More grit than glitz in Hollywood Derby Part Two

For the celeb spotters, the Hollywood Derby Part Two would have been something of an anti-climax.

On the pitch, Wrexham and Birmingham was compelling stuff, a tense tussle between two teams exchanging blows in their bid to get out of League One.

But in the stands, compared to September's star-studded first meeting at St Andrew's, the sequel lacked star power.

No Ryan Reynolds, no Rob McElhenney, no Tom Brady and definitely no David Beckham on a bitter night in north Wales.

McElhenney was watching from afar, immersed in the action at one of the ultra-modern 'shared reality' screenings in Los Angeles. A welcome distraction having recently been allowed to return to his home after being evacuated during the recent fires.

With a similar watch-along party being held in Dallas, there was the potential for a combined 3,000 fans to watch the 1-1 draw between the promotion-hunting pair in 8k on a 180-degree domed screen.

Wrexham would have been happy with a Racecourse gate of those numbers not so long ago.

Birmingham backer Tom Wagner was among the 13,000 there in real life, swapping financier uniform of slacks and shirt for beanie and branded blue hoodie in a packed away end as Chris Davies' side kept their five-point advantage over Wrexham at the top of the table.

All the while, the lenses missed the presence of Kaleen and Eric Allyn in the seats often occupied by Wrexham's A-list ownership.

But their attendance – and their investment – in Wrexham should not be overlooked.

The family took a minority shareholding in the north Wales club in October, with Kaleen being appointed to the board as an executive director this past week.

For a century, the Allyns owned a global medical device company, one they sold in 2015 for more than $2bn. Since, they have focused on new investments, with a particular interest in investing in communities as they have done in the vicinity of their New York state home of Skaneateles, around five hours drive from Manhattan.

Wrexham - with its aim to promote the team up the divisions and the town as a whole – is now part of that portfolio.

The Allyn family's investment - the size of which remains undisclosed - does not mean Wrexham are not about to start writing the kind of cheques Birmingham have this season; Blues' big ambition is backed by big money, the highest transfer fees spent outside the Premier League and plans for a 62,000-seater state-of-the-art stadium.

But it might help to start taking the next steps as Wrexham try to catch up off the field with the pace set by Phil Parkinson's side on it - going from National League to the third tier in back-to-back campaigns.

The fact the Championship and its greater financial demands looms into view has focussed minds at the Racecourse.

If the first stage of the Hollywood era at Wrexham was about getting a non-league club up to Football League standard, phase two is about thinking bigger and being ready for it.

It has included some pretty significant appointments away from the pitch. There is a new chief executive in Michael Wiliamson, previously at Inter Milan, a communications chief fresh from the European Club Association, while last night's programme notes highlighted a new retail executive, formerly of Puma and a vice president at MLS.

A big aim for such officials will be to expand and improve the ground that creaked with noise on Thursday night. As the eruption of emotion to accompany Ollie Rathbone's beautifully-placed tenth minute opener tested the integrity of the temporary Kop, it reminded of the desire for a new 5,500 permanent stand and surrounding area. Plans drawn up by the designers of the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium are weeks away from being submitted for approval.

There is talk of future-proofing the ground, of space for further growth and of integrating with wider projects for the town.

The Allyns, in a recent interview with their hometown newspaper, spoke of hotels, restaurants.

Above all the aim is to increase revenue streams to help build a sustainable club away from the showbiz – and sustaining the success.

The Allyn family investment does not change the fact that Reynolds and McElhenney remain the heart and the face of the club's plans, it is just they now have some helping hands.

Even with suggestions of small-scale investment in clubs in Mexico and Colombia, there is no talk of a sudden drop of interest from the Hollywood pair.

Reynolds spoke before the game of falling head over heels for football, his pride on the story so far for the town and the team, and refused to rule out one day reaching the Premier League.

His admission that "I love this sport so much I hate it" came to mind when Wrexham sloppily conceded from a set-piece as Lyndon Dykes pounced after 18 minutes.

There would have been nothing virtual about the groans from McElhenney 5,000 miles away as Wrexham could not quite get the winner their strong finish arguably deserved, Steven Fletcher's late denial in particular.

"Thank you for an incredible game tonight, 1-1, I'll take that against Birmingham City, probably the best side we've played all season. Up the Town forever!," said McElhenney in a video message, in which he wore a t-shirt in tribute to the LA fire and rescue services, tellingly adding: "Hope to see you soon."

The question is whether these two clubs with north American ownership and north star aims will also be seeing each other again soon.

Impressive Birmingham boss Chris Davies praised Wrexham's journey when he was asked if the rivalry will be repeated next season, adding that the attention placed on the fixture was only comparable to his experiences in the Premier League as a number two at Liverpool, Leicester and Spurs.

Parkinson, meanwhile, was happy to look behind him as part of his pre-match team talk.

"Two years ago we were playing Gateshead away in front of a thousand people," said the 57-year-old, whose side remain in third, two points off second-placed Wycombe having played a game more.

"We've earned the right to be here but we still have to show people what we're all about."

Both sides continue to do that, with as much grit as glitz and glamour. A-list attendees or not, do not rule out a trilogy.