Wrexham midfielder Elliot Lee believes that many people changed their minds on the club after the 3-1 win over Boreham Wood last season.
The last few years have been a blur for Wrexham fans.
Going from a non-league side who didn’t seem to be going anywhere to worldwide news overnight was enough to give anybody conceptual whiplash.
The takeover from Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds changed the game for Wrexham and turned the club into being known as something of a ‘Hollywood’ club.
That comes with some divided opinions; some rival fans would now love to see Wrexham fail, especially after spending decent money over the last couple of years.
That’s just the nature of football as fame and fortune only brings more people wanting to see your downfall – but Elliot Lee thinks one moment changed the perception.
Elliot Lee on Wrexham perception
Speaking on Men in Blazers, Lee noted that he understands the differing views on Wrexham’s rise.
Some love it, some hate it, some are jealous of it, but Lee thinks the win over Boreham Wood last season got more and more people on board.
Wrexham went 1-0 down inside 30 seconds when a win would secure the National League title.
Phil Parkinson’s side battled back though with Lee’s header and a Paul Mullin brace sealing promotion and sparking wild scenes at the Racecourse.
We saw Reynolds and a tearful McElhenney celebrating on the pitch and fans enjoying a long-awaited release of sheer joy.
Lee has now suggested that the win over Boreham Wood made people believe that something ‘really special’ is happening at the club.
Lee highlights that no VAR in non-league football made neutrals really enjoy the game and get a little more invested in the Wrexham project.
“Because of all the VAR in the Premier League now and the higher you go, everything wants to be perfect,” said Lee. “I think a lot of people actually watched that game and were like ‘this is real football, this is just pure passion’; there’s goals going in, there’s celebrations, there’s no-one going ‘is that gonna get checked, is this gonna get checked’. People, I feel like, are sometimes on the fence about Wrexham.”
“They’re like do we like them, I love them, I hate them, jealousy. I think a lot of people, after that game, changed their perspective on Wrexham like ‘hang on a minute, there’s something really special going on there’,” he added.
There will, of course, still be fans who want to see Wrexham fail, especially back-to-back promotions now the target.
That is just something that Wrexham will have to handle after landing that Hollywood investment – but memorable nights like that one against Boreham Wood may go some way to changing the perception.