Welcome to Wrexham (2022) s02e07 Episode Script
Giant Killers
1
[indistinct chatter]
WAYNE: Yep.
HUMPHREY:
The FA Cup Competition is
significantly important
for the fabric
of, uh, Wrexham Association
Football Club.
This is the oldest trophy
in all of football
and is held in, you know,
very high esteem
in England and Wales.
It's a competition of underdogs.
Everyone in the country participates,
from the champions
of the Premier League
all the way down to the
National League and below.
[inquisitive music]
It's also where Wrexham have
famously slayed a few dragons.
Now, Wrexham might have gone
out of the league last season.
They finished last
in Division 4,
but a big day for them today.
Home to Arsenal,
the league champions,
and 5-to-1 favorites
for the Cup.
ANNOUNCER: All 92 places
in the football league
may have separated
these teams last season,
but it's the magic of the FA Cup
that today they start as equals,
and that's quite an experience
for Wrexham's babies.
ANNOUNCER: He's right
outside, Sertori.
Now, surely, yes.
Alan Smith saves
Arsenal's blushes.
That team was incredible.
ANNOUNCER:
It's Thomas who takes it.
Oh, what a goal, Mickey Thomas.
He's done it,
the magic little man.
Yeah, I remember
Mickey Thomas scoring his goal,
and he smacked that
free kick, like, so well.
NEIL: You know,
Mickey scoring, what,
it was one of the best goals
that's ever been in the FA Cup.
For me and all me friends,
it was just
It was just a party atmosphere,
especially on the Cup.
ANNOUNCER:
Watkin.
Oh, he scored!
Steve Watkin has got a goal!
And there's the whistle.
Wrexham have achieved a
really famous FA Cup victory.
[lively marching band music]
♪
HUMPHREY: It's a competition
where underdogs get a chance
to to take a tilt
at the big boys,
and, uh, now it's 2023,
and we have our chance
to make history again.
And so, uh, yeah.
We're looking forward to it.
SINGER: Don't forget
where you came from ♪
Don't forget
what you're made of ♪
The ones who were there ♪
When no one else would care ♪
And don't be afraid
to cry now ♪
Even when the world
comes crashing in ♪
[soft music]
Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪
♪
Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪
[upbeat music]
ANNOUNCER: It's time for
the FA Cup third-round draw
taking place at Anfield,
the home of Liverpool.
Tonight, of course,
they and the rest
of the Premier League teams
join 24 championship clubs
and the other surviving EFL
and non-league sites
for the draw that is a highlight
of any English season.
So the FA Cup
is the kind of premier
cup competition in the UK.
So we play in the league.
That's our bread and butter.
That's the one we wanna win
and get promoted.
But you also take part
in the FA Cup.
Now, this happens
concurrently with the league.
All sorts of people enter.
They get whittled down until
there's only one team left.
What's really exciting
about that is that it is open
to everybody
who plays organized football,
which in the UK
is kind of designated as,
if you play on a Saturday,
that's deemed
organized football.
So you know, the Metropolitan
Police team enters the FA Cup.
Very much amateur teams can
play all the way through.
And the dream is to get in there
and get a tie
against a big story club.
To put it in American terms,
you know,
a single-A baseball team
could end up
playing the Yankees
at Yankee Stadium.
And if they beat them,
they beat them,
and they progress to the
next round or whatever it is.
SHAUN HARVEY:
The FA Cup is a premier
knockout competition
in the country.
Ultimately, the FA Cup final
will be played at Wembley.
The best two teams
in the competition
will play off for the prize.
And that's
knockout football for you.
Let's begin the draw
for the third round.
Okay. Balls going in.
SHAUN WINTER: So in Wrexham's
case, we have to qualify
for the FA Cup first.
Then all the leagues
go together, yeah?
Third round,
the big boys come in.
ANNOUNCER: Number 2 of the
Premier League is Arsenal.
12, eight-time winners Chelsea.
21, holders and hosts, Liverpool.
LOTTERY OFFICIAL 1:
Give a good mix.
LOTTERY OFFICIAL 2:
13.
ANNOUNCER: 13, Coventry,
of the Championship
ANNOUNCER:
Take on 46, Wrexham.
Come on, Wrexham.
Come on!
ALL:
[cheering]
[chanting]
Wrexham! Wrexham!
Okay, so how big is the gap
between Wrexham and Coventry?
Uh, well, other than the fact
they're two full leagues
above us, obviously.
Uh, their wage bill
is almost double ours,
and their stadium holds three
times the capacity, so
it's pretty big.
We'll win it.
So we're gonna win it.
I said,
I'm telling you right now,
they ain't gonna expect
the energy Wrexham have.
They ain't gonna expect
that fire we've got.
This feeling
I've got now is magic.
This is the magic
of being a football fan.
Well done, lad.
Look at this.
[whistle trills]
Come on, lads.
Who watched Wrexham on Saturday?
CHILD: Me.
WINTER: All right.
CHILD:
First second half.
Well, that's good enough for me.
- Who was happy that they won?
- Me.
Yes! Now we're talking.
When I was growing up, Wrexham
were known for the FA Cup.
My best memory of watching
Wrexham, bar none,
is we beat Middlesbrough 2-1.
ANNOUNCER: Wrexham
versus Middlesbrough.
Can Wrexham pull off another
of their famous
giant-killing acts?
NEIL: That one was, you know,
a full house in the Racecourse
and, uh, the likes
of Paul Gascoigne, Juninho,
Gary Pallister
playing against us,
and, uh, we managed
to sneak a win.
Um, so that was a special,
you know, special night.
WINTER:
I'll never forget it.
I think I was 12.
I was in the Cup.
And I went with my mate
and his dad.
ANNOUNCER:
So the game is underway.
David versus Goliath.
WINTER: Middlesbrough,
mid-table Premier League.
They were a good side.
They won a lot.
Robin Gibson equalized at 1-1.
Darren Ferguson, 2-1,
and then Kevin Dearden
was just pulling off
save after save.
ANNOUNCER:
What a great save.
WINTER:
My mate's dad said to me,
"Now, don't you dare
go down there."
ANNOUNCER: And there's
the final whistle!
WINTER: The final whistle
went, bump, I was off.
Pushed the steward out me way,
and I was diving on the players.
I was swinging on the nets.
And it was just
my favorite memory
of watching Wrexham
because it was
Just went fucking ballistic.
ANNOUNCER: Savor these scenes
at the Racecourse Grounds.
That was
the Wrexham team I loved.
COACH: Good, good!
Right, let's go. Good!
OLLIE: A big FA Cup run,
it's really exciting.
It shows what we can do
for the town, the community,
the football club, the owners.
For a National League side,
that's incredible.
PLAYER: Go, pull right.
Big O. Well done.
ELLIOT: Especially when
you're playing against
a solid Championship team
in Coventry,
there is a sense of,
we don't have anything to lose.
PHIL:
Brilliant. There's a pocket.
Good. Well done.
ELLIOT: We wanna show
how good we are.
We wanna test ourselves.
We know we're a good team
in the National League.
But how good can we be
against a Championship team?
PAUL: It's called the magic
of the FA Cup for a reason
'cause things happen
every year that, um,
keep the competition interesting.
And we've loved
playing it this season.
We've done really well
to get this far.
But hopefully,
we can go one step further
or even further than that.
PHIL:
Hey!
[dramatic music]
LUKE: We knew when
we got drawn against them,
it was gonna be a great test.
PHIL: If there's a challenge
anywhere on the pitch,
we're going fucking bang,
and we're aggressive.
Let's make sure
we come off the pitch
and we fucking
upset a few of them.
Come on.
[players shouting]
PHIL:
Come on, lads.
No one probably expected us
to go there and win.
It was like, oh,
they'll go there
and get turned over
three or four.
And so let's go there and, like,
show everybody how far we've
come as a club and as a group.
We knew that we have the squad
and have the players
to go and take the game to them.
PHIL: Remember the corners,
spin round the back of the goal.
Let's get fucking playing.
Let's get playing, chums.
Let's get the passes in.
[crowd cheering]
ANNOUNCER: Coventry sit 14th
in the Championship.
Wrexham arrives 61 places
below their opponents
in the football pyramid.
The Wrexham story is well-known
to a much wider audience
these days.
And they're hoping
to reach round four today
for the first time in 23 years.
FANS: [chanting]
Wrexham! Wrexham!
You go into the concourse,
red smoke bombs going off,
and they're singing, Wrexham.
It's like, this is what
I wanna be part of.
You're looking round
the ground, and it's like,
this is what we're going for.
Soak it in.
ANNOUNCER: The action
underway on this FA Cup
third-round Saturday.
To Jones,
who pops it back to Young.
Players attacking
the box for him.
He sweeps in a good cross.
Dalby!
Wrexham take the lead
in the 12 minutes!
Goal!
There's that cross by Young!
And Dalby got it
perfectly with his hands.
ANNOUNCER: As the team from
the fifth tier on top already
at Championship Coventry.
