Welcome To Wrexham (Disney+)

Much has changed for fans of Wales’ Red Dragons.

Investment in the world’s third-oldest football club, which boasts the globe’s oldest international stadium, by two Hollywood stars (Deadpool’s Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s Rob McElhenney) has boosted not only the fortunes of Wrexham F.C. but also the beleaguered city of 45,000.

However, while the pair’s money and enthusiasm had certainly improved the club’s infrastructure and playing staff, they didn’t quite get the Hollywood ending they craved during the 2021-22 campaign. A 4-5 loss to Grimsby Town in the play-off semifinals left everyone frustrated, but even more determined to complete the job as the new season kicks off.

But with the interest surrounding the club at an all-time high, thanks also largely to the debut of the first season of this series last August, so too have

the stakes, as we rejoin the action for this 10-part second instalment.

Although very much episodic in nature, Welcome To Wrexham’s strength lies in its holistic approach to the story. This isn’t a glossy, rose-tinted, hagiographic account of Hollywood cash being splashed in North Wales. Instead, it’s exactly the Ted Lasso-meets-Sunderland Till I Die football fans and docu-series lovers would have wished for.

We hear from the supporters of rival teams, many of whom are keen to see “Deadpool in the mud”.

We see Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson deliver an expletive-laden half-time rant after they struggle in a vital match and we learn the heartwarming and rending stories of those around the club and the community for whom its existence is more than just providing entertainment – or a diversion – 40+ weeks out of every year.