02x01 - Welcome Back to Wrexham

[bunniefuu]

[Ryan sighs softly]

[Rob exhales deeply]

- Do you want to start, or...

- No, you can start.

- Okay.

So the King of England called.

CHOIR: ♪♪ God save the King ♪♪

♪♪ Long live the King ♪♪
[all cheering]

KING CHARLES: My wife and I
are absolutely delighted

to be with you in Wrexham today

to celebrate
your becoming a city.

- That's the king of...
- Yeah.

Yeah.

- Of-of England.

KING CHARLES:
A little earlier,

I had the opportunity to see

one of the other wonders
of Wrexham,

namely the football club,

which is busy
putting Wrexham on the map

as never before.

OLLIE:
It was a bit weird, really,

when you think about it.

You got two Hollywood actors,

you've got the royal family,
and Wrexham.

How do you even
put them together?

I-I have no idea.

[both stammering]

SINGER: ♪♪ 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 ♪♪

[rock music]

[fireworks whistling,
fans chanting]

ROB: Previously
on "Welcome to Wrexham"...

RYAN: We bought the world's
third-oldest football club

and oldest
international stadium.

ROB: Both were in need
of some... attention.

RYAN: Rob's being polite.

They were in the shitter.

They had spent 14 years

in the fifth tier
of English football,

but they had a ton of potential.

ROB: And a ton
of very opinionated fans.

- Hopefully that money
gonna pay the manager off.

ROB:
So we went and got this guy.

- You're telling me
that's not a f*cking pen?

ROB: He's very enthusiastic.

PHIL: We look like a team

of f*cking fatty
f*cking footballers!

ROB:
We also brought in this guy.

- I really love goal-scoring.

ROB: He was very expensive,
but it paid off.

[crowd roaring]

RYAN:
We also brought in this guy...

MARK: Ollie Palmer
puts Wrexham ahead!

RYAN: He has many female fans
in addition to the men.

ROB: Maybe it's because
he never keeps his shirt on.

What else?
Um...

PHIL: It's too dry, innit?

ROB: We lost a ton of money
on the field.

HUMPHREY: About ££200,000.
- f*ck.

- This is just
the most surreal year ever.

RYAN: This is Wayne.
He owns the bar

that's literally attached
to the stadium

and is even older than the team.

Not Wayne.
The bar.

ROB: Oh, uh, yeah,
the end of last season,

uh, this bullshit happened.

I guess, uh...

I guess we gotta show it?
Do we have to show it?

Yeah, just-just show it.

[dramatic music]

[fans chanting]

MARK: Currently playing

outside of the Football League,

desperate to make sure

they have one more to play
next Sunday.

[fans chanting]

[whistle blows]
MARK: Here we go.

And the kickoff is taken.

ROB: You know what?

Let's just fast-forward
to the end.

We lose 5-4,
everybody's hearts are broken,

and we have to stay
in the National League

for a 15th straight season.

MARK: This was not
in the Hollywood script...

for Wrexham.

- Why do we do this
to ourselves?

Why can't we like something
like knitting?

Why do we have... why do we have
to like football?

- Knitting?
- It's just... [sighs]

- Yeah.
- Well, yeah.

[upbeat jazzy music]

♪♪ ♪♪

PERSON: What's amazing for us
is the Hollywood owners,

when we first heard it,
we all thought it was a joke.

What they've done is,
they've given

the whole community
of North Wales such a boost.

We sold out 24,000
Wrexham shirts this year.

We could've sold a lot more,

but the suppliers
couldn't meet demand.

Now, you can't go anywhere

where there isn't
a Wrexham shirt

and pride to be a Wrexham fan.

- Everybody's walking round
in the park with them on,

our team... the jackets
or anything,

and you just talk
to one another.

PERSON: We're just on the ride
of a lifetime.

SUPPORTER: People here are
excited to see Rob and Ryan,

and we're here excited to see

the people who we recognize
from the documentary.

[laughs]
- Yeah.

- A hell of a lot of people
recognize me,

and I've even signed shirts.

[Rob Clarke laughs]
I have! I told you, mate.

I went...
I went to the Racecourse.

I was signing...
I was signing shirts

for these kids from Australia.

SUPPORTER: We're starting
a little community...

[chuckling]
Of Wrexham fans in Portugal.

[both speaking Thai]

PERSON: Yay!

- I'm from Brazil.

I'm being... I'm in Wrexham
just today

to watch the match

with the people in The Turf.

[speaking Portuguese]

- I speak to some people
overseas in America,

and it's like, um...

And it's like
they know about Wrexham now,

which is strange, 'cause
I always had to explain Wales

'cause they thought
it was an animal.

- Everyone just is better off
for it, really.

Probably one of the best things
to happen in a long time.

