Can we have our ball back, please?
The footy freeze has done the unthinkable and made an FA Trophy game exciting.
The big freeze finally thaws
Who remembers that game we all used to watch? You know - the one with the round ball and the boots and the big rectangular field?
For so long it was there. And then - poof - suddenly nowhere to be seen.
The early winter freeze of 2022 has robbed us of our precious football, and it feels like an eternity since we’ve been able to head out and watch Wrexham AFC kick around a bag of air.
Ok, in truth, it’s only been 11 days. But our most recent outing - a 2-0 win at Southampton Airport on December 10 - seems so long ago it might as well have been played out in another dimension.
Multiple fixtures have fallen victim to the cold snap since then. And it’s sent Reds around the world into catatonic states - rocking back and forth humming “We’ve got Mullin” in front of Disney + until the sport recommences.
Another unfortunate consequence of the season going on pause is that “trending” news has started creeping in from the corners of social media. With no Wrexham team lineup announcements, no score predictions, and no giddy pre-game Twitter posts, the bullshit that hovers on the periphery of feeds has bullied its way to the top of the pile: From Jeremy Clarkson’s fantasies about flinging dung at royal family members to the promotion of a Pandemic Diaries book by Matt Hancock - who recently waddled out of ITV’s jungle with a mouthful of maggots and a fistful of cash.
Ych a fi.
Still, there have been a few crumbs of comfort to stop us going completely off the edge. A gob-smackingly entertaining World Cup final and the ever-burgeoning miniverse of Red-related accounts (from FiD and RRR to All Gone Hollywood) have offered some respite and distraction, but the tedium of non-league entering this unexpected slumber has been undeniable.
Thankfully, at last, we have some good news. And some not-so-good news.
The good news: There’s actually a football game tonight. Or at least, that’s the plan, barring acts of God.
The not-so-good news: It’s in the FA Trophy.
Our BT-streamed league clash with Bromley - the club who had the impudence to embarrass us on football’s biggest stage in front of the world’s biggest stars in May - has been sacrificed as the Reds host Scunthorpe United in everyone’s (except maybe Bromley’s) least favourite cup comp.
The winner advances to Round Four to play Alty or Curzon Ashton (A).
This time last week, you’d struggle to find anyone in North Wales or North Lincolnshire who could truthfully express excitement at watching this cup clash.
Reds are in no rush to get fleeced on Wembley Way again. And reaching the latter rounds of a non-league knockout comp isn’t really top of The Iron’s to-do list in 2023, either - preserving their fifth tier status is the task being filed under URGENT!! as they aim to avoid the ignominy of two relegations in as many seasons.
But now, after such a lengthy lull, the prospect of any kind of kickabout is starting to make us feel like kids on Christmas morning.
The squad announcement for Wednesday night will also answer a few burning questions. Is Parky taking this comp seriously? Has Rob Lainton successfully pieced his broken body back together? Is Reece Hall-Johnson still alive and well?
What began as a chore of a fixture has suddenly taken the form of an early festive treat - especially for the supporters who are missing the holiday double-header with Mini Birmingham.
Hundreds of Reds failed to secure tickets for these festive fixtures (spaces for the Damson Park leg were snapped up in seconds) and will be itching to get in a live Wrexham game as they clock off for Crimbo. Scunny (H) might be their best shot.
Getting a seat in the Red end nowadays is tougher than bagging a pass to Burning Man - and it’s no surprise to see the allocation maxed-out for both Solihull Moors matches. We haven’t been allowed to attend Y Cae Ras on Dec 26 for two years - and nothing washes down the turkey and sprouts quite like drinking in some live footy the following afternoon.
It’ll be a corker. Provided we can find a way to actually kick-off this time.
But first, it’s FA Trophy time. And waddayaknow. It’s actually quite exciting. Right?
Merry Christmas, Reds.
Classy content again, keep up the excellent work. Have a great Christmas