The Japan Times - Wrexham chief wants playoff push after promotion to Championship

Since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased the Welsh club in 2020, Wrexham have become the first team to earn three successive promotions from England's national league to the second-tier Championship.

Wrexham will on August 9 play relegated former Premier League club Southampton in their Championship opener, a prospect club chief executive Michael Williamson described as a "pinch yourself" moment.

Williamson, speaking in Wellington during the club's preseason tour to Australia and New Zealand, said success was more than simply making up the numbers.

"The expectation is, and Rob McElhenney will say that he doesn't know what this word is, but obviously we need to consolidate our position in the Championship," Williamson told AFP.

"If we are able to find ourselves halfway through the season, in December, in that 3-4-5-6-7 position, people should be worried about us.

"Because I believe if we make the playoffs with the type of mentality that we have, anything can happen in 90 minutes.

"I really would give ourselves a strong shot of giving it a run."

The Welsh minnows languished for years in the lower tiers of English football before being purchased by Reynolds and McElhenney, and shooting to fame through the "Welcome to Wrexham" documentary.

They return to the Championship -- one step below the Premier League -- for the first time in more than 40 years.

The fighting words were echoed by former Wrexham player-turned-club ambassador, Ben Tozer, who was also in New Zealand for the tour.

"It's a massive challenge, don't get me wrong," Tozer said.

"But the momentum of our club, four years of pure success and heading in the right direction, winning a lot more games than losing. We could surprise some people."

- The right people -

Fellow club ambassador, former Wrexham and Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster, said the club had set itself apart by recruiting the right people.

"If you look at it in the cold light of day, the stark reality is that money is going to start playing a massive role now," Foster told AFP.

"When you've got players and clubs that have just been relegated from the Premier League, they're on big wages and they're big players and they're worth big money because they are of a calibre of player.

"But I'd like to think Wrexham can do it in a slightly different way where we identify the people, and the team is more important than the individuals."

Foster lauded a "no dickheads" policy at the club, which meant players and staff were working towards a common goal.

Chief executive Williamson said that policy started in the dressing room and was led by manager Phil Parkinson.

Over the past year, Wrexham's staff numbers had grown by more than 60, to about 105.

"I would say most of the 60 or so employees that have been hired, I've personally interviewed at some point," Williamson said.

"For me it was important to bring in, especially on the senior leadership side, people who understood what Wrexham is and what we're actually doing here. We're not just another football club.

"There are people who had incredible CVs, experience. You look at them and say, wow. You think that they would be incredible for for Wrexham.

"And then you go through the interview process and realise that they're not really understanding what Wrexham is as a town, as a community, as a club.

"That's something that took a lot of effort. We're trying to create a culture within the club."

Wrexham will return to Wales on Sunday, after playing Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand on Saturday evening.

Parkinson confirmed the club was close to signing New Zealand international left back Liberato Cacace -- a former Wellington Phoenix junior player -- from Italian club Empoli.

Cacace's father, Antonio, owns an Italian restaurant in Wellington where Parkinson planned to drop in for a glass of wine before leaving the city on Sunday.

H.Nakamura--JT