[crowd singing]
We restart,
and Coventry pushing it
around the back with pace.
I wanna be playing
in the high-pressure games.
And I think they have one of
the best defensive records
in the Championship.
But we all do what
we set out to do,
and we all work together,
then we're gonna have
a great chance
of winning this game
because Wrexham has
always been a sleeping giant.
ANNOUNCER: Sweeps the ball
in the goalmouth.
[screaming indistinctly]
That's outrageous!
A huge throw by Tozer.
Flicked on by Dalby.
And it's in!
[screaming indistinctly]
Warmed up, but it won't
fall favorably for them.
And then the appeal for the
penalty, and it's given.
And yeah, it is a straight red.
Mullin, spotted up
for the penalty.
[crowd cheering]
And it is 4-1 Wrexham.
[crowd cheering]
Remarkably, barely believably,
they are racing clear
at Coventry and heading
towards round four
for the first time
since the turn
of the millennium.
Palmer.
And he's continued his run.
He is going to get
on the end of this.
Here's Kasey Palmer.
[indistinct]
To pull one back
for Coventry City.
ELLIOT: The way we
played the first half,
like,
we were the championship team.
We were we were
better than them.
And then, like,
they were a good side,
so they were always
gonna come back into it.
ANNOUNCER:
Here's Palmer.
Shook his way,
but it was caught.
What? Are you fucking real?
What's he fucking doing?
ANNOUNCER:
That's a Coventry free kick
with a clear sight of goal.
Can they get themselves
back in this Cup tie here?
Kasey Palmer with a free kick.
Oh! Perfectly placed!
And Coventry City
will not give this up.
Trailing by three goals,
they've pulled two of them back.
It's never gonna be easy.
We knew that.
ROB: We were winning
pretty handily,
and then it was getting closer,
and we realized
We're gonna fucking
Wrexham this thing
in the most
Wrexham way possible.
This thing is gonna come
down to the last second.
And everyone's either gonna be
losing their minds,
or everybody's out there
gonna be losing their minds
in sadness.
It's one or the other.
ANNOUNCER: There is plenty
in sky blue streaming
forward through the center.
4-3.
I'm like, oh, my God. Hold on.
ANNOUNCER: In the cross,
they can't get it clear,
and they're on the line.
Mark Howard gratefully
gathers it up just in time.
Now it's tense out there,
and obviously,
as the underdogs in a clash
against a bigger team like this,
uh, we're getting
into this period
that we like to call
squeaky bum time.
[bright classical music]
♪
That comes from, you know,
the sensation that
As a fan in this situation,
you get very tense,
your whole body gets very tense,
you know, including down
your in your bum.
You get a squeaky bum.
ANNOUNCER: Off the goalkeeper,
off the post and away.
Less than a minute left.
Can Wrexham, giant-killers,
pull out the bag?
As we're watching,
me from Los Angeles,
Ryan from New York,
people from all over the world
were watching on ESPN, and
ANNOUNCER:
On the end of it,
has came in support back to a
[sustained tone]
The feed goes out.
The fucking feed goes out.
I can't remember feeling
a writhing,
all-consuming agony like I did
in that exact moment.
- It was harrowing.
- Yeah.
And then it came back on,
and the game was over.
ANNOUNCER: Jones just
puts it out of play.
And that is it! Wrexham!
And Coventry sitting
61 places above them.
What a game. An amazing match.
What a win.
[crowd singing]
ELLIOT: We played
some great football.
We battled hard.
And we deserved the victory
in the end.
[crowd chanting]
[upbeat music]
♪
It's a day that
I'll always remember,
getting to the third round
of the FA Cup, beating
Beating a Championship tide in
front of 4,500 Wrexham fans.
[crowd chanting]
That's almost what what
dreams are made of, isn't it?
[crowd chanting]
RYAN:
What the fuck was that?
- What?
- Holy shit.
I can't believe we
can't all, like, hug!
And that was crazy.
You know, I don't think
there's a dry eye
- in the house here.
- Yeah.
Are people just
freaking out over there?
- I mean, they must be?
- Oh, yeah.
Ryan, it's gone.
There's grown men crying.
There's people sat still
in the seats in disbelief.
It's just that magical
This is the FA Cup all over.
Full of drama.
Nothing's predictable.
And for some reason, Paul Mullin
has now run back onto the pitch.
RYAN: [laughs] I can't believe
we're not there.
Ah.
ROB: Kissing babies.
HARVEY: Yeah, Paul Mullin is
currently kissing babies.
ROB: Okay, so tomorrow
is the next draw.
What are the odds that we can
pull a Premier League club?
So Cup draw is Monday.
So Monday.
So it could be anybody.
But it could be
Rob was just saying
So it could be
a Premier League club.
I mean, everybody's
talking about it.
I mean, I've you know,
I've had about 50 texts
from different people in the
football industry all saying
- they just can't believe it.
- Oh, I'm getting
I don't know that
I've got this many texts
when we had a baby.
I mean, it's crazy.
Everybody seems
to be watching this.
FAN 1: Wow.
That's my favorite result
for the last decade.
FAN 2: It was really good,
really special,
and, um, one for the ages.
FAN 3: I was just shitting
a brick towards the end,
like constantly looking
back at the clock
on the giant screen behind us.
It's only really
when I got home, I was like,
Jesus Christ,
we actually did that.
FAN 4: I think it's fair
to say that the giant-killing
Wrexham of old are back.
Hello, and welcome to the
draw for the fourth round
of the Emirates FA Cup.
16 ties to be drawn.
LOTTERY OFFICIAL:
Number 12.
ANNOUNCER: Number 12.
That is Wrexham.
So the National League side
will be at home.
And going to the Racecourse
will be
LOTTERY OFFICIAL:
Sheffield United
of the Championship.
They're second
in the Championship.
So Championship opposition
again for Wrexham.
PERSON:
We've had the FA Cup draw,
and this could be
an absolute classic
A home tie with Sheffield United
at the end of January.
It's certainly gonna
get the Racecourse rocking.
What's your instant reaction?
PERSON:
Yeah, I'm incredibly happy
to take on a grand old club
like Sheffield United.
They're absolutely flying
in the Championship
and seem odds-on to get
to the hallowed land
of the Premier League.
It won't be easy,
but this is the FA Cup.
If any club is primed
for a few upsets,
it's Wrexham.
Ryan Reynolds is joining us
from Racecourse Grounds
in Wrexham, Wales.
And Rob McElhenney
is there at the Linc
where his beloved Eagles
will take on the Niners
later today.
So Ryan, fourth-round match
in the FA Cup,
first time in 23 years.
What is the scene there?
Uh, the atmosphere here is
unlike anything I've ever seen.
I gotta say, I feel for Rob
today because you've really
put all your eggs in one basket
this fine Sunday,
haven't you, Rob?
You have your beloved Eagles
playing in the championship.
You have your beloved
football club
We call it football over here,
by the way, not soccer
Uh, playing in the
fourth round of the FA Cup.
I mean, either this is gonna be
the best day of your life
or you will release
your hammer-lock death grip
on reality
and happiness as we know it
by the end of the evening.
Yes, yes, this truly could be
one of the greatest days
of my life
or one of the worst.
What do the fans in Philadelphia
make of your outfit right now?
I wanna know.
You got Wrexham.
You got the scarf.
You got the Philadelphia
Eagles jersey.
You actually have
an ESPN microphone.
You're one brand away
from being legally
reclassified as a NASCAR.
[laughter]
Okay, so remember
the financial disparity
between us and Coventry City?
Uh, how they were
double our wages?
Uh, well, Sheffield United
have eight times our wages,
so this is gonna be
fucking hard.
WAYNE:
Make no bones about it.
Sheffield United
will almost certainly be
a Premier League team next year.
FAN 2:
Yeah, they're getting promoted.
WAYNE: You would think any team
that are three divisions above,
you would think that
they're gonna just expect
to come in and turn us over.
You would think
And they may well do.
But I don't think they'll
come here and steamroll us.
Coventry thought
they'd steamroll us,
and look what happened there.
FAN 2: Absolutely.
WAYNE: I think Wrexham will
give them a game, you know.
I think Wrexham will
more than match them.
[crowd chanting]
[upbeat music]
It's a classic
David-versus-Goliath story.
But you guys know this
more than anybody on Earth,
anything can happen.
We hope for a win, but
we're gonna be optimistic.
- 2-1.
- 2-1 to Wrexham?
BOTH:
We hope.
PHIL:
Home draw, please.
First of all, we've worked
hard to get to this stage,
beating Coventry.
All of us together working
hard to put Wrexham
firmly back on the football map,
and this is a great step
in that direction.
RYAN: I think I'm gonna go
on record right now
and say that there is a chance,
albeit a very slim chance,
that Sheffield United
pulls off a miracle today.
[laughter]
FAN 1:2-1 Wrexham.
FAN 2:2-1 Wrexham.
- 2-1 Wrexham.