- You know, we're getting
hundreds and hundreds

of tourists, not just ourselves,

but the restaurants,
the Fat Boar,

all these places...
You know, the hotels.

I mean,
our business has doubled,

practically, if not more so.

CREW MEMBER:
Call this Poppy Syndrome?

- Sorry, guys.
CREW MEMBER: That's all right.

- Oh, there's tourists
walking in, yeah.

Sorry, guys. It's 1:00 today.
We're just doing some...

TOURIST: Oh.
WAYNE: sh**t... yeah.


TOURIST: That's all right.

Thank you.
WAYNE: I'm just doing some

filming for the documentary.
I do apologize.

TOURIST:
Yeah, no problem at all.

WAYNE:
We'll be bang open for 1:00.

TOURIST:
Sounds good. Thank you.

WAYNE: Sorry, guys. Take care.

See what I mean?
Two minutes past 12:00.

Americans.
[chuckles]

They're lovely, though.

They're always like,
"Eh, no worries."

[Wrexham fans singing]

HUMPHREY: The stakes are
higher this year

than they were last year.

- Hopefully,
we'll get promoted this season.

- I can see them
getting promoted, to be fair.

- The only choice for them,

the only realistic choice
for them,

is to go up this year in league.

- Just getting out of this
awful league has been so...

Oh, it's been terrible.

- If we were promoted,
it would mean

the absolute world to the fans,
to the club, to the town.

- So for anyone who needs
a quick reminder, of course.

Wrexham are currently
in the National League.

That's the fifth tier
of English football.

Now, we call that
non-league football.

Everything from the fifth tier
down is organized football

but is non-league.

Everything above,
that's league football.

So that's League Two,
which is the fourth tier,

League One,
which is the third tier,

the Championship, second tier,

and the Premier League,
which is the top tier.

Now, teams can move
between these different tiers

via promotion or relegation.

So promotion tends to mean
bigger crowds,

bigger prize money,
bigger television money,

bigger interest, um,

and relegation
means the opposite.

We've put more than a small
amount of money into this

with the objective
of getting out of this division

and getting into
a higher league.

Uh, player contracts
being handled at the moment.

Remember this beauty?

We're about to start
tearing down the Kop

so we can build
a new stand there,

which really is
gonna be a lynchpin

of everything
that we're trying to do here.

- All-in physically,
all-in financially,

and all-in emotionally.

- Come on, you reds!
[crowd cheers]

RYAN: We're heavily invested
in building this club,

the stadium itself,

and if we don't get promoted
this year,

the club is completely, totally,

and wholly unsustainable.

HUMPHREY: For us to achieve
promotion, we obviously have

to put the best possible team
on the pitch,

and that means investing
in high-quality players.

SINGER: ♪♪ The bigger the boom,
the bigger the bang ♪♪

♪♪ The bigger the boom,
the bigger the bang ♪♪

♪♪ The bigger the boom,
the bigger the bang ♪♪

SHAUN:
The playoff semifinal defeat

at the end of last season
was deflating

for everybody at the club,
but we didn't sulk.

We just stayed committed
to the process,

to the plan that we had.

Looking forward, you think,

"This group of players
together for a full season

should be able
to get us promoted."

SINGER: ♪♪ Honeys show up
at the front ♪♪

♪♪ Honeys show up at the rear ♪♪

♪♪ Because one,
Philly's got the shakes ♪♪

COACH:
Good. Show me your finish.

Yes! There you go. Got ya.

Good.
Finish!

SINGER: ♪♪ All right ♪♪

♪♪ Four,
Phillies want more soul ♪♪

PHIL: We needed to make sure

that the squad had
more strength and depth.

SINGER: ♪♪ Alakazoom, alakazam,
ala-boom-boom, damn ♪♪

♪♪ I got the biggest,
the baddest ♪♪

♪♪ The fattest
for joints are on point ♪♪

- We signed quite a lot of
players from higher divisions,

obviously to get
that extra bit of quality.

[cash register rings]

You need players on eights
and nines out of ten.

[cash register rings]

SINGER: ♪♪ Chiki-chiki,
bang-bang, we love you ♪♪

- Players who understand
what they're coming into.

SINGER: ♪♪ Tell your mom
and daddy ♪♪

♪♪ That we love them too ♪♪

♪♪ 'Cause the baby got back
and she got it going on ♪♪

- Benefits of that are obvious.

You got great players
from a higher level.

The potential pitfalls, though,
are huge.

You know, our wage bill is

gonna be the largest
in the division.

The money we've spent
on transfers will be

more than anyone else
in the division.

Um, and we need to get
that promotion in order to,

you know,
offset that cost, effectively.

So, you know,
the challenge here is,

if it doesn't all go to plan,

we're left holding
a very expensive baby.

