In a night filled with star power, Birmingham City defeated Wrexham 3-1 in what has been dubbed the “Hollywood Derby.”
With NFL legend Tom Brady and movie stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney involved, the clash drew attention far beyond the third tier of English football.
Birmingham’s co-owner Brady, alongside David Beckham and Gary Neville, watched as their side overcame Wrexham.
Despite Wrexham’s rapid rise under Reynolds and McElhenney, Birmingham’s recent turmoil under Brady’s new ownership seems to be settling under the leadership of Chris Davies.
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Stansfield stars as Birmingham shines against Wrexham
Wrexham started brightly with Jack Marriott giving them an early lead, but Birmingham quickly turned things around.
Jay Stansfield, a £10 million ($ 13.2m) signing, equalized and then headed Birmingham in front. Tomoki Iwata sealed the deal with a stunning long-range strike to make it 3-1.
Even with Birmingham down to 10 men after Krystian Bielik’s red card, there was no miraculous comeback, much to the relief of Brady, who is no stranger to dramatic turnarounds in his NFL career.
The real drama came when Wrexham’s James McClean clashed with Birmingham fans after being substituted. In a fiery moment, McClean caught a beer thrown at him, much to the amusement of both sets of fans. It was a Hollywood night, both on and off the pitch.
Birmingham fans launching a beer at James McClean, who has the home fans on strings 😭 #WxmAFC #BCFC pic.twitter.com/k8DS3D3lu9
— RobRyanRed – Wrexham AFC Podcast (@RobRyanRed) September 16, 2024
Wrexham will now look to bounce back when they face Crawley Town this weekend, while Birmingham remains unbeaten, standing tall alongside their star-studded owners.
