Wrexham and Birmingham City have been measured against each other for the past two seasons now due to who owns each club and because of their promotion to the Championship.
The clubs have had more attention on them since Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac took over the Red Dragons, while the same has happened with the Blues being co-owned by Tom Brady.
A ‘Hollywood Derby’ has formed between the pair as both look to continue their journey towards the Premier League, both investing heavily this summer, with Wrexham spending £33 million on players.
This saw a lot of attention being placed on their fixture ahead of the international break, with the game ending as a 1-1 draw at the Racecourse Ground.
While a football journalist believes Birmingham are a cynical copy of Wrexham, one former EFL striker believes there are other differences between the clubs, focusing on the pitch rather than off it.
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Sam Parkin believes Wrexham have more potential to grow compared to Birmingham City
Sam Parkin was a regular in the EFL throughout his career, starring for clubs like Swindon Town, Ipswich Town and Luton Town, and he has given his view on the difference between the two clubs.
Wrexham and Birmingham City have both had relatively tough starts to the campaign, with the pair sitting 18th and 16th, respectively, in the Championship, with only two points separating them.
Speaking on the What The EFL podcast, Parkin believes both sides will remain in the Championship this season; however, he feels Wrexham may finish the better of the two teams.
He said: “Wrexham, for me, the results show you – one defeat in seven – the addition of Hyam and Sheaf and the return of Windass, I think, just gives that spine some Championship nouse.
“Phil Parkinson has spoken about the improvement of the players. They need to get better at home, using that crowd; they just need to get better consistency there.
“They win a lot of their away games, which they have shown already.
“Comparatively, if you look at Birmingham and their start to the season, their struggle for goals, their struggle for creativity, I just feel that Wrexham potentially have got a little bit more growth.
“Not to say that Birmingham are going to struggle.”
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Wrexham have more Championship experience compared to Birmingham City
When you compare the transfer business of the two clubs from the summer, there is an interesting pattern, as the Red Dragons signed 13 players, with only one of them not having any EFL experience.
Several of these signings that Phil Parkinson now has at his disposal are experienced Championship players and understand the league, so they can help ensure they can grow throughout the season, meaning they will not be relegated.
| Wrexham Player | Club Signed From | Birmingham City Player | Club Signed From |
| Ryan Hardie | Plymouth Argyle | Demarai Gray | Al-Ettifaq |
| Danny Ward | Leicester City | Bright Osayi-Samuel | Fenerbahçe |
| Liberato Cacace | Empoli | Kyogo Furuhashi | Rennes |
| George Thomason | Bolton Wanderers | Kanya Fujimoto | Gil Vicente |
| Josh Windass | Sheffield Wednesday | Marvin Ducksch | Werder Bremen |
| Lewis O’Brien | Nottingham Forest | Jack Robinson | Sheffield United |
| Conor Coady | Leicester City | James Beadle | Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) |
| Kieffer Moore | Sheffield United | Tommy Doyle | Wolves (loan) |
| Nathan Broadhead | Ipswich Town | Eiran Cashin | Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) |
| Callum Doyle | Manchester City | Lewis Koumas | Liverpool (Loan) |
| Ben Sheaf | Coventry City | Patrick Roberts | Sunderland (Loan) |
| Dominic Hyam | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| Issa Kabore | Manchester City (Loan) |
In comparison, only two of the permanent deals that Birmingham City made have featured in the Championship previously; however, their loan signings have more Championship experience, but most of these acquisitions are youthful players not battle-hardened to the division.
So, Sam Parkin may be correct that Wrexham understand that for their first season in the Championship, at least, experience is required to allow them to then build upon it and help guide youth players for future campaigns at this level in the hope of achieving promotion eventually.