The last few years have been a whirlwind for Wrexham, to say the least, and plenty of players have come and gone during that time.
Since Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought Wrexham back in 2020, we’ve seen the Red Dragons rise from the National League, with back-to-back promotions steering them to League One level.
Naturally, as the club reaches a higher standard of football, the Wrexham squad needs reassessing each year, and that means painful goodbyes for some players.
Unfortunately, McElhenney’s ‘favourite’ player departed in the summer, but he was back at the Racecourse Ground recently to see his old teammates.
Luke Young got an ovation from the Wrexham fans
Speaking to The Leader after his recent trip to Wrexham, former club captain Luke Young explained what he did on his visit, and how the fans treated him and his family to a very emotional reception.
He said: “I haven’t got a bad word to say about the club, the place or the people. I’m on the other side of it now as a supporter hoping Wrexham do well. I was at the game and I popped in just to say hello to the gaffer and Steve Parkin while I was there.
“I saw a few of the lads in the Centenary Club after the game. I didn’t want to tread on toes or start walking about as if I’m still there when obviously I’m not but I thought it would be nice to pop in and see a few of the staff.
“It was nice to go back and see some familiar faces, and watch the game with a little bit less pressure on me.”
| Statistics | Luke Young for Wrexham |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 246 |
| Goals | 22 |
| Assists | 7 |
| Years of service | 2018-2024 |
| Promotions | 2 |
Young left on a free transfer back in the summer, but the fans have clearly not forgotten everything he did for the club during his time at Wrexham.
He added: “I went to the Maesgwyn before the game with Chloe and the kids. I did a little bit of a speech and was asked a few questions. At the end of it I got a standing ovation which was touching to get that acknowledgement.”
And, discussing how far Wrexham can go now, the former skipper suggested they could achieve the impossible and get promoted once again.
“The position they are in now, they have given themselves a great chance,” Young said. “The aim at the start of the season would probably have been to finish as high as possible.”
“After back-to-back promotions, to do it again was always going to be tricky; the level they are stepping up to is there to see but the lads are handling it very well and going against a lot of people who wrote them off thinking it was one step too far,” he added.
Wrexham have thrived by putting sentiment to one side
It would have been very easy for Wrexham to simply get out of the National League and rest on their laurels, but that has not happened at all.
The club showed great ambition to go again and win promotion from League Two last season, and they’re pushing to go up again, which is, frankly, incredible.
Immense credit must go to the Wrexham owners and Phil Parkinson for being fairly ruthless when it comes to recruitment and letting players go each summer so that the squad and the club can evolve.
At every step of the way, they have not let sentiment or emotion get in the way of the decision-making process in the transfer market.
Now, we wait to see what Parkinson’s plans for January will entail, and how that impacts the more long-serving players in the Wrexham squad.