Forget Wrexham’s Hollywood owners – their biggest blockbuster came in FA Cup
Non-league Wrexham can lay claim to one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history.
The National League side, who are owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, will end an eight-year absence from the third round on Saturday evening when they visit Coventry City. They will go into that tie with experience of beating a side three leagues above them, having dumped Arsenal out at this stage back in 1992.
At the time, Wrexham sat rooted to the bottom of the Football League, having avoided a drop to non-league the season before due to the absence of relegation.
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Meanwhile, George Graham's Gunners were the reigning First Division champions and had won the FA Cup five times come the 1991/92 season.
A first half goal from Alan Smith appeared to set the tone for a routine Arsenal victory, before the hosts pulled off a stunning turnaround in front of a sold out Racecourse Ground crowd.
Cult hero Mickey Thomas rifled home a free-kick to level the score before Steve Watkin pounced on a mistake from Tony Adams to snatch a late winner.
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Thomas went on to be arrested for his involvement in a counterfeit money scam just eight days later and was greeted by Monopoly money being thrown onto the pitch in the fourth round.
Reflecting on how his side were able to turn the match around, former Wrexham boss Brian Flynn told the Daily Mail last year: “Teams who have so much of the ball get bored of it. They start doing sloppy things. They lose concentration. That's what Arsenal did.”
The shock result made immediate headlines, with Thomas and Flynn asked to head to Manchester in a BBC car for a Match of the Day interview.
“I told him: ‘Not a cat in hell's chance! Mickey could be in Bangor by now’," explained Flynn. "But Mickey was very particular about his hair. And more importantly his loss of hair! He took a lot of time in the dressing room to make sure his hair was right. So someone found him.”
Wrexham would go on to face West Ham United in the next round, drawing the first match 2-2 away from home before narrowly losing in the replay.
Now owned by Reynolds and McElhenney, Wrexham are currently second in the National League and bidding for another upset on Saturday evening. Phil Parkinson's side visit Championship side Coventry in their first third round tie since 2015.
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