Cod Almighty | Article

by Alistair Mills

6 August 2010

Well, hello there, Wrexham. Let's talk about you.
I think I can say without too much hesitation that Wrexham are the only team in this season's Conference Premier to have competed in a major European competition quarter-final. 1976 was the year, the European Cup-Winners' Cup the competition; the Red Dragons (or Robins, depending on your age/resistance to change) manoeuvred their way past Sweden's Djurgårdens IF and Poland's Stal Rzeszow before losing 2-1 to eventual winners Anderlecht. Not bad for an English fourth division team who only qualified via a Welsh domestic cup.

Surprisingly, this wasn't the club's most revered European moment. That came 11 years later when they turned over the mighty FC Porto 4-3 in their own backyard, before narrowly losing out in the following round to a young(-ish) Sven-Goran Eriksson and his AS Roma side.

So the Welsh Cup has served Wrexham well, then. Before it was decided in 1995 (by bitter Barry Town fans, probably) that only teams in the Welsh football league system could take part, they won it a record 23 times. Not only did this guarantee them the chance to tangle with some of Europe's finest clubs on a fairly regular basis: it also means their trophy cabinet, to the untrained eye, must look pretty bloody impressive. (The only English cup they've won is the Football League Trophy, in 2004. And even we've won that.)

A much more mundane culture has set in at the Racecourse Ground now, with big fixtures at the High Court more frequent than big fixtures on the continent. Since the turn of the millennium, off-field sagas have hampered any on-field aspirations. A lot of this can be piled at the doors of Alex Hamilton and Mark Guterman, the former chairmen who thought no-one would notice if they tried to get the club evicted from their ground of 129 years so that they could sell it for their own development purposes. And when a few people did notice, and mentioned their disapprovement on websites and stuff, Hamilton labelled them "Luddite terrorists who should be locked up in cages", while, presumably, Guterman stood behind him, nodding menacingly.

"Luddite terrorists" demonstrate against the Hamilton/Guterman regime before the 2004 Football League Trophy final against Southend in Cardiff. Photo: Simon Picken (cc by-nc-sa 2.0)

Under the pair's astute stewardship, the Dragons soon plunged into administration and in the process became the first League club to suffer a ten-point deduction. A steady campaign subsequently derailed into relegation from the third division in 2005. A year later Hamilton and Guterman were gone and the short-term financial future of the club was safe; three years later and the Dragons were playing non-League football.

Do you come here often?
No. Their relegation in 2008 ended the club's 87-year stay in the Football League. But the warning signs had been there for a while – they had occupied a relegation spot for all but three weeks of the season, and only survived the previous year thanks to a final-day victory over Boston (relegating Steve Evans's motley crew in the process).

Their first two seasons in the Conference have been uninspiring mid-table affairs, with last season's position of 11th being the lowest in the club's history. Perhaps understandably then, manager Dean Saunders' position had come under a bit of scrutiny, but since being assured the job is his for at least one more season, he's had a massive clear-out – a total of 14 players have departed and nine arrived since the end of last season. The most notable of these (for non-footballing reasons at least) is Jay Harris, who has joined the club on a free transfer following the completion of his 12-month ban given to him for his part in a betting scandal while at Accrington.

Harris joins up with Andy Mangan, another member of the 'Stanley Five', who arrived from Forest Green Rovers in January, having already endured his five-month suspension earlier in the season. Now I'm not suggesting anything, but if the club go on to announce the signings of Robert Williams, David Mannix and Peter Cavanagh before 14 August, the FA might want to think about keeping a closer eye on results at the Racecourse.

A nice little home-made film about Wrexham and their derby day against Shrewsbury

Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
Grimsby and Wrexham have met 55 times over 78 years, with the scores currently poised at 22-21 in our favour. There seem to have been a few tasty encounters over the years, with 3-2s, 4-0s and 5-1s a-plenty. Ironically, then, in our tastiest season for quite some time (the double-winning '97-98 campaign) we drew with Wrexham 0-0 home and away.

The fixture is probably most fondly remembered nowadays (among Grimsby fans at least) for turning Myth into Man. Until a soggy New Year's Eve in 2005, Glen Downey was known only as "that guy who we signed ages ago but never plays". Just a haunting number 17 on an occasional subs' bench. Some fans even doubted his existence. But when Simon Ramsden fell awkwardly in the 50th minute with Town trailing 1-0, and after all other alternatives had been exhausted (Gary Jones was already filling in at centre-back, for goodness' sake!), up stepped Glen. Within 40 minutes, Town had come from behind and Downey had bagged the last-minute winner. A true Christmas-time miracle.

What can we do when the sun goes down?
For all you... massive old house enthusiasts, a visit to Wrexham is definitely worthwhile. Erddig Hall, built in 1684, sits in a leafy lull just beneath the town centre. Originally owned by the master of the chancery, it has been the property of the National Trust since 1973, and tours of the house and formal gardens are regularly enjoyed by visitors. But don't just take my word for it; in 2003, the combined knowledge of Radio Times readers and Channel 5 viewers voted it Britain's second finest stately home. Sod off, Chatsworth.

If long country walks aren't your thing (and bearing in mind we visit Wrexham on 8 January), maybe you should consider a nice relaxing bubble bath or swim in the Waterworld Leisure and Activity Centre just down the road from the ground. Because I'm sure you'll agree, there isn't a more suitable location for a post-match inquisition than a steam room.

Failing all this, Liverpool is only 30 miles away.

Ryan Valentine steps up to the spot to equalise in the 3-1 win over Boston in May 2007 which kept Wrexham in the Football League for another year. The game was watched by an amazing 12,374 fans. Photo:Barry Kodak (cc by-nc-nd 2.0)

Vital statistics
Last season
League placing: 11th, Conference Premier, P44 W15 D13 L16 F45 A39 Pts58
Home and away rankings: 11th and 11th in the division (well boring!)
Average attendance: 2,860 (rank: 6th in the division, 90th in English leagues)
Mileage travelled: 3,633

This season
Squad size: it still says 15 on the official site at the time of writing, but I know they've signed more since then, so, not sure
Odds on winning the league: 16/1 (Blue Square)

Do say
"Wel gyda llawer o hyn yn tlysau mae'n rhaid i chi fod yn debyg, y tîm gorau yn y byd?" ("Well, with this many trophies you must be, like, the best team in the world?")

Don't say
"Tell you what, this ground could make a lovely block of flats."

Do you know Wrexham? We want your recommendations for local pubs, cafés or B&Bs, to feature in our pre-match factfiles during next season. Use the Cod Almighty feedback form to send them in – or to share any other thoughts you might have about our Rough Guide to the Conference.