Twenty-four hours before the game’s superstars were set to line up in the revamped Champions League, the eyes of millions across the Atlantic were on a match in the English third tier famous for everything but the football. Tom Brady-backed Birmingham City and Wrexham — co-owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney — was, nominally, a top-of-the-table League One clash. But it felt like the football took a back seat for most of the night, giving way to a beauty parade of the rich and famous in the unlikely setting of St Andrew’s.
McElhenney hopes his club will compete in Europe one day — and while they may still lead League One on goal difference having played a game more than Birmingham — this was a reminder that there are serious football sides at this level that can chew them up and spit them out. Wrexham were outclassed and beaten 3-1 by a quite brilliant Birmingham..