- And if our goal
from the very beginning

was to... not just to win,

not just to help bring some
hope and optimism to the town,

but to build
a sustainable business,

something that can continue
long after we're gone,

for us to put them in a position

where, if they don't get
promoted this year,

that they are no longer
sustainable in any real way,

is, uh... is counter to what
our original promises were.

- So it's really
ratcheted up the pressure

not just for us, I think,

but for the players
on the field,

for the people in the community.

This year,
we have to get promoted.

ROB:
From a financial perspective,

if we do not get promoted
this year, we are f*cked.

- f*ck.
Yeah.

[indistinct chatter]

ROB LAINTON: Yeah.

Ah!

- Four, five.
- [Rob sighs]

f*cking hell.
- Last one.

- Don't go dis...

[laughing] Ah!
- Awesome.

- [groans]

Mate.

- f*cking can't describe it.

[chuckling]
Literally cannot describe it.

Never had any pain like it,
ever.

[tense music]

[cheers and applause]

I'll just put my body anywhere,

do you know what I mean,
to do what I need to do.

To be fair, throughout
the whole of my career

until this year,
I've never had any concussion

or knockout, and then
I've had three in the year now.

That was a Bromley game away
when I got knocked out,

my first knockout.

[distant muffled speech]

♪♪ ♪♪

MARK: Substitution of James.
Jordan Davies.

The ball goes through
to Coulson, Leighton...

with an excellent save
and Leighton again...

And the ball's
gone over the bar.

Rob Lainton puts his body
on the line every single game.

And this is a serious one
for Lainton.

And looks in some pain.

And we wish Rob
a speedy recovery.

[subdued applause]

- Well, I was in every day
from Monday to Friday.

I'm sat in a machine where

it just bend my wrist
up and down

for, like, six weeks.

- Push, push, push.

- [groaning] Oh, mate.
- Last one.

- Ooh, ah.

One more, one more.
PHYSIO: Got two more.

Last two.

[indistinct chatter]

One more.
- Oh, mate.

It's when you come up.
[groans]

It was a kick in the teeth,
really,

'cause I think I'd played


Coming to the crunch end,

and obviously,
the injury happened.

And then you've got
to watch from the sidelines

and you feel a bit...

You know, I don't know
how to describe it.

You can't...

You're there,
but you're not there, in a way,

so you're not feeling
the ups and the downs

and you can't help,

so you just feel like a bit
of waster, really.

[indistinct chatter]

[Rob sighs]

- It's just a tool
to give him some friction

to try and move a few things
about and desensitize a touch.

[Rob groans softly]

KEVIN: The issue
Rob has had is, after surgery,

he was in his cast
for almost ten weeks.

If we left this
for 12 months or so...

the body's real clever,

'cause it knows
that it's healed,

so it'll stop
trying to heal itself.

And obviously,
he wants to get back playing.

And with his
contract situation as well,

we need to get him back
on... on the training pitch.

- I'm out of contract
in the summer.

So this could be my last season
if I can't get back

to where I was
at the current time

of when I was playing
in the team.

Obviously, my contract
now runs out in the summer,

so I've got now until then

to get back
and prove myself again.

AIDAN:
We had Rob who was injured.

Christian Dibble.

Then he got injured
in pre-season.

Which was...
That was a nightmare for him.

Think he dislocated his knee,

so there was a bit
of turbulence with that.

PHIL: The goalkeeper situation
is difficult,

because, you know,
I had a good chat with Dibbs.

The time is right for him to go
and be someone's number one.

And unfortunately, he's got
injured in preseason himself.

Rob has got a long-term injury,

so we brought Mark in.

AIDAN: Mark Howard is
a very experienced goalkeeper.

Been around,
played in the Championship,

knows it, which I like.

I like a senior goalkeeper

just because
there's an experience there

and a calmness.

MARK HOWARD:
Mark Howard, goalkeeper.

[faucet shuts off]
I turned pro at 18.

I'm 36, nearly 37 now,
so close to 18, 19 years.

Last season at Carlisle,

I ended up signing ten games
into the season,

trying to help them stay
in the league.

ANNOUNCER: Thrown
to the Carlisle United fans,

it's a save by Mark Howard.

- I end up having
a very successful season.

Went on to get
quite a few awards.

ANNOUNCER: What a save
from Mark Howard!

- I'd worked with Phil before.

We'd had a really successful
season in League One

with Bolton getting promoted,
and even the season after.

Phil's a dead honest manager.

He'll tell you how it is,

and if things aren't
going to plan, he tells you.

Once I found out
that he was interested,

it was a no-brainer for me.

And at this stage in my career

and what Wrexham
are trying to achieve,

I've got this opportunity.