- 2-1 Wrexham.
- FAN 3:2-1.
- 2-1 Wrexham.
FAN 4:2-1.
Everyone's saying 2-1 Wrexham.
'Cause this is Wrexham,
and we are a fucking big team.
I'm Sheffield United fan.
[fans yelling]
3-1 to the mighty
red and white wizards.
FAN 5: You'll be joking.
Well, good luck anyway to you.
Good luck, and sorry in advance.
[crowd chanting]
You called me and said,
should I buy a football club?
- And I said
- Well, there's that.
You're gonna have a great time.
Yes. Yes.
You also said
something else, though.
You said something that was
profound to me recently.
You said of all the
unimportant things in life,
football is the most important.
And I have stolen that as
my own numerous times since.
I stole it
from Pope John Paul II.
Well, there you go.
PHIL: Okay, boys, just up
the counter for Steve, please.
When the doors close, when they
come back in off the warm-up,
you know, it's like,
that's the hype now.
Forget that, and concentrate
what we've gotta do.
We've got a fucking
proud record.
And we're gonna fight
fucking tooth and bastard nail
to fucking keep it.
HARVEY: Each of the players
that have come to the club
are proud.
They want to win
every single game.
We're gonna make it
a fucking proper terror.
That's every fucking header.
Every tackle.
Every ball in the box, honestly
fucking sparks fucking flying.
HARVEY: But also,
a lot of these players
have been criticized
for taking the money
and coming to Wrexham
or selling the careers
down the path for the money.
Okay, we're gonna make
this afternoon as uncomfortable
for these as fucking possible.
And as I always say,
if they come through there,
they've gotta know they've
been in one fucking almighty
fucking battle out there.
Fucking come on.
[all clapping and shouting]
HARVEY: And actually,
what this did
was give them the opportunity
to prove
that they are still
the same players.
They are still as good
as they always were.
These opportunities to mix it
with championship clubs,
the team that
would aspire to be able
to play every single week,
not just in Cup football.
This is a competitive game
where we have to win.
ANNOUNCER:
Let's do it, Wrexham.
In the FA Cup fourth round for
the first time in 23 years.
COMMENTATOR:
Wow.
ROB: It's about
It's about to start.
There's Ryan. Whoo!
Boo!
ALL: Boo!
He looks nervous.
He does. He look scared.
ANNOUNCER:
It looks amazing.
It sounds amazing.
Ryan Reynolds is here.
So let's see if
Lady Luck is here as well.
That's something to say
at the BBC, isn't it?
[laughter]
[crowd chanting]
Let's go, boys!
MARK: It was the most
catastrophic start.
Within the first minutes,
Sheffield United's score.
ANNOUNCER: Sweeps it
at the box it's there!
Sheffield United score
after 63 seconds.
- Oh, God.
- Bad start.
Yeah, that's tough.
That's a they just scored.
- No!
- [laughs] Uh-oh.
ANNOUNCER:
Sheffield United celebrates.
Wrexham go behind.
Who's down on our side?
I think it's Jordan Tunnicliffe.
Jordan Tunniclifffe, who's
been outstanding in defense
for us, is injured
and has to go off.
ANNOUNCER:
What a blow for Wrexham.
Let's hope that
Tunnicliffe is okay.
MARK: Six minutes later,
Aaron Hayden,
the Red Baron himself,
has to go off as well.
COMMENTATOR: That is
a massive blow for Wrexham.
We've lost two
of our three center backs,
and those
are huge players for us.
ANNOUNCER:
There's a big conflab going on
on the side of the pitch
amongst Wrexham's coaches.
PHIL: Tunnicliffe
and Hayden coming off, for me,
was, uh, potentially, um,
potentially game-changing
for us.
[crowd chanting]
[crowd chanting]
MARK: I mean,
just to get to halftime
at one-nil down
was an achievement.
PLAYER: Keep going.
This is help. Yeah.
PHIL:
You've been fucking brilliant.
I mean it,
you've been fucking brilliant.
All right?
Two fucking players
on a goal fucking down.
That's a great test for us,
'cause this is what today is
all about, innit?
And you're fucking playing
some great fucking football.
You're played with fucking
composure on the fucking ball.
I think we got this back around.
I do wanna say, I think
we've gotten fucking rattled.
Fucking keep going
with that fucking composure.
Let's fucking test it, mate.
Come on, let's fucking test it.
PHIL:
Come on there, lads. Come on.
Come on.
COACH: Come on, boys.
PHIL: Come on, remember,
we're on his own patch.
Fucking fight.
COACH: Come on, lads. Come on.
Come on, Ollie. Come on, Ollie.
[crowd chanting]
ANNOUNCER: Let's see
what happens with Wrexham,
kicking towards their fans
in the second half.
Back, Young lifts it.
Mullin to fight Ahmedhodzic.
Center back does well.
And it just went across.
Lee pulls it back,
Young will hit this.
Drills the shot, and it's
Come on! Come on!
ANNOUNCER: Mullin hits it!
Ricochets out.
Oh, it's again and blocked.
Wrexham still have it.
Clean up the line.
And that is the most
ridiculous scramble.
PALMER:
Come on!
[crowd chanting]
ANNOUNCER: And now here comes
Tozer with the crowd roaring.
[dramatic music]
Throws to the near post.
O'Connell helps it on,
and it's over!
It's on!
[yelling]
Oh, my God!
[crowd cheering]
Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
ANNOUNCER:
Wrexham equalized!
[all shouting and cheering]
Wrexham get the equalizer.
Well, well, well.
Oh, my God, this atmosphere
is incredible, Mark.
Listen to this.
[crowd chanting]
Whoo!
ANNOUNCER: What a start
to the second half
it's been for Wrexham.
Let's go.
RYAN: This team is
three leagues above us,
70 teams above us.
Their lowest-paid player
makes more
than our best-paid player.
ANNOUNCER:
Mullins now asking for it.
He's running behind.
O'Connor's seen him.
There's a scrap
by the goalie flag.
And Mullins wins.
[all cheering]
It's like we scored a goal
in an open game.
There's people round
behind us standing up,
holding their heads
in their hands.
Incredible.
ANNOUNCER:
It's O'Connor.
[crowd chanting]
Young sweeps it under the bar.
Ricochets!
RYAN:
[screaming]
ANNOUNCER:
Ricocheted out.
[crowd yelling]
FAN:
Come on, baby!
ANNOUNCER:
2-1 to Wrexham!
Oh, wow.
COMMENTATOR:
This is the Cup.
[crowd cheering]
Oh, my god, Ryan.
ANNOUNCER: This is
the greatest club competition
in the world.
[crowd chanting]
Let's go!
COMMENTATOR:
There's a lot of football
to be played yet, though,
a hell of a lot.
ANNOUNCER: Oh, yeah.
There's a long way to go here.
But my word. Wow.
Just and Phil Parkinson still
looks disappointed somehow.
Ball up to the edge
of Wrexham's area.
It's well held up.
Burst past his man.
Good block.
Nasty bounce, though.
Can't get to it.
Shot comes in.
It's weak. Half cleared.
Shot comes in again,
blocked by Tozer.
It must be.
Oh, no! Oh.
ANNOUNCER: It is!
Sheffield United equalize.
And it was a lovely
controlled finish.
COMMENTATOR: And that's
the quality they have.
That is the quality they have.
ANNOUNCER:
Wow. We have got a game.
COMMENTATOR:
Wrexham's gotta keep on
doing what they're doing.
They need to keep on doing
what they're doing.
JOHN:
That wasn't in the script.
Any time you get a league
like that against a big club,
it just it's always hard, so.
Still 25 minutes to go.
ANNOUNCER: Now it's Norwood
on the edge of his area,
scurrying, playing
a long ball over the top,
which is massively overheads.
And Heckingbottom
is furious about that.
And Parkinson is coming up,
having a go
at the fourth official.
CROWD: [chanting]
Card! Card! Card!
ANNOUNCER: Wrexham fans
shouting for a red card.
It's a red.
[all cheering]
But Sheffield United
are down to ten men.
COMMENTATOR:
And that's a dangerous player
off the pitch as well.
- RYAN: A red card.
- Red card for Sheffield.
RYAN:
They're a man down.
It's very hard to beat a team
when you're a man down.
COMMENTATOR: I'm hearing there
was retaliation off the ball.
And the game shifts again.
[crowd chanting]
ANNOUNCER:
The score is tied 2-2,
but Wrexham now
with a man advantage
for the rest of the match.
If there was ever a time
for Phil Parkinson's men
to seize the moment
and go for the victory,
this is it.
SINGER: Go get it,
go get it, go get it ♪
Go get it, go get it,
go get it, go ♪
ANNOUNCER:
Hit the bottom of the bar.
Bounces down and back out again.
SINGER: We about to go,
we about to go ♪
Go get it, go get it,
go get it ♪
ANNOUNCER: Tries to avoid
to get past Lee.
Putting now at Young.
And a great tackle by Young.
