Wrexham have been on quite the journey under Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds with Ben Foster playing his own key role in the club’s rise.
Wrexham beat Stockport County 1-0 over the weekend to move back up to second in the League One table.
There is a very real chance of Wrexham achieving three promotions in a row – a quite remarkable feat.
The attention always goes towards Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds with the Hollywood duo helping inspire an incredible rise.
Phil Parkinson deserves credit too and there have been heroes along the way such as Paul Mullin, Ollie Palmer, Ben Tozer and Elliot Lee.
One man from the 2022-23 season made a big impact too – despite only spending a few months at the STōK Cae Ras.
Ben Foster made a huge impact in a short space of time at Wrexham
Rob Lainton’s injury at Bromley back in 2023 forced Parkinson into the free agent market.
In this case, Wrexham managed to not only sign a big-name free agent, but also tempt him out of retirement in the process.
Ben Foster was the man who answered the Wrexham call, returning to the STōK Cae Ras after 18 years away.
March 23 2025 brings up two years since Foster signed on the dotted line and completed a stunning back.
Foster joined Wrexham on loan from Stoke City in 2005, just before completing a big move to Manchester United.
Foster retired in 2022, having up his boots after four years with Watford – but Wrexham lured him back.
Just two days after signing on, Foster started in a 3-0 win at York City as he marked his return with a clean sheet.
The big moment came on April 10 though as Foster made himself a Wrexham hero for life with one enormous save.
Wrexham were 3-2 up against National League promotion rivals Notts County but conceded an injury-time penalty.
Cedwyn Scott stepped up but Foster made a brilliant save, sending the STōK Cae Ras wild as promotion moved a step closer.
Foster decided to stay at Wrexham that summer but abruptly retired in August 2023, just two months after signing a new contract.
Foster decided to retire once again, but his brief spell at Wrexham was just so impactful and will never be forgotten.
Ben Foster verdict on Phil Parkinson
To bring up the anniversary of Foster’s signature, we took a look back at how the veteran stopper reacted to signing the contract.
As quoted by BBC Sport, Foster admitted that boss Parkinson was ‘top class’ upon meeting him at Wrexham.
Foster admitted that he was ‘over the moon’ to join Wrexham, but felt that the club had changed ‘a lot’ having spent so long away.
“I’m over the moon,” said Foster.
“I’ve been at the club an hour this morning and it seems a really nice place. Everyone is down to earth and the manager’s top class.
“It’s changed a lot since I was last here, but it’s nice to be back and it’s nice to be back as a player too. It will be interesting to see how my body feels after training today,” he added.
Foster certainly loved his second spell at the club and his heroics against Notts County means he probably never has to buy a drink in Wrexham ever again.