Something really exciting
to be part of.

[upbeat rock music]

HUMPHREY: So it's the start
of the season and time to see

how the squad looks
with the new additions.

- Eastleigh.
Absolutely must-win game.

- So excited!

PERSON: Who's your favorite?
- Paul Mullin.

- Sellout crowd again today
for Eastleigh,

which is just phenomenal.

- Play with physicality,
intensity,

and f*cking aggression.

The ball goes in the box,

we're f*cking aggressive.

Challenges all over the pitch.

We are f*cking aggressive.

And when we f*cking go,
we f*cking go together.

PERSON: Let's go, then!
PHIL: Come on, now, let's go!

MARK GRIFFITHS:
Hello, everyone!

Welcome to Wrexham.

[scattered cheers and applause]

- We've got to do it this year.
This year is the year.

MARK:
Ooh, start of the season!

Getting that tingle yet,
everyone?

ANNOUNCER: Ooh, it's exciting.
It's exciting.

MARK: It's odd.
I was saying beforehand

that every other season
I've watched Wrexham,

I just have a feeling

somewhere between hope and fear.

ANNOUNCER: Yeah.

MARK:
Now for the first time ever,

I actually feel expectation.

I expect us to win this league.

[Wrexham fans chanting]

[whistle blows]

Finally, we get going.

The ball's laid back
to Ben Tozer.

Palmer is after it.

[energetic rock music]

Floated in to the near post.
Howard comes!

And he drops it!

And it's 1-0 to Eastleigh!

He's furious.
He thinks he's been fouled.

I-it looked to me like

he just got underneath
the ball, to be honest.

ANNOUNCER: He is, yeah.
Back to the ball.

MARK: And then he pawed at it
with one hand.

Feeding it back,
first time cross by McFadzean.

ANNOUNCER: Oh!
MARK: Looking for Forde!

Defender heads it! Oh, no!
And it's headed over the bar.

Another incredibly close escape.

It's swung in
towards the near post.

Palmer! Just wide.
ANNOUNCER: Ooh.

MARK:
Oh, he got up so well there,

but tried to put it
inside the far post.

Young seeks the near post,
Palmer flicks it on!

ANNOUNCER: Oh!
MARK: Just wide.

Oh, that was so close.

[whistle blows]
The ref, he blows his whistle.

And the fans boo,
but I think it's fair to say

the booing is reserved
for the official

and the opponents.
ANNOUNCER: Yes.

MARK: Wrexham trailing 1-0
up against Eastleigh.



Elliot Lee on for his debut

to provide a bit more
attacking thr*at for Wrexham.

Palmer is taking on his man.

Couple of stepovers.
That's nice.

Backheels it, Lee hits it!

Yeah!
[cheers and applause]

Yeah! What a goal!

Mullin helps it in.
Lee, six yards out.

Hits it!
BOTH: Yeah!

[cheers and applause]

- What a player!
What a player!

♪♪ ♪♪

MARK: So that's it!

It starts as we mean to go on...

With a win.

- Elliot Lee,
absolutely immense.

- Second half,
Elliot Lee changed the game.

- What a signing.
What a player.

What a f*cking player.

PERSON: Elliot Lee, yeah.

[birds singing]

LISA: Is this the first time

you've actually been trained
in etiquette?

- This is the... well,
I did read... breezy read...

LISA: Okay.
- But I read

"Tiffany's Table Manners
for Teens" when I was young.

LISA: [laughing] Okay.
RYAN: Uh, yeah,

Yeah.
LISA: Okay, all right.

So I think we should start
with the beginning.

- We went to monarchy boot camp.

ROB: Mm-hmm.

- It's like the m*llitary,

except your pinky's always up.

- Everything begins
with the first impression.

So what do you think
people notice

that exudes something special
about you?

- Smell. He smells.
LISA: Exudes confidence.

- He smells great.

LISA: Well,
before they can smell you,

they notice something
physically.

- Oh.
LISA: What do you think it is?

- Posture.
- Posture.

LISA: There we go.

Okay, so let's stand up
for a moment.

- Let's not.
LISA: If we may.

- Let's not, 'cause... but we've
established we're both tall.

HUMPHREY: Yeah, so Rob
and Ryan are very excited

about the King coming.

Giddy, you might say.

And, you know,
I think they recognize,

you know, the significance
of having the monarch

visiting Wrexham.

We are trying to get

££20 million worth
of Kop funding

out of the UK government.

[refined fanfare]

♪♪ ♪♪



A lot of work has gone into

lining up all the pieces
of the puzzle

to try and get this funding,

and that will give us
an extra 5,500 seats.

It'll also give us a stadium

that is deemed to be
of international standards

so we can bring Welsh football
back to the Racecourse.