Mullin now, three on three.
What can he do?
Dalby to his right.
He feeds a ball to him.
Good ball, Dalby.
Right side the box.
Two strikers in the box.
On his left foot,
pulls him back.
Mullin!
[crowd cheering]
[dramatic music]
♪
Wrexham 3-2 up
against Sheffield United!
This has been insane!
They're gonna win the Cup.
I called it.
I called it early.
RYAN: We've done something
pretty special here.
[crowd chanting]
HARVEY: Ryan, he'd been
on the absolute
emotional roller coaster.
I sat up there with him.
He never sat down.
He never sat down
for 90 minutes.
ANNOUNCER:
Wow.
That was something.
RYAN: There we go! That's it!
That's how you do it, guys.
HARVEY:
Because he's so vested.
But if you compare that to
the first game at Maidenhead,
that illustrates the journey
that Ryan's been on
as owner of this club.
RYAN: Have never been
more proud of this club,
I think, in this entire run
than this moment.
Like, what we've managed to do
here is, I think, historic.
This is a to me, it's a
call sign of what's to come,
you know?
The sky is the limit
for this team.
♪
ANNOUNCER:
Sheffield United to restart.
They have got
3 1/2 minutes left.
[crowd chanting]
Sheff United, though, still have
enough quality to win this.
And a mistake lets Dalby in!
Can he finish? Oh!
COMMENTATOR: He slices it.
ANNOUNCER: Seven minutes.
The crowd are not happy
with that.
COMMENTATOR:
Cross comes in dangerously.
ANNOUNCER:
So corner to Sheffield United.
Quite a tense silence
otherwise, isn't it?
COMMENTATOR:
Yeah.
ANNOUNCER: Can Wrexham
see this through?
We're deep into the added
seven minutes.
An away swing there.
It's in!
Sheffield United equalized
deep into added time,
and it's gotta be said,
Wrexham did not
deal with that well.
And that was
a remarkable Cup tie.
Wrexham 3, Sheffield United 3.
COMMENTATOR:
With a better side.
ANNOUNCER: Yeah.
COMMENTATOR: You make mistakes
against sides
of Sheffield United's quality,
and they punish you.
ANNOUNCER: Yeah.
COMMENTATOR: You know,
it's two corners
that separated that stopped
us from winning today.
ANNOUNCER:
Exactly right.
It'll go to another game,
a replay of the game.
ANNOUNCER: Wrexham didn't
quite finish the job off.
So we'll just have to win
at Bramall Lane.
Oh, well.
[laughs]
So the FA Cup
is a knockout competition,
not unlike the U.S. Open
or Wimbledon.
Now, the big difference is,
if you, uh, draw your game,
you then go and replay the game
at the home ground
of the away team.
So drawing Sheffield United
at the Racecourse
means we have to go back to
their stadium, Bramall Lane,
and play them there.
PHIL:
Fucking shit.
Two fucking corners.
It's the fucking worst outcome.
Fucking man extra as well.
[somber music]
COACH:
They expect their team to be
in the Premier League next year.
You just played them
off the fucking pitch.
You were fucking outstanding
after a catastrophic start,
losing two players
and fucking conceding a goal
like I've said.
So don't be fucking
getting your heads down.
You were fucking tremendous.
PHIL: We've been knocked,
and come on
We've gotta keep that
fucking determination in it,
in the whole squad,
'cause it's fucking massive.
And as Steve was saying, we got
a great group of fucking lads.
Because you've shown it
and proven it.
The way to show you've
a good group of lads
is fucking play like that
on a football pitch
when you get knocked.
That's what you keep doing.
If you wanna say anything?
These lads are a little bit
quiet, as you'd imagine.
I'm a little emotional right now
because every single human
being that was in that place
saw something that
they'd never seen before.
And they are moved by that,
and they're leaving
with something
that they will never forget,
including my daughter tonight.
You guys did something tonight
that was extraordinary.
And we felt your heart up there
like nothing else.
And I just wanna say thank you.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you, guys,
for showing up like that.
And for as long as I live,
I will never forget
that feeling up there.
So thank you, boys.
I hope you feel good.
I know that you want the win.
I know that we lost it
in the last second.
I know that fucking sucks.
But God damn it,
this town has something
blowing through it
like nothing else.
And it's 'cause of you guys,
each and every one of you guys
right here.
So thank you.
Thank you for that.
- Thanks, Ryan.
- Cheers, gentlemen.
Of all the games to miss,
McElhenney, of all the games.
ROB:
Did you see the guys?
Where they just fucking
devastated and everything?
Yeah. I spoke to the guys.
ROB: They put up
an incredible fight.
Oh, my God.
I was a blubbering mess.
It was incredible.
Oh, the best.
Wish you were here, buddy.
ROB:
Safe travels. Safe travels.
It was a great game.
Incredible game.
Absolutely incredible.
Text text me
some Eagles updates.
ROB: All right.
Safe travels.
All right, buddy.
Love you. Bye.
[gentle music]
♪
JULIE:
Well, what about Sunday, then?
JACQUI:
Oh, what a game.
JULIE: Talk about the glory
of the FA Cup,
the stress of the FA Cup.
Stress of the FA Cup.
I don't think I could
live through that again,
- and we've got to.
- I know.
At Sheffield.
But what a game, a proper
Cup game, wasn't it?
People have said one
of the best FA Cup games
- for a long time.
- Yeah.
And we outplayed them
for most of that game.
JACQUI: Well, coming down,
you know,
when we were talking
to the Sheffield supporters
coming down
JULIE: Oh, yes, at the end.
JAQUI:
And shaking hands.
And one of them
said to me, you edged it.
- Yeah.
- You edged it.
And he said,
we were lucky today.
- Yeah.
- All credit to you.
But whether we'll be
as lucky with the replay
on their territory
It'll be a hard job
at Bramall Lane.
PHIL: Win or lose,
at the end of the night,
we're gonna have a fucking
tear-up tonight and have a go
and get our fucking fans
out of their fucking seats,
roaring us on,
every fucking step of the way.
We gotta believe, boys.
I really think if
we fucking believe,
there's gonna be
chances for this game.
I really fucking do.
Stay strong together.
Go and believe.
Come on. Let's go.
Come on. Come on.
HUMPHREY: I think Sheff United
were a little bit wounded
from the first game, and they
were a dangerous animal
to come up against that night.
RYAN: We took a
Championship League team
It's in second place
in the Championship
To the fucking mat
ROB: Yeah, to the death.
For 100 and what 80 minutes?
Is my math right there?
Yeah. Amazing.
ROB:
Yeah, and we sort of captured
the imagination of the world.
And that's what's so great
about the FA Cup
and those, um,
those tournaments.
Last 15 minutes, the tank
was empty, absolutely empty.
We clung on.
And sadly, we got caught out
in injury time.
ANNOUNCER: And Sheffield
United take the lead.
It was the most
honorable 3-1 defeat
I think you could imagine.
ANNOUNCER: To a rousing
reception from their fans.
You've gotta say,
the Cup run might be over,
but that was heroic.
SINGER:
Carry me on ♪
I mean, what a run.
What I mean, what a run.
HARVEY:
What the Coventry game
and the two Sheffield games did
was allow us to demonstrate
that we aren't
just a novelty act
owned by two blokes
from Hollywood.
We are actually
a proper football club.
We're disappointed
to lose, lads,
but let me fucking tell you.
They've got 50-million-pound
players on the pitch,
and they celebrated on the pitch
as if they won the Cup Final.
That's how well you fucking did.
[crowd chanting]
Billy Sharp came at our fans.
That's great.
Yeah.
We made him mad too.
PHIL: Billy, there's
no need to do that.
PHIL:
There's no need to do that.
There's no need to do that.
That guy was incensed.
- Very upset.
- Yeah.
But like, it was interesting,
'cause it was just such a
It was Psychology 101.
You're like, oh,
we own you right now.
I think they're being
disrespectful, though,
few things before the game, uh,
thinking it was already through.
Um, I'm glad we've beat them.
You're a Championship
League team
in second place
in the Championship League.
You guys are amazing.
This guy just we got
under his skin somehow.
A few of their players
I weren't happy with,
and, um, a little bit
frustrated at the end there.
I should have probably put
the game to bed before I did.
PHIL:
It is embarrassing.
That's great 'cause that's
what you just did to him.
Yeah.
[both laugh]
Uh, which was so,
so wonderful to see,
that we got under that
guy's skin the way he did.
We're living rent-free
in that motherfucker's brain.
We said all along that
the FA Cup is a bonus for us,
um, and we've enjoyed that.
But now it's league football
is our bread and butter.
Now the fucking game
is fucking on in the league.
Game fucking on.
SINGER:
Through a car window ♪
To the top of the world ♪
I'm holding on ♪
We'll see how far we can go ♪
[Upstate's "How Far We Can Go"]
[upbeat music]
♪
We'll see how far we can go ♪
♪
[child giggles, seagull cries]
oakislandtk
[indistinct chatter]
WAYNE: Yep.
