Ryan Reynold's Wrexham face Tom Brady’s Birmingham in Hollywood derby

Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds has set his sights on victory against Tom Brady's Birmingham City in the upcoming "Hollywood Derby".

The highly anticipated League One clash, scheduled for Thursday night at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground, carries a weight of expectation following Birmingham's 3-1 win earlier this season.

Reynolds, speaking on the Men in Blazers podcast, stated his desire to triumph over NFL legend Brady in the sporting arena.

He jokingly recounted texting Brady and David Beckham, who were present at the previous fixture, about "failing bone structure and age-related material" after Wrexham's defeat.

It is almost four years since Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney completed their takeover of Wrexham, the pair having transformed a club which had spent more than a decade in the National League doldrums.

The Red Dragons, having won back-to-back promotions, are currently third in League One – five points behind leaders Birmingham – and the club and community now has a global profile through the award-winning ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series.

Overseas visitors have flocked to the Racecourse since the February 2021 takeover, and Hollywood A-listers Channing Tatum, Eva Longoria, Hugh Jackman, Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell have also attended Wrexham games and mingled with fans.

Reynolds said: “I don’t have to pitch them anything. They’ve seen the show and they know ‘how the sausage gets made’ to a certain degree.

“The show doesn’t centre myself or Rob, it centres the community and the team and they want to experience that.

“They want to feel a bit of that Fields of Dream energy and walk into a place that is hallowed. A place that, despite the best efforts of Rob and myself, has remained unspoiled.

“Will Ferrell is a football nut and he just wanted to be there and see and experience the Racecourse Ground and all it has to offer. Hugh was the same way. I’m not very strong and needed Channing to carry things up to the suite!”

Reynolds also spoke of his relationship with football – “I love this sport so much I hate it” – and again stressed his determination to take Wrexham into the Premier League.

He said: “I mean, 10 years from now… we would be morons to not want to see this club in the Premier League but to also be unique in that everything about the place has stayed true to what it originally was. I mean, that’s kind of the perfect scenario.

“So, 10 years, I hope Wrexham is Wrexham and I hope the change that has taken place is for the better and that people are proud of it.

“I hope the change doesn’t feel like it was too big, too soon because there’s an underdog nature to the town.”