It's the biggest

and most expensive piece
of the endeavor.

- When you sit down,
do not flop.

And when you place your hands,
you are going to literally

just place them right here
on your knees.

Okay?
And that's it.

But I just want to see it.

And by the way, was I
leaning back in the chair?

No, I was sitting up
with good posture.

- Are you ready?
LISA: I think so.

- Okay. Just casually walking.
LISA: Chin up.

Good. Yeah, there we go.
- Mm.

LISA: Okay. Turn around.
- Oh, that's a nice chair.

LISA:
You know where the chair is.

Good.

[laughing]
Nice. The control.

I feel like the thigh muscles
were working, right?

- I feel like a serial k*ller.

ROB: Yeah, you look like
you're ready to pounce.

- Yeah.

- UK government and the monarchy

are closely aligned
in many respects,

and so getting support
from the King is critical

for the Kop stand as well as
our future goals and plans.

[stately classical music]

ROB: Yeah, that's so good.
That's great.

RYAN: Mm-hmm.
LISA: Okay.

Nice spine distance.

- [Ryan grunts]

LISA: Okay, beautiful. Okay.
Lovely.

[laughter]
And now, you may...

ROB: I don't stand, I rise.
- [laughing] Exactly.

Now, I don't need
to teach you gentlemen

how to curtsy
because you're men.

However, about the bow.
RYAN: Mm-hmm.

- So it is a certain
inclination of the head.

It's literally
from the neck down.

ROB: Mm-hmm.

- Let's just see
what that looks like.

[laughing]
Okay. Okay, good.

- I'm having... I... I...
- How you feel?

- Yeah, I think I am gonna
have a hard time with this.

LISA: Okay.
- Yeah, yeah.

I can see the structure
is hurt... is bothering you.

- It's not the structure.

It's the idea
of bowing to somebody.

It triggers something.

- I want you to...
- Hi!

- I want you to feel
that rage...

- Oh, hello. Welcome, welcome.
- Coming in the wrong way.

- No, that's okay.
- When we're working.

- Hello. How are you?
- Welcome, welcome.

LISA: Let me see, though,
the two pumps and release.

Oh, by the way,
also, gentlemen...

RYAN: Two pumps and release.

- Should we also
at the same time get...

LISA: It doesn't
have to be in unison.

- Yeah. Say it. Yeah.
- Two...

BOTH: Two pumps.
ROB: Release.

- [laughs] That was an exchange.

- Oh, wait, let me see the...

With the inclination.

- How do you do?

- Jolly good.

Jolly good.
- [Lisa laughing]

- You know, I'm very impressed
by their diligence

in going to see an etiquette
coach before meeting the King.

Um, no one asked me if I needed
to see an etiquette coach.

So I hope I don't blow it.

LISA: Do you remember
the phrase, gentlemen?

- Your majesty, may I present?

LISA: No.

When you actually meet,

there's that other formal phrase

that I taught you
that we're forgetting.

You get a little petit four...
Extra one if you get it right.

ROB: A petite what?

CREW MEMBER: Come over here
so we can see it.

We can see it there.
Have a seat.

So what is this?

- So this is one of the shirts
from our time.

Seven season,
we were sponsors, uh,

for back of shirt,
as they called it.

[slow dramatic piano music]
[cheers and applause]

We carried that on
for seven seasons.

And then, obviously, the last
season that we were sponsors

was the first season
of the takeover.

Felt as if we were doing
something right,

that we were helping the club,
and I always said

that when we had this
on the back of the shirt,

that was... you know, I never got
to play for them,

but to, uh... to have that
on there, you know,

as our company was brilliant.

Getting emotional now.

[sniffles and chuckles]

♪♪ ♪♪

My name's Phil Salmon.
I'm 64 years of age now.

Been supporting Wrexham AFC

since probably about
the age of seven.

[metallic grinding]

This is one
of the original Kop barriers

from, obviously,
the Racecourse Ground,

the oldest international
stadium in the world.

They were taken down when
the Kop was no longer in use.

[soft upbeat music]

So the Kop used to be
standing only.

That was the reason
for these barriers,

to stop any sort of crush

if fans move forward
too quickly or whatever.

And so fans
that used to stand on the Kop

were given the opportunity
to purchase them.

And the money was used
for charities.

And... 'cause we were doing 'em
on a voluntary basis,

we'd normally do them at night,

you know,
after we finished work.

So I'd, say, spend an hour
on each barrier.

♪♪ ♪♪

AMANDA: I very luckily
met Phil through Dixie.

And Phil mentioned
that he might have a barrier

from the old Kop
at Wrexham Football Club

that he may be able to donate
to Nightingale House Hospice

to see whether we could raise
vital money for the hospice.