HUMPHREY:
The FA Cup Competition is
significantly important
for the fabric
of, uh, Wrexham Association
Football Club.
This is the oldest trophy
in all of football
and is held in, you know,
very high esteem
in England and Wales.
It's a competition of underdogs.
Everyone in the country participates,
from the champions
of the Premier League
all the way down to the
National League and below.
[inquisitive music]
It's also where Wrexham have
famously slayed a few dragons.
Now, Wrexham might have gone
out of the league last season.
They finished last
in Division 4,
but a big day for them today.
Home to Arsenal,
the league champions,
and 5-to-1 favorites
for the Cup.
ANNOUNCER: All 92 places
in the football league
may have separated
these teams last season,
but it's the magic of the FA Cup
that today they start as equals,
and that's quite an experience
for Wrexham's babies.
ANNOUNCER: He's right
outside, Sertori.
Now, surely, yes.
Alan Smith saves
Arsenal's blushes.
That team was incredible.
ANNOUNCER:
It's Thomas who takes it.
Oh, what a goal, Mickey Thomas.
He's done it,
the magic little man.
Yeah, I remember
Mickey Thomas scoring his goal,
and he smacked that
free kick, like, so well.
NEIL: You know,
Mickey scoring, what,
it was one of the best goals
that's ever been in the FA Cup.
For me and all me friends,
it was just
It was just a party atmosphere,
especially on the Cup.
ANNOUNCER:
Watkin.
Oh, he scored!
Steve Watkin has got a goal!
And there's the whistle.
Wrexham have achieved a
really famous FA Cup victory.
[lively marching band music]
♪
HUMPHREY: It's a competition
where underdogs get a chance
to to take a tilt
at the big boys,
and, uh, now it's 2023,
and we have our chance
to make history again.
And so, uh, yeah.
We're looking forward to it.
SINGER: Don't forget
where you came from ♪
Don't forget
what you're made of ♪
The ones who were there ♪
When no one else would care ♪
And don't be afraid
to cry now ♪
Even when the world
comes crashing in ♪
[soft music]
Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪
♪
Don't forget to sing
when you win ♪
[upbeat music]
ANNOUNCER: It's time for
the FA Cup third-round draw
taking place at Anfield,
the home of Liverpool.
Tonight, of course,
they and the rest
of the Premier League teams
join 24 championship clubs
and the other surviving EFL
and non-league sites
for the draw that is a highlight
of any English season.
So the FA Cup
is the kind of premier
cup competition in the UK.
So we play in the league.
That's our bread and butter.
That's the one we wanna win
and get promoted.
But you also take part
in the FA Cup.
Now, this happens
concurrently with the league.
All sorts of people enter.
They get whittled down until
there's only one team left.
What's really exciting
about that is that it is open
to everybody
who plays organized football,
which in the UK
is kind of designated as,
if you play on a Saturday,
that's deemed
organized football.
So you know, the Metropolitan
Police team enters the FA Cup.
Very much amateur teams can
play all the way through.
And the dream is to get in there
and get a tie
against a big story club.
To put it in American terms,
you know,
a single-A baseball team
could end up
playing the Yankees
at Yankee Stadium.
And if they beat them,
they beat them,
and they progress to the
next round or whatever it is.
SHAUN HARVEY:
The FA Cup is a premier
knockout competition
in the country.
Ultimately, the FA Cup final
will be played at Wembley.
The best two teams
in the competition
will play off for the prize.
And that's
knockout football for you.
Let's begin the draw
for the third round.
Okay. Balls going in.
SHAUN WINTER: So in Wrexham's
case, we have to qualify
for the FA Cup first.
Then all the leagues
go together, yeah?
Third round,
the big boys come in.
ANNOUNCER: Number 2 of the
Premier League is Arsenal.
12, eight-time winners Chelsea.
21, holders and hosts, Liverpool.
LOTTERY OFFICIAL 1:
Give a good mix.
LOTTERY OFFICIAL 2:
13.
ANNOUNCER: 13, Coventry,
of the Championship
ANNOUNCER:
Take on 46, Wrexham.
Come on, Wrexham.
Come on!
ALL:
[cheering]
[chanting]
Wrexham! Wrexham!
Okay, so how big is the gap
between Wrexham and Coventry?
Uh, well, other than the fact
they're two full leagues
above us, obviously.
Uh, their wage bill
is almost double ours,
and their stadium holds three
times the capacity, so
it's pretty big.
We'll win it.
So we're gonna win it.
I said,
I'm telling you right now,
they ain't gonna expect
the energy Wrexham have.
They ain't gonna expect
that fire we've got.
This feeling
I've got now is magic.
This is the magic
of being a football fan.
Well done, lad.
Look at this.
[whistle trills]
Come on, lads.
Who watched Wrexham on Saturday?
CHILD: Me.
WINTER: All right.
CHILD:
First second half.
Well, that's good enough for me.
- Who was happy that they won?
- Me.
Yes! Now we're talking.
When I was growing up, Wrexham
were known for the FA Cup.
My best memory of watching
Wrexham, bar none,
is we beat Middlesbrough 2-1.
ANNOUNCER: Wrexham
versus Middlesbrough.
Can Wrexham pull off another
of their famous
giant-killing acts?
NEIL: That one was, you know,
a full house in the Racecourse
and, uh, the likes
of Paul Gascoigne, Juninho,
Gary Pallister
playing against us,
and, uh, we managed
to sneak a win.
Um, so that was a special,
you know, special night.
WINTER:
I'll never forget it.
I think I was 12.
I was in the Cup.
And I went with my mate
and his dad.
ANNOUNCER:
So the game is underway.
David versus Goliath.
WINTER: Middlesbrough,
mid-table Premier League.
They were a good side.
They won a lot.
Robin Gibson equalized at 1-1.
Darren Ferguson, 2-1,
and then Kevin Dearden
was just pulling off
save after save.
ANNOUNCER:
What a great save.
WINTER:
My mate's dad said to me,
"Now, don't you dare
go down there."
ANNOUNCER: And there's
the final whistle!
WINTER: The final whistle
went, bump, I was off.
Pushed the steward out me way,
and I was diving on the players.
I was swinging on the nets.
And it was just
my favorite memory
of watching Wrexham
because it was
Just went fucking ballistic.
ANNOUNCER: Savor these scenes
at the Racecourse Grounds.
That was
the Wrexham team I loved.
COACH: Good, good!
Right, let's go. Good!
OLLIE: A big FA Cup run,
it's really exciting.
It shows what we can do
for the town, the community,
the football club, the owners.
For a National League side,
that's incredible.
PLAYER: Go, pull right.
Big O. Well done.
ELLIOT: Especially when
you're playing against
a solid Championship team
in Coventry,
there is a sense of,
we don't have anything to lose.
PHIL:
Brilliant. There's a pocket.
Good. Well done.
ELLIOT: We wanna show
how good we are.
We wanna test ourselves.
We know we're a good team
in the National League.
But how good can we be
against a Championship team?
PAUL: It's called the magic
of the FA Cup for a reason
'cause things happen
every year that, um,
keep the competition interesting.
And we've loved
playing it this season.
We've done really well
to get this far.
But hopefully,
we can go one step further
or even further than that.
PHIL:
Hey!
[dramatic music]
LUKE: We knew when
we got drawn against them,
it was gonna be a great test.
PHIL: If there's a challenge
anywhere on the pitch,
we're going fucking bang,
and we're aggressive.
Let's make sure
we come off the pitch
and we fucking
upset a few of them.
Come on.
[players shouting]
PHIL:
Come on, lads.
No one probably expected us
to go there and win.
It was like, oh,
they'll go there
and get turned over
three or four.
And so let's go there and, like,
show everybody how far we've
come as a club and as a group.
We knew that we have the squad
and have the players
to go and take the game to them.
PHIL: Remember the corners,
spin round the back of the goal.
Let's get fucking playing.
Let's get playing, chums.
Let's get the passes in.
[crowd cheering]
ANNOUNCER: Coventry sit 14th
in the Championship.
Wrexham arrives 61 places
below their opponents
in the football pyramid.
The Wrexham story is well-known
to a much wider audience
these days.
And they're hoping
to reach round four today
for the first time in 23 years.
FANS: [chanting]
Wrexham! Wrexham!
You go into the concourse,
red smoke bombs going off,
and they're singing, Wrexham.
It's like, this is what
I wanna be part of.
You're looking round
the ground, and it's like,
this is what we're going for.
Soak it in.
ANNOUNCER: The action
underway on this FA Cup
third-round Saturday.
To Jones,
who pops it back to Young.
Players attacking
the box for him.
He sweeps in a good cross.
Dalby!
Wrexham take the lead
in the 12 minutes!
Goal!
There's that cross by Young!
And Dalby got it
perfectly with his hands.
ANNOUNCER: As the team from
the fifth tier on top already
at Championship Coventry.
