser of two evils.

And the people that have
suffered as a result of
the lesser of those two evils

And the people that have
suffered as a result of
the lesser of those two evils
often think, "Well, you suck,
and you should have picked
the other evil."

often think, "Well, you suck,
and you should have picked
the other evil."

[crowd] We want Dai Yongge out!
Said we want Dai Yongge out!

[Harvey] There's going to be
a protest this evening against
the current owner.

[crowd] Fuck off
home, sell the club!

[Harvey] There's a number of
Reading fans who wanted to take
the opportunity

of actually linking it to
Wrexham and, obviously,
my involvement at Wrexham.

Come on, the town! Come on!

Well, today's
match is really important.

We can't afford to lose
too much footing in this race

because there's so many teams
that are ready to capitalize.

So we need to win, really.

[Griffiths] Even a draw tonight
puts us in second place,

ahead of a massive game
against Wycombe on Saturday.

And with ten games to
go, every point counts.

♪♪ You know I had
to give it to 'em ♪

♪♪ Give 'em
everything I got... ♪

Wrexham, well done!

[Griffiths] This
will be a genuine test.

For Reading, they have
major issues off the pitch.

On the pitch, they have
continued to be competitive.

They lose Sam Smith,
their star striker.

They lose
their manager, Rubén Sellés,

and yet they're unbeaten in
eight games, longest unbeaten
run in the division.

Ref! Ref! It's fucking out!

[fans groan]

McClean, chance
to take on Abrefa.

Hits the goal line,
delivers to the far post.

Great ball. Barnett drives it.

Oh! And it's
over the bar. Corner.

Wow, there it is, there
it is. What a chance that was.

[Griffiths] Halftime whistle
blows, goalless at halftime.

I don't think Phil Parkinson
will be necessarily satisfied

with the performance level.

This is not the performance of
a team who are competing
to go up.

[Griffiths] As Reading
kick off the second half,

Wrexham need to dig in
and find the back of the net

to secure three points and
keep their edge on Wycombe.

Revan's beaten in
the air by Campbell.

Ooh. And O'Connell's beaten
to it. He's given a penalty.

Now, did O'Connell make
a challenge there or was
he just coming across?

Fucking hell. Are
you winding me fucking up?

[Roberts] And it's just such
a poor start to the second
half for Wrexham.

[Parkinson] He fucking dived.

[Griffiths] Changes
the angle, right-footed,
hits it and scores,

and Okonkwo deceived by
Knibbs's move and guessed
the wrong way.

Wrexham, after three
consecutive clean sheets,
concede a penalty.

So Wrexham restart
and need to step up here.

[Parkinson]
There's loads of time left.

O'Connor drilling it long,
headed away firmly in
the middle of the pitch.

O'Connell, who conceded the
penalty, gives the ball away.

Garcia cutting inside,
tidy on the ball,

finds the other
inverted fullback, Abrefa.

And it's turned
nicely round the corner.
This is a good move.

Wing lays it on, and now
he can hit this and he scores.

And that is a lovely move

and a very,
very well taken goal by Wing.

But Wrexham have
had a nightmarish start
to this half.

[Roberts]
Great goal by Reading.

Real tough ask now
for Wrexham to try
and get back in this game.

This is a real test of
your promotion credentials.

♪♪ Apply pressure ♪

♪♪ No one can do it better ♪

♪♪ Pressure ♪

♪♪ Break you down 'cause
you can't hold the pressure ♪

[Griffiths] Still more than
half an hour left. There's
plenty of time in the game.

It's just that Wrexham need
to step this up massively.

Let's go! Come on!

And now the ball's fed out
by Lee to McClean. Chance
to cross.

Stands it up to the far
post. Smith heads it...

Great save by the keeper.

Longman again, right-footed
inswinger's a good ball in and
it's towards goal...

Another big save by Pereira.

Got four minutes plus added
time left. Something's
got to go in soon.

Again, a right-footed ball in.

Barnett gets up. Fletcher
gets up. It ricochets loose.

Pereira doesn't get there,
and somehow it doesn't go in.

Smith hits it!

[Parkinson] Oh, my God.
How'd he save that?

Parried on the line.
That's outrageous!

How that didn't go in,
I don't know.

That was astonishing.

But the save by
Pereira was madness.

Wrexham, was that the chance?

Long diagonal by
Cleworth. Fletcher and Faal
go for the same ball.

Faal flicks it on, and listen
to that cheer as the final
whistle blows.

Reading, full value for that.

[melancholy music plays]

Listen, we've
been on a good run.

Now we dust ourselves down
and we go again at Wycombe.

So, we've got to be
mentally fucking strong.

This is the time of season now.
We gotta be fucking ready to
go again.

Ready to go again,
and we fucking will be.

We will be, you know,
mentally and physically ready
to go again.

Come on, boys,
get your heads up. We go again.

[Griffiths]
So, opportunity missed.

