Co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac sanctioned a summer net spend of more than 30m as Wrexham overhauled their squad to give themselves the best possible chance of being competitive in the second tier. The options Phil Parkinson has at his disposal are continuing to improve too as players return from injury, meaning such an outlay is not needed in the winter window.
Goals from Sam Smith and Oliver Rathbone before the break were enough to secure all three points on the road for Phil Parkinson's side, seeing them extend their winning run in the competition to three games. Wrexham were ahead after just 11 minutes against a struggling Blackburn side, with Matty James' long ball over the top of the Rovers defence taken down and slotted in at the near post by Smith.
Wrexham County borough council had previously said that the club would receive a substantial amount of a 25m Welsh government grant to redevelop the area around the Wrexham General train station next door to its stadium, the Racecourse Ground. However, the council has not previously revealed that the football club would directly receive most of that cash. Wrexham is owned by Reynolds and McElhenney, who has changed his name to Rob Mac, according to UK and US company filings.
Reynolds and McElhenney, who have overseen a historic triple-promotion at the Racecourse alongside resounding commercial success thanks in part, to their 'Welcome to Wrexham' documentary on Disney+, are involved in a group of investors who took over at the Colombian side this year. The group is led by real estate investor Al Tylis and includes actress Eva Longoria. Other high-profile names involved in the new direction of the Bogota-based club are MLB pitcher Justin Verlander, Kate Upton and former NBA player Shawn Marion.
We showed a gritty and determined nature to us today, and I think that was important. You have to do that here at Millwall because they're a good side and it's a really difficult place to come -- I've managed here many times and I've played here, and you've got to be stand up and be counted. Every single player, everybody who's on the coach, has got to do their bit to make sure you give yourself the best chance of getting a result.