[crowd singing]
We restart,
and Coventry pushing it
around the back with pace.
I wanna be playing
in the high-pressure games.
And I think they have one of
the best defensive records
in the Championship.
But we all do what
we set out to do,
and we all work together,
then we're gonna have
a great chance
of winning this game
because Wrexham has
always been a sleeping giant.
ANNOUNCER: Sweeps the ball
in the goalmouth.
[screaming indistinctly]
That's outrageous!
A huge throw by Tozer.
Flicked on by Dalby.
And it's in!
[screaming indistinctly]
Warmed up, but it won't
fall favorably for them.
And then the appeal for the
penalty, and it's given.
And yeah, it is a straight red.
Mullin, spotted up
for the penalty.
[crowd cheering]
And it is 4-1 Wrexham.
[crowd cheering]
Remarkably, barely believably,
they are racing clear
at Coventry and heading
towards round four
for the first time
since the turn
of the millennium.
Palmer.
And he's continued his run.
He is going to get
on the end of this.
Here's Kasey Palmer.
[indistinct]
To pull one back
for Coventry City.
ELLIOT: The way we
played the first half,
like,
we were the championship team.
We were we were
better than them.
And then, like,
they were a good side,
so they were always
gonna come back into it.
ANNOUNCER:
Here's Palmer.
Shook his way,
but it was caught.
What? Are you fucking real?
What's he fucking doing?
ANNOUNCER:
That's a Coventry free kick
with a clear sight of goal.
Can they get themselves
back in this Cup tie here?
Kasey Palmer with a free kick.
Oh! Perfectly placed!
And Coventry City
will not give this up.
Trailing by three goals,
they've pulled two of them back.
It's never gonna be easy.
We knew that.
ROB: We were winning
pretty handily,
and then it was getting closer,
and we realized
We're gonna fucking
Wrexham this thing
in the most
Wrexham way possible.
This thing is gonna come
down to the last second.
And everyone's either gonna be
losing their minds,
or everybody's out there
gonna be losing their minds
in sadness.
It's one or the other.
ANNOUNCER: There is plenty
in sky blue streaming
forward through the center.
4-3.
I'm like, oh, my God. Hold on.
ANNOUNCER: In the cross,
they can't get it clear,
and they're on the line.
Mark Howard gratefully
gathers it up just in time.
Now it's tense out there,
and obviously,
as the underdogs in a clash
against a bigger team like this,
uh, we're getting
into this period
that we like to call
squeaky bum time.
[bright classical music]
♪
That comes from, you know,
the sensation that
As a fan in this situation,
you get very tense,
your whole body gets very tense,
you know, including down
your in your bum.
You get a squeaky bum.
ANNOUNCER: Off the goalkeeper,
off the post and away.
Less than a minute left.
Can Wrexham, giant-killers,
pull out the bag?
As we're watching,
me from Los Angeles,
Ryan from New York,
people from all over the world
were watching on ESPN, and
ANNOUNCER:
On the end of it,
has came in support back to a
[sustained tone]
The feed goes out.
The fucking feed goes out.
I can't remember feeling
a writhing,
all-consuming agony like I did
in that exact moment.
- It was harrowing.
- Yeah.
And then it came back on,
and the game was over.
ANNOUNCER: Jones just
puts it out of play.
And that is it! Wrexham!
And Coventry sitting
61 places above them.
What a game. An amazing match.
What a win.
[crowd singing]
ELLIOT: We played
some great football.
We battled hard.
And we deserved the victory
in the end.
[crowd chanting]
[upbeat music]
♪
It's a day that
I'll always remember,
getting to the third round
of the FA Cup, beating
Beating a Championship tide in
front of 4,500 Wrexham fans.
[crowd chanting]
That's almost what what
dreams are made of, isn't it?
[crowd chanting]
RYAN:
What the fuck was that?
- What?
- Holy shit.
I can't believe we
can't all, like, hug!
And that was crazy.
You know, I don't think
there's a dry eye
- in the house here.
- Yeah.
Are people just
freaking out over there?
- I mean, they must be?
- Oh, yeah.
Ryan, it's gone.
There's grown men crying.
There's people sat still
in the seats in disbelief.
It's just that magical
This is the FA Cup all over.
Full of drama.
Nothing's predictable.
And for some reason, Paul Mullin
has now run back onto the pitch.
RYAN: [laughs] I can't believe
we're not there.
Ah.
ROB: Kissing babies.
HARVEY: Yeah, Paul Mullin is
currently kissing babies.
ROB: Okay, so tomorrow
is the next draw.
What are the odds that we can
pull a Premier League club?
So Cup draw is Monday.
So Monday.
So it could be anybody.
But it could be
Rob was just saying
So it could be
a Premier League club.
I mean, everybody's
talking about it.
I mean, I've you know,
I've had about 50 texts
from different people in the
football industry all saying
- they just can't believe it.
- Oh, I'm getting
I don't know that
I've got this many texts
when we had a baby.
I mean, it's crazy.
Everybody seems
to be watching this.
FAN 1: Wow.
That's my favorite result
for the last decade.
FAN 2: It was really good,
really special,
and, um, one for the ages.
FAN 3: I was just shitting
a brick towards the end,
like constantly looking
back at the clock
on the giant screen behind us.
It's only really
when I got home, I was like,
Jesus Christ,
we actually did that.
FAN 4: I think it's fair
to say that the giant-killing
Wrexham of old are back.
Hello, and welcome to the
draw for the fourth round
of the Emirates FA Cup.
16 ties to be drawn.
LOTTERY OFFICIAL:
Number 12.
ANNOUNCER: Number 12.
That is Wrexham.
So the National League side
will be at home.
And going to the Racecourse
will be
LOTTERY OFFICIAL:
Sheffield United
of the Championship.
They're second
in the Championship.
So Championship opposition
again for Wrexham.
PERSON:
We've had the FA Cup draw,
and this could be
an absolute classic
A home tie with Sheffield United
at the end of January.
It's certainly gonna
get the Racecourse rocking.
What's your instant reaction?
PERSON:
Yeah, I'm incredibly happy
to take on a grand old club
like Sheffield United.
They're absolutely flying
in the Championship
and seem odds-on to get
to the hallowed land
of the Premier League.
It won't be easy,
but this is the FA Cup.
If any club is primed
for a few upsets,
it's Wrexham.
Ryan Reynolds is joining us
from Racecourse Grounds
in Wrexham, Wales.
And Rob McElhenney
is there at the Linc
where his beloved Eagles
will take on the Niners
later today.
So Ryan, fourth-round match
in the FA Cup,
first time in 23 years.
What is the scene there?
Uh, the atmosphere here is
unlike anything I've ever seen.
I gotta say, I feel for Rob
today because you've really
put all your eggs in one basket
this fine Sunday,
haven't you, Rob?
You have your beloved Eagles
playing in the championship.
You have your beloved
football club
We call it football over here,
by the way, not soccer
Uh, playing in the
fourth round of the FA Cup.
I mean, either this is gonna be
the best day of your life
or you will release
your hammer-lock death grip
on reality
and happiness as we know it
by the end of the evening.
Yes, yes, this truly could be
one of the greatest days
of my life
or one of the worst.
What do the fans in Philadelphia
make of your outfit right now?
I wanna know.
You got Wrexham.
You got the scarf.
You got the Philadelphia
Eagles jersey.
You actually have
an ESPN microphone.
You're one brand away
from being legally
reclassified as a NASCAR.
[laughter]
Okay, so remember
the financial disparity
between us and Coventry City?
Uh, how they were
double our wages?
Uh, well, Sheffield United
have eight times our wages,
so this is gonna be
fucking hard.
WAYNE:
Make no bones about it.
Sheffield United
will almost certainly be
a Premier League team next year.
FAN 2:
Yeah, they're getting promoted.
WAYNE: You would think any team
that are three divisions above,
you would think that
they're gonna just expect
to come in and turn us over.
You would think
And they may well do.
But I don't think they'll
come here and steamroll us.
Coventry thought
they'd steamroll us,
and look what happened there.
FAN 2: Absolutely.
WAYNE: I think Wrexham will
give them a game, you know.
I think Wrexham will
more than match them.
[crowd chanting]
[upbeat music]
It's a classic
David-versus-Goliath story.
But you guys know this
more than anybody on Earth,
anything can happen.
We hope for a win, but
we're gonna be optimistic.
- 2-1.
- 2-1 to Wrexham?
BOTH:
We hope.
PHIL:
Home draw, please.
First of all, we've worked
hard to get to this stage,
beating Coventry.
All of us together working
hard to put Wrexham
firmly back on the football map,
and this is a great step
in that direction.
RYAN: I think I'm gonna go
on record right now
and say that there is a chance,
albeit a very slim chance,
that Sheffield United
pulls off a miracle today.
[laughter]
FAN 1:2-1 Wrexham.
FAN 2:2-1 Wrexham.
- 2-1 Wrexham.
- 2-1 Wrexham.