- This is where
people stood behind

watching the football matches
in the '70s and '80s

and gave you lots of abuse
if you missed a goal.

[laughter]

Don't put that in.
Don't put that in. No.

AMANDA: So please
keep your eyes peeled,

because this is
coming on the market,

and it will be sold
to the highest bidder.

PHIL: Brilliant.
- Amazing.

If it wasn't
for the likes of Phil,

we wouldn't be able
to have the opportunity

to raise the valuable money
that we need.

[sizzling]

PHIL: I've always thought
that, you know,

if you can do something nice,

it gives a lot of people
a lot of pleasure, you know?

And I would like to think that

if I was
in somebody else's shoes,

that I would look forward
to somebody doing that for me.

So yeah, just loads of history.

So to be involved with the club

and see where it is now
is just phenomenal.

♪♪ ♪♪

[birds singing]

[indistinct chatter]

ROB: Lovely.

[grunts]

- So as I was saying, the line...

The line's here...
The line's here.

So once you're at the line,

you and Rob are gonna go

that way with the Queen Consort.

- Yeah.

[indistinct chatter]

[stately classical music]

♪♪ ♪♪

[indistinct chatter]

♪♪ ♪♪

- Yes.
[laughs]

- Your Majesty.
[indistinct chatter]

I am...
No, I'm from Philadelphia,

but I live in Los Angeles.

So it's actually quite warm.

[indistinct chatter]

- This is Rob, our goalkeeper.

[indistinct chatter]

♪♪ ♪♪

- What about you?
PHIL: This is Rosie.

- I live quite close.

I didn't, but I moved closer
just to play for Wrexham.

♪♪ ♪♪

[indistinct chatter]

♪♪ ♪♪

- So Kyle travels.

[indistinct chatter]

♪♪ ♪♪

[camera shutters clicking]

HUMPHREY: Moments
of great import are happening.

At the same time,
you know, this week,

we've obviously got a massive
game against a big rival, um,

and, you know, the other thing
for us this week is obviously,

you know, we're looking forward
to getting, uh,

some kind of decision about

the Levelling Up Fund,
hopefully, which is, you know,

the money from the UK government

that we're hoping to help use
to pay for the Kop.

- The Kop is still there.
HUMPHREY: Mm-hmm.

- We were supposed to have
knocked it down months ago.

And we keep getting emails
and updates saying,

"Well, it'll be next week.

Maybe the week after,
the week after."

Where are we
with the Levelling Up Fund?

Let's talk about that.
SHAUN: Mm-hmm.

The Levelling Up Fund,
we are told

that the decision is next week.

Now...

- We have been told
the decision is next week...

SHAUN: Twice.
- Twice.

SHAUN: Yeah.

- Over many, many, many months,
let alone weeks.

SHAUN: Absolutely.
- Okay.

- The club has an application

into the Levelling Up Fund,

which is operated
by UK government.

We're asking them
to contribute, via the council,

££20 million to actually
build a new stand.

- Mr. Speaker,
if you live in North Wales

and want to watch
international sport,

you'll have to travel four
hours to Cardiff or Swansea.

PARLIAMENTARIAN: Shocking.

- The Wrexham Racecourse
with its historic Kop stand

offers an excellent opportunity
to level up access to sport.

VARIOUS: Hear, hear!

- Well, there could be
no better campaigner

for the interests
of Wrexham sport.

I will do what I can,
Mrs. Speaker,

but I'm sure that Wrexham
has every chance

of success in the future.

ROB:
The truth of the matter is,

if we don't get that funding,
we can't build the Kop.

- If we don't get
the Levelling Up Fund,

we have to go and find
a public sector contribution

from somewhere else.

Nowhere near as attractive
or quick.

ROB: Okay.
Oh, this is quick?

Thus far, we've been moving...
This is quick?

- Trust me. This is efficient.
HUMPHREY: Not wrong.

- Ugh.

I feel like
after the show's aired...

In the UK, I notice
that people were laughing

about how much I was whinging.

Whinging is my favorite
British term now.

♪♪ ♪♪

That I was whinging about
how slow everything is,

because I guess
they're just so used to it

from a bureaucratic standpoint.

But good Lord.

- When the stand is built,
the level of craftsmanship,

the quality,
the work that's gone into it

means that it should work
and operate

and it'll go
the way it should do

and none of the door handles
should fall off

like everything does
in my house in LA.

Because...

ROB: So what
you're suggesting to me

is that because of
this level of bureaucracy,

that there's a certain level
of care and craftsmanship

that goes into it
that just doesn't exist

in the United States of America.

- Yes.
- I reject that wholesale

on behalf
of the American people.

SHAUN: Well, congratulations.
[laughter]

However,
this is happening in Wales,

so you've got no choice.

- Yeah.
- Okay.