We dropped three
points at Reading today

and head to Wycombe,
away, even on points.

But they also
have a game in hand,

which makes
Saturday an absolute must-win.

I think that's the frustration,

to be so close and have
the chance to obviously put
pressure on Wycombe

and then do that.

It's just frustrating.

The Reds may be down now, but
Wrexham have been here before.

I know they'll never
give in and will fight
to the bitter end.

These players keep reminding
us they're just like
our famous flag:

hopeful, resilient
and tough Red Dragons.

[fan] We're still gonna beat
Wycombe and we're still gonna
be promoted.

It might take the playoffs,
but we're going up.

No stopping us, we're going up.

[Harvey] One of the pleasing
things about my new non-exec
role at the club

is that I do have time to be
able to go and see some of
the projects

that we've worked on
in full working order,

rather than just seeing
them from a distance, so...

We're in Lesotho to celebrate
the partnership that's in place

between Wrexham AFC
and Kick4Life FC.

Kick4Life is a football club
in Lesotho in southern Africa.

They describe
themselves as a football club

exclusively
dedicated to social change.

They work with disadvantaged
youth throughout Lesotho,

with an emphasis on
health, education, life skills,

addressing gender-based
violence, and a variety of
social development issues.

On behalf of everybody from
Wrexham, thank you. This is
a privilege for us.

So we're here to work with you,
we're here to learn from you.

Part of the plan with Kick4Life

was that we actually wanted to
get some of their coaches over
to Wrexham.

To actually see
what North Wales is like,

to understand how we actually
integrate with the local
community

and how we use football as that
vehicle for positive change.

And now myself, you know,
other coaches from the club

are able to go out to Lesotho,
to exchange these
coaching methods

and genuinely use football as
a positive vehicle for change.

[all]

[ululating]

[Ramokoatsi]

- Are you ready to play?
- [all] Yebo!

- Are you ready to play?
- [all] Yebo!

Okay.

[clapping rhythmically]

[all whooping]

[Nkhahle] What is
happening behind me

is life skills training
of the Wrexham coaches.

They're going to be trained
today on our curriculum,

about three
sessions that focus on health.

[Ramokoatsi]

[Harvey] Kick4Life goes into
local communities and schools
to teach children

about various serious issues
like drug and substance abuse,

HIV transmission and
gender-based violence.

One statistic
I was shocked to learn

is that approximately 90%
of girls and women in Lesotho

had experienced
gender-based violence.

I grew up with my mum. My mum
was a single parent by then.

[mother]

Yes.

[Ramokoatsi]

[coach] Puky, through
the gate, not over it. Don't
hit my cones.

[Harvey] There's about to be
an international friendly game

between the local high school
here and a Wrexham select 11.

Now some of them are
very select, it's fair to say.

Pressure's on some of them
to complete two and a half
minutes.

- Are you ready to play?
- Yebo!

So, how much does this mean
to the schoolchildren here
in Lesotho?

I mean, it means a lot.

For me, it's really more
than a job, it's my moral
responsibility.

If we don't continue to
do what we do at Kick4Life,

then we can't break the cycle.

There's a cycle and
it's quite vicious in Lesotho,

and I think at Kick4Life,
we are making a change.

So, it's more than a job.

It's really a moral imperative.

We've got a penalty.
If we score, we're all on.

- [cheering]
- Yes!

If anybody ever wants to see
what the actual power of
football is,

actually, it's
that universal language.

Then, you know, this session
here in Lesotho answers it
in visual form

that words could
never actually do justice to.

And now we're
gonna drag her off.

You know, being able
to go out to Lesotho

and actually see
some of the initiatives

that we actually talked about
in the first place coming
to fruition

was arguably one of the most
rewarding parts of my time
at Wrexham.

Hands up! [vocalizing]

Hands up!

[Harvey] This experience
feels like a good example

of what my new position
at Wrexham has to offer,

and I'm really excited to
see what other positive changes

we can implement in the future.

Wrexham is in a unique position

where the club's visibility
is at an all-time high.

If we can use this
visibility to spotlight, uplift

and advocate for communities
that could benefit from
greater attention,

then, you know,
part of Rob and Ryan's legacy

will have been
completely fulfilled,

because we've
connected Wrexham to the world

and we've got a small community
in Lesotho that's
benefiting from it.

[all] Wrexham!

[♪ "Yma o Hyd" playing]

[Griffiths] The red dragon
endures because it represents
something timeless:

The ability to
rise when knocked down.

At Wrexham, this spirit lives
in every player, every fan,

and throughout the community.

It's about more
than winning matches.

It's about facing
each challenge with courage,

adapting and
fighting the good fight

for something bigger
than any individual, together.

Yma o hyd.

[song fades]

♪♪ Stars can be revealed
when the skies clear ♪

♪♪ Voices
raising up generations ♪

♪♪ Voices
raising up generations ♪