- FAN 3:2-1.
- 2-1 Wrexham.
FAN 4:2-1.
Everyone's saying 2-1 Wrexham.
'Cause this is Wrexham,
and we are a fucking big team.
I'm Sheffield United fan.
[fans yelling]
3-1 to the mighty
red and white wizards.
FAN 5: You'll be joking.
Well, good luck anyway to you.
Good luck, and sorry in advance.
[crowd chanting]
You called me and said,
should I buy a football club?
- And I said
- Well, there's that.
You're gonna have a great time.
Yes. Yes.
You also said
something else, though.
You said something that was
profound to me recently.
You said of all the
unimportant things in life,
football is the most important.
And I have stolen that as
my own numerous times since.
I stole it
from Pope John Paul II.
Well, there you go.
PHIL: Okay, boys, just up
the counter for Steve, please.
When the doors close, when they
come back in off the warm-up,
you know, it's like,
that's the hype now.
Forget that, and concentrate
what we've gotta do.
We've got a fucking
proud record.
And we're gonna fight
fucking tooth and bastard nail
to fucking keep it.
HARVEY: Each of the players
that have come to the club
are proud.
They want to win
every single game.
We're gonna make it
a fucking proper terror.
That's every fucking header.
Every tackle.
Every ball in the box, honestly
fucking sparks fucking flying.
HARVEY: But also,
a lot of these players
have been criticized
for taking the money
and coming to Wrexham
or selling the careers
down the path for the money.
Okay, we're gonna make
this afternoon as uncomfortable
for these as fucking possible.
And as I always say,
if they come through there,
they've gotta know they've
been in one fucking almighty
fucking battle out there.
Fucking come on.
[all clapping and shouting]
HARVEY: And actually,
what this did
was give them the opportunity
to prove
that they are still
the same players.
They are still as good
as they always were.
These opportunities to mix it
with championship clubs,
the team that
would aspire to be able
to play every single week,
not just in Cup football.
This is a competitive game
where we have to win.
ANNOUNCER:
Let's do it, Wrexham.
In the FA Cup fourth round for
the first time in 23 years.
COMMENTATOR:
Wow.
ROB: It's about
It's about to start.
There's Ryan. Whoo!
Boo!
ALL: Boo!
He looks nervous.
He does. He look scared.
ANNOUNCER:
It looks amazing.
It sounds amazing.
Ryan Reynolds is here.
So let's see if
Lady Luck is here as well.
That's something to say
at the BBC, isn't it?
[laughter]
[crowd chanting]
Let's go, boys!
MARK: It was the most
catastrophic start.
Within the first minutes,
Sheffield United's score.
ANNOUNCER: Sweeps it
at the box it's there!
Sheffield United score
after 63 seconds.
- Oh, God.
- Bad start.
Yeah, that's tough.
That's a they just scored.
- No!
- [laughs] Uh-oh.
ANNOUNCER:
Sheffield United celebrates.
Wrexham go behind.
Who's down on our side?
I think it's Jordan Tunnicliffe.
Jordan Tunniclifffe, who's
been outstanding in defense
for us, is injured
and has to go off.
ANNOUNCER:
What a blow for Wrexham.
Let's hope that
Tunnicliffe is okay.
MARK: Six minutes later,
Aaron Hayden,
the Red Baron himself,
has to go off as well.
COMMENTATOR: That is
a massive blow for Wrexham.
We've lost two
of our three center backs,
and those
are huge players for us.
ANNOUNCER:
There's a big conflab going on
on the side of the pitch
amongst Wrexham's coaches.
PHIL: Tunnicliffe
and Hayden coming off, for me,
was, uh, potentially, um,
potentially game-changing
for us.
[crowd chanting]
[crowd chanting]
MARK: I mean,
just to get to halftime
at one-nil down
was an achievement.
PLAYER: Keep going.
This is help. Yeah.
PHIL:
You've been fucking brilliant.
I mean it,
you've been fucking brilliant.
All right?
Two fucking players
on a goal fucking down.
That's a great test for us,
'cause this is what today is
all about, innit?
And you're fucking playing
some great fucking football.
You're played with fucking
composure on the fucking ball.
I think we got this back around.
I do wanna say, I think
we've gotten fucking rattled.
Fucking keep going
with that fucking composure.
Let's fucking test it, mate.
Come on, let's fucking test it.
PHIL:
Come on there, lads. Come on.
Come on.
COACH: Come on, boys.
PHIL: Come on, remember,
we're on his own patch.
Fucking fight.
COACH: Come on, lads. Come on.
Come on, Ollie. Come on, Ollie.
[crowd chanting]
ANNOUNCER: Let's see
what happens with Wrexham,
kicking towards their fans
in the second half.
Back, Young lifts it.
Mullin to fight Ahmedhodzic.
Center back does well.
And it just went across.
Lee pulls it back,
Young will hit this.
Drills the shot, and it's
Come on! Come on!
ANNOUNCER: Mullin hits it!
Ricochets out.
Oh, it's again and blocked.
Wrexham still have it.
Clean up the line.
And that is the most
ridiculous scramble.
PALMER:
Come on!
[crowd chanting]
ANNOUNCER: And now here comes
Tozer with the crowd roaring.
[dramatic music]
Throws to the near post.
O'Connell helps it on,
and it's over!
It's on!
[yelling]
Oh, my God!
[crowd cheering]
Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
ANNOUNCER:
Wrexham equalized!
[all shouting and cheering]
Wrexham get the equalizer.
Well, well, well.
Oh, my God, this atmosphere
is incredible, Mark.
Listen to this.
[crowd chanting]
Whoo!
ANNOUNCER: What a start
to the second half
it's been for Wrexham.
Let's go.
RYAN: This team is
three leagues above us,
70 teams above us.
Their lowest-paid player
makes more
than our best-paid player.
ANNOUNCER:
Mullins now asking for it.
He's running behind.
O'Connor's seen him.
There's a scrap
by the goalie flag.
And Mullins wins.
[all cheering]
It's like we scored a goal
in an open game.
There's people round
behind us standing up,
holding their heads
in their hands.
Incredible.
ANNOUNCER:
It's O'Connor.
[crowd chanting]
Young sweeps it under the bar.
Ricochets!
RYAN:
[screaming]
ANNOUNCER:
Ricocheted out.
[crowd yelling]
FAN:
Come on, baby!
ANNOUNCER:
2-1 to Wrexham!
Oh, wow.
COMMENTATOR:
This is the Cup.
[crowd cheering]
Oh, my god, Ryan.
ANNOUNCER: This is
the greatest club competition
in the world.
[crowd chanting]
Let's go!
COMMENTATOR:
There's a lot of football
to be played yet, though,
a hell of a lot.
ANNOUNCER: Oh, yeah.
There's a long way to go here.
But my word. Wow.
Just and Phil Parkinson still
looks disappointed somehow.
Ball up to the edge
of Wrexham's area.
It's well held up.
Burst past his man.
Good block.
Nasty bounce, though.
Can't get to it.
Shot comes in.
It's weak. Half cleared.
Shot comes in again,
blocked by Tozer.
It must be.
Oh, no! Oh.
ANNOUNCER: It is!
Sheffield United equalize.
And it was a lovely
controlled finish.
COMMENTATOR: And that's
the quality they have.
That is the quality they have.
ANNOUNCER:
Wow. We have got a game.
COMMENTATOR:
Wrexham's gotta keep on
doing what they're doing.
They need to keep on doing
what they're doing.
JOHN:
That wasn't in the script.
Any time you get a league
like that against a big club,
it just it's always hard, so.
Still 25 minutes to go.
ANNOUNCER: Now it's Norwood
on the edge of his area,
scurrying, playing
a long ball over the top,
which is massively overheads.
And Heckingbottom
is furious about that.
And Parkinson is coming up,
having a go
at the fourth official.
CROWD: [chanting]
Card! Card! Card!
ANNOUNCER: Wrexham fans
shouting for a red card.
It's a red.
[all cheering]
But Sheffield United
are down to ten men.
COMMENTATOR:
And that's a dangerous player
off the pitch as well.
- RYAN: A red card.
- Red card for Sheffield.
RYAN:
They're a man down.
It's very hard to beat a team
when you're a man down.
COMMENTATOR: I'm hearing there
was retaliation off the ball.
And the game shifts again.
[crowd chanting]
ANNOUNCER:
The score is tied 2-2,
but Wrexham now
with a man advantage
for the rest of the match.
If there was ever a time
for Phil Parkinson's men
to seize the moment
and go for the victory,
this is it.
SINGER: Go get it,
go get it, go get it ♪
Go get it, go get it,
go get it, go ♪
ANNOUNCER:
Hit the bottom of the bar.
Bounces down and back out again.
SINGER: We about to go,
we about to go ♪
Go get it, go get it,
go get it ♪
ANNOUNCER: Tries to avoid
to get past Lee.
Putting now at Young.
And a great tackle by Young.