All right,
so we'll know next week.

- We'll know next week.

RYAN: The delays in funding
put us at risk

of falling behind schedule,

so we need to have
the new Kop built

for the 2024-2025 season.

So we decided to pay
for the demolition

of the old Kop ourselves
and began tearing it down.

[soft music]

WAYNE: Oh,
very fond memories, you know?

My folks moved across the road
when I was 11,

and I was told then strictly
not to cross the road.

But as an eagle-eyed


the floodlights were on.

I remember the game well.
I think it was Blackpool.

And we scored a last-minute
winner to win 4-3.

And between the lights
and the last-minute euphoria,

I was absolutely hooked
from that minute on.

And that was in the Kop,
so yeah,

just very fond memories.

[metallic clanking and grinding]

- Um, mixed emotions, really.

One of excitement
for the future.

But obviously,
there's a little bit of, um...

A little bit of sadness,

you know, mixed in there
because not only I,

thousands of people, you know,

people that are
no longer with us as well

have got memories, you know,
in that stand.

♪♪ ♪♪

NEIL: I think the Kop
was obviously iconic.

And it's, like, a little bit
like the Turf.

It's just sort of the fabric
of the football club,

in many ways, that...

Obviously,
friends have come together

and I've stood on there
as a youngster.

[TV flicks on]

But then as a player,

to look out onto a full Kop
was pretty special.

ANNOUNCER:
Neil Roberts equalized

from the penalty spot.

NEIL: You know,
that's something nice

that I'll always have
to keep hold of

and, you know, that...

That moment becomes
even more special

now it's no longer there.

CROWD: Wrexham! Wrexham!
Wrexham! Wrexham! Wrexham!

- Well, out of the ashes,
you know, will arise a new Kop.

♪♪ ♪♪

FAN: Goodbye, old friend,
as Rob said.

- Yes, yeah.
Goodbye, old friend.

♪♪ ♪♪

[indistinct chatter]

PHIL: Start of the season,
there's a few teams

you expect to be up there.

And Chesterfield, Notts County,
Boreham Wood,

you know,
you look at those teams,

and they've been
building squads for a while

to make challenges
to get out this league

and, like ourselves,
haven't found it easy.

You'd expect them
to challenge again.

- You know,
there's absolutely no doubt

Chesterfield were going to be

one of the contenders
for promotion.

And obviously,
going there so early

was always going to be
a challenge.

It's an early season test,

and we'll know more
about the team

when we come out of the game.

[upbeat music]

BROADCASTER 1:
Let's get on to predictions.

I'm gonna go for a nervy


shoving it up
those Derbyshire fellows.

[all chanting]

BROADCASTER 2:
I'm gonna go for 2-nil.

I'm gonna go same as last year.

BROADCASTER 1: Brilliant.
So we're gonna be

top of the league
by the end of this.

You heard it here first.

- Arrived in Chesterfield.
Massive game.

[all chanting]

Need to be taking points
off people like this.

[exhales]
Up the town. Come on, boys!

MARK: Hold onto your hats
for the start.

Quite the power
from the adrenaline-fueled

atmosphere we got anyway.

I mean, I hope you can hear us

in this massive
early season match.

[crowd chanting]

- [chanting indistinctly]

MARK:
If you're gonna win the title,

you've gotta take points
off your rivals.

Chesterfield are serious rivals.

It's the first time
I've gone into a season

actually expecting success.

SINGER: ♪♪ Yeah,
I'm like a stampede ♪♪

♪♪ Man, I come through
like a banshee ♪♪

♪♪ And there's only one thing
that I can't see ♪♪

♪♪ That's a plan B ♪♪

♪♪ 'Cause I got tunnel vision ♪♪

♪♪ I won't never give in, yeah ♪♪

♪♪ And I ain't playin'
with 'em, nah ♪♪

♪♪ I'm just tryna win it all,
yeah ♪♪

♪♪ They broke the mold
when they made me ♪♪

♪♪ So cold, man,
I keep freezing ♪♪

♪♪ I'm the Loch Ness,
I'm a monster ♪♪

♪♪ I'm the one that
they ain't believe ♪♪

♪♪ I'm the one
that you can't see ♪♪

♪♪ Whoo, yeah ♪♪

♪♪ Try to hold me down
but I break free ♪♪

♪♪ You can't stop me now ♪♪

MARK: Lee
on the left-hand side

scurries forward as well.

Nice ball to Mullin,
heads behind and turns,

hits it just wide.

SINGER:
♪♪ You can't take me down ♪♪

♪♪ I'm on another level ♪♪

- Banks switches beautifully
to King

on the right-hand side
halfway line.

Palmer gets across quickly.
It's pinged inside.

And the return pass
is a good one.

