Chester happens to be less than 15 miles from Wrexham, so...road trip! We're fans of the show - not fanatics or even football (soccer) fans, just like the show. Being so close...why not. Tickets for home games are competitive (and somewhat convoluted) to obtain so they were sold out. Fortunately for us, Wrexham was playing Salford City in an English Football League (EFL) Trophy game, which are less attended than regular home games, so we were able to buy tickets.
We hopped on the train and went down for the day as we wanted to check out the city while we were there. We started by visiting the Turf, the pub next to the Racecourse stadium and featured in the TV series. That gave us the tourist experience while letting us know exactly where the stadium is located. Entering through the side door brings you into the game room with a pool table and show memorabilia.
As you enter the sitting area, the show memorabilia dies down a bit, although there are a few lingering items for the fans. Fun fact: the pub itself doesn't serve food; the trailer in the parking lot makes the food and you're allowed to bring it in with you.
After a short visit, we set off to explore Wrexham...cuz exploring is at the heart of our nomadic life. Below are some of the highlights we saw (Wrexham isn't exactly a traditional tourist destination). The downtown area has a bit of walkable (no car) area with lots of shops and eateries.
Ok, game time. We headed back to the stadium and got to our seats. Being early, we got to see the teams warm up routines. I enjoy gaining deeper insight into just about anything, so it was fun for me. We also saw the team mascot, Wrex the dragon, engage the crowd and punk the broadcaster with a crab walk move. I've read Rob McElhenney sometimes dresses as Wrex when he's in town. We also got to see the temporary seats in the Kop area, although it wasn't open for public seating yet. The old Kop, once the largest standing-only terrace in the EFL, was deemed unsafe for use in 2008. Rob and Ryan got approval to replace it with a 5,500 seated stand in 2022 and tore the old stand down in 2023, but red tape with the local council has delayed construction of the permanent structure.
The teams were announced and the game got underway. Rain was a bit sporadic, but were in Wales. It wasn't long before Super Paul Mullin scored the first goal for Wrexham. Yes, we got to hear his song, plus a couple of additional ones. Salford City was able to even the score in the second half, but in the 83rd minute, Wrexham took the lead back for good. Yay, we got to see a Wrexham win!