THIS WASN’T IN THE SCRIPT
Foster writing thrilling final chapter
AT the age of 40, Ben Foster is buzzing to be back – and adamant his return to football is not a social media stunt.
The ex-England keeper has become an unlikely YouTube influencer with his popular ‘The Cycling GK’ channel, which has almost 1.5million subscribers.
And now he can add to his media popularity with a starring presence in the latest ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ sports docuseries, which has proved a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
His stunning penalty save from Cedwyn Scott at the end of a titanic showdown with title rivals Notts County put the Welsh club back on top of the National League – and back on course for promotion to the Football League after a 15-year absence.
It will be the main plot twist of the TV series, but for Foster, Wrexham was about getting his love for the game back.
“I didn’t want to come and be a bit of a circus – it’s not about that I promise you,” he said.
“It was always about the buzz when the kick-off comes and the reason I retired was because I wasn’t getting that any more.
“Towards the end of my final season at
Watford I wasn’t really enjoying it so much.
“And honestly, the buzz at Wrexham is just incredible.
That penalty save – I’ve played over 500 games and I’ve probably had two of those moments in my career.
“Never saved a penalty last minute to win the game so that just vindicated my decision.”
So too has the presence of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as the Red Dragons’ high-profile owners.
Foster admitted he thought it was just a gimmick but, after experiencing his own incredible welcome to Wrexham, he has changed his mind.
“They’re so happy, if you could order an absolute bob on, top of the range owner, then you would just package them two up because they are as good as it gets,” he said.
“It means so much to them, they were buzzing at the end, they care so much. You can feel it. I was probably the same as everybody else. You’re a cynic, you’re sceptical, thinking it’s a bit of a gimmick.
“But I’ve been here three or four weeks now and the way they do things is so professional and so proper. So fair play to them – they deserve all they get.”