King hits the goal line,
puts it inside Palmer.

Gets to the 6-yard box.

It's goal!
Chesterfield take the lead!

Wow!

Chesterfield score
in the tenth minute.

King with a superb run.

And now it's the Chesterfield
fans making all the noise.

MARK: Goalkeepers make
mistakes all the time.

It's just that we get punished
for it,

and it normally leads to a goal.

[dramatic music]

I think it's one of them
things that, with the weather,

we just didn't start that game
well enough.

MARK: Lays it out
to McFadzean.

Early cross,
easy for the keeper.

Wrexham haven't quite
got their rhythm back

since going behind.

♪♪ ♪♪

ANNOUNCER: Asante's free
on the left-hand side

as Wrexham try and recover.
Tozer.

Wrexham are really, really
pinned back here.

MARK: Living up
towards Bellinger's.

King gets it back,
turns it over the top

and Tozer will have to chase
this one.

He'll...

Vey coolly plays to Howard,

who's under pressure,
and he's lost the ball!

He's outside the box.
The sh*t comes in!

♪♪ ♪♪

[wild cheering]



That got us.

I don't think that was a wise
place to play a back pass.

How on Earth have Wrexham
managed to go two down?

I mean, that's a disaster.

- I think I wasn't... ah.

It was tough because of...

It was the pressure
from the year before.

We needed to start off
the season so well.

Obviously, I tried to take
a back pass in

and then just took a bad touch.

That's the nature of being
a goalkeeper.

PHIL: We came against a team
who started

very quickly on the night,

and when you can see
two poor goals...

And it always gives
any team a lift.

And yeah, we gave ourselves
a mountain to climb.

MARK: Wrexham really needs

to push on
in this second half now.

ANNOUNCER: Chesterfield
outperforming the Red Dragons

on their trip over here
to Derbyshire.

Phil Parkinson's side
just couldn't get

into their rhythm
or their groove.

[whistle blasts]

That's the full time whistle
that's blown.

MARK: This was
a frustrating day for Wrexham

who, in front of
a superb following,

have not been able to come out
with a result at all.

PHIL:
It's a real disappointment

early in the season
when we were arriving,

full of optimism, thinking,

this is where we make
a statement.

- You know, we knew
we'd put a squad together

that was good enough
to get promotion.

Us knowing it and them doing it

are two vastly different things.

HUMPHREY: Yeah, unfortunately,
I can't work out

how to do it on my phone,
which is a bit of a blow.

- If you can pin yourself, Ryan,

and then record your screen.

- Uh, does anyone know... sorry...
How to record my screen?

I'm not quite sure.

PERSON: Yeah, it should be
down below in the center.

If you just click on...

There's a little record button.

- Oh, yeah,
I think it's recording.

- It says you're recording.
You're good.

- Okay, great.

- Okay, cool.

So I just got a message from...

Well, regrettably,
a media outlet

that's heard the news

that the Levelling Up Fund
bid application

from the council
has been unsuccessful.

So the Levelling Up Fund bid's
not been accepted.



trying to get the funding
for the Kop

has just gone up in smoke.

- Great.

- We can't grow the club

unless we can get more people
into the stadium.

We've got
a three-sided ground now

with a Kop
that's nearly on the floor.

- Yeah.

Is this, like,
a political thing?

- Probably the Conservative
government don't believe

they'll hold the Wrexham seat
this time at the next election,

regardless of how much money
they put

into the local football club.

- Still, it's a huge problem.

I mean, this is a cornerstone
of our long-term Wrexham plans.

I mean, this is huge.

- We've taken a blow, but we're
gonna get back up again.

And we're not out
with this fight yet.

- I don't have ££20 million
lying around.

I don't... I don't know
if Ryan does,

but I don't think so.

He might say he does,
but I would talk to Blake,

'cause I bet you
he f*cking doesn't.

- Uh, what is it that we can do
to help see this through?

- Just the three of you
promise me this, okay?

I'm low at the moment.
Let just me be the lowest.

We'll find a...
- [chuckles]

- We'll find a...
We'll find a solution

because we are gonna need
to think outside the box

and do things differently, so...

- Uh, I'll sell
one of my children.

- Oh, well,
you've got so many of them.

- Yeah, you got
a bunch of 'em now.

- I have four.

I mean, I don't even know
their names.

- You can't possibly... you can't
possibly need all of them.

- Oh, you've brightened my day.

You've brightened my day up,
you three.

- [laughs]
Good. Um, okay...

- Is there anything else
we need to discuss

besides the fact
that the sky is falling?

Is there anything...
Is there anything else?

- All right. Bye, guys.

SHAUN: Cheers.
Talk to you later, mate.

[soft guitar music]

♪♪ ♪♪

[child giggles, seagull cries]