Mullin now, three on three.
What can he do?
Dalby to his right.
He feeds a ball to him.
Good ball, Dalby.
Right side the box.
Two strikers in the box.
On his left foot,
pulls him back.
Mullin!
[crowd cheering]
[dramatic music]
♪
Wrexham 3-2 up
against Sheffield United!
This has been insane!
They're gonna win the Cup.
I called it.
I called it early.
RYAN: We've done something
pretty special here.
[crowd chanting]
HARVEY: Ryan, he'd been
on the absolute
emotional roller coaster.
I sat up there with him.
He never sat down.
He never sat down
for 90 minutes.
ANNOUNCER:
Wow.
That was something.
RYAN: There we go! That's it!
That's how you do it, guys.
HARVEY:
Because he's so vested.
But if you compare that to
the first game at Maidenhead,
that illustrates the journey
that Ryan's been on
as owner of this club.
RYAN: Have never been
more proud of this club,
I think, in this entire run
than this moment.
Like, what we've managed to do
here is, I think, historic.
This is a to me, it's a
call sign of what's to come,
you know?
The sky is the limit
for this team.
♪
ANNOUNCER:
Sheffield United to restart.
They have got
3 1/2 minutes left.
[crowd chanting]
Sheff United, though, still have
enough quality to win this.
And a mistake lets Dalby in!
Can he finish? Oh!
COMMENTATOR: He slices it.
ANNOUNCER: Seven minutes.
The crowd are not happy
with that.
COMMENTATOR:
Cross comes in dangerously.
ANNOUNCER:
So corner to Sheffield United.
Quite a tense silence
otherwise, isn't it?
COMMENTATOR:
Yeah.
ANNOUNCER: Can Wrexham
see this through?
We're deep into the added
seven minutes.
An away swing there.
It's in!
Sheffield United equalized
deep into added time,
and it's gotta be said,
Wrexham did not
deal with that well.
And that was
a remarkable Cup tie.
Wrexham 3, Sheffield United 3.
COMMENTATOR:
With a better side.
ANNOUNCER: Yeah.
COMMENTATOR: You make mistakes
against sides
of Sheffield United's quality,
and they punish you.
ANNOUNCER: Yeah.
COMMENTATOR: You know,
it's two corners
that separated that stopped
us from winning today.
ANNOUNCER:
Exactly right.
It'll go to another game,
a replay of the game.
ANNOUNCER: Wrexham didn't
quite finish the job off.
So we'll just have to win
at Bramall Lane.
Oh, well.
[laughs]
So the FA Cup
is a knockout competition,
not unlike the U.S. Open
or Wimbledon.
Now, the big difference is,
if you, uh, draw your game,
you then go and replay the game
at the home ground
of the away team.
So drawing Sheffield United
at the Racecourse
means we have to go back to
their stadium, Bramall Lane,
and play them there.
PHIL:
Fucking shit.
Two fucking corners.
It's the fucking worst outcome.
Fucking man extra as well.
[somber music]
COACH:
They expect their team to be
in the Premier League next year.
You just played them
off the fucking pitch.
You were fucking outstanding
after a catastrophic start,
losing two players
and fucking conceding a goal
like I've said.
So don't be fucking
getting your heads down.
You were fucking tremendous.
PHIL: We've been knocked,
and come on
We've gotta keep that
fucking determination in it,
in the whole squad,
'cause it's fucking massive.
And as Steve was saying, we got
a great group of fucking lads.
Because you've shown it
and proven it.
The way to show you've
a good group of lads
is fucking play like that
on a football pitch
when you get knocked.
That's what you keep doing.
If you wanna say anything?
These lads are a little bit
quiet, as you'd imagine.
I'm a little emotional right now
because every single human
being that was in that place
saw something that
they'd never seen before.
And they are moved by that,
and they're leaving
with something
that they will never forget,
including my daughter tonight.
You guys did something tonight
that was extraordinary.
And we felt your heart up there
like nothing else.
And I just wanna say thank you.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you, guys,
for showing up like that.
And for as long as I live,
I will never forget
that feeling up there.
So thank you, boys.
I hope you feel good.
I know that you want the win.
I know that we lost it
in the last second.
I know that fucking sucks.
But God damn it,
this town has something
blowing through it
like nothing else.
And it's 'cause of you guys,
each and every one of you guys
right here.
So thank you.
Thank you for that.
- Thanks, Ryan.
- Cheers, gentlemen.
Of all the games to miss,
McElhenney, of all the games.
ROB:
Did you see the guys?
Where they just fucking
devastated and everything?
Yeah. I spoke to the guys.
ROB: They put up
an incredible fight.
Oh, my God.
I was a blubbering mess.
It was incredible.
Oh, the best.
Wish you were here, buddy.
ROB:
Safe travels. Safe travels.
It was a great game.
Incredible game.
Absolutely incredible.
Text text me
some Eagles updates.
ROB: All right.
Safe travels.
All right, buddy.
Love you. Bye.
[gentle music]
♪
JULIE:
Well, what about Sunday, then?
JACQUI:
Oh, what a game.
JULIE: Talk about the glory
of the FA Cup,
the stress of the FA Cup.
Stress of the FA Cup.
I don't think I could
live through that again,
- and we've got to.
- I know.
At Sheffield.
But what a game, a proper
Cup game, wasn't it?
People have said one
of the best FA Cup games
- for a long time.
- Yeah.
And we outplayed them
for most of that game.
JACQUI: Well, coming down,
you know,
when we were talking
to the Sheffield supporters
coming down
JULIE: Oh, yes, at the end.
JAQUI:
And shaking hands.
And one of them
said to me, you edged it.
- Yeah.
- You edged it.
And he said,
we were lucky today.
- Yeah.
- All credit to you.
But whether we'll be
as lucky with the replay
on their territory
It'll be a hard job
at Bramall Lane.
PHIL: Win or lose,
at the end of the night,
we're gonna have a fucking
tear-up tonight and have a go
and get our fucking fans
out of their fucking seats,
roaring us on,
every fucking step of the way.
We gotta believe, boys.
I really think if
we fucking believe,
there's gonna be
chances for this game.
I really fucking do.
Stay strong together.
Go and believe.
Come on. Let's go.
Come on. Come on.
HUMPHREY: I think Sheff United
were a little bit wounded
from the first game, and they
were a dangerous animal
to come up against that night.
RYAN: We took a
Championship League team
It's in second place
in the Championship
To the fucking mat
ROB: Yeah, to the death.
For 100 and what 80 minutes?
Is my math right there?
Yeah. Amazing.
ROB:
Yeah, and we sort of captured
the imagination of the world.
And that's what's so great
about the FA Cup
and those, um,
those tournaments.
Last 15 minutes, the tank
was empty, absolutely empty.
We clung on.
And sadly, we got caught out
in injury time.
ANNOUNCER: And Sheffield
United take the lead.
It was the most
honorable 3-1 defeat
I think you could imagine.
ANNOUNCER: To a rousing
reception from their fans.
You've gotta say,
the Cup run might be over,
but that was heroic.
SINGER:
Carry me on ♪
I mean, what a run.
What I mean, what a run.
HARVEY:
What the Coventry game
and the two Sheffield games did
was allow us to demonstrate
that we aren't
just a novelty act
owned by two blokes
from Hollywood.
We are actually
a proper football club.
We're disappointed
to lose, lads,
but let me fucking tell you.
They've got 50-million-pound
players on the pitch,
and they celebrated on the pitch
as if they won the Cup Final.
That's how well you fucking did.
[crowd chanting]
Billy Sharp came at our fans.
That's great.
Yeah.
We made him mad too.
PHIL: Billy, there's
no need to do that.
PHIL:
There's no need to do that.
There's no need to do that.
That guy was incensed.
- Very upset.
- Yeah.
But like, it was interesting,
'cause it was just such a
It was Psychology 101.
You're like, oh,
we own you right now.
I think they're being
disrespectful, though,
few things before the game, uh,
thinking it was already through.
Um, I'm glad we've beat them.
You're a Championship
League team
in second place
in the Championship League.
You guys are amazing.
This guy just we got
under his skin somehow.
A few of their players
I weren't happy with,
and, um, a little bit
frustrated at the end there.
I should have probably put
the game to bed before I did.
PHIL:
It is embarrassing.
That's great 'cause that's
what you just did to him.
Yeah.
[both laugh]
Uh, which was so,
so wonderful to see,
that we got under that
guy's skin the way he did.
We're living rent-free
in that motherfucker's brain.
We said all along that
the FA Cup is a bonus for us,
um, and we've enjoyed that.
But now it's league football
is our bread and butter.
Now the fucking game
is fucking on in the league.
Game fucking on.
SINGER:
Through a car window ♪
To the top of the world ♪
I'm holding on ♪
We'll see how far we can go ♪
[Upstate's "How Far We Can Go"]
[upbeat music]
♪
We'll see how far we can go ♪
♪
[child giggles, seagull cries]
oakislandtk