Wrexham Owners Mock Southampton Spying Case Ahead of Championship Clash

Wrexham’s build-up to Saturday’s home match against Southampton has included a pointed social-media joke from co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, but manager Phil Parkinson has insisted the club’s focus is on the game rather than last season’s disciplinary case.

A 59-second video posted through Wrexham’s official X account refers to Southampton’s training-ground spying punishment, which followed incidents involving Middlesbrough, Oxford United and Ipswich Town during the previous campaign.

Quick facts

• Southampton travel to the Racecourse Ground on Saturday.
• Saints are ninth with 10 points; Wrexham are 19th, three points behind.
• Wrexham placed seventh last season and were the side most directly affected by the play-off revision.
• Southampton were removed from the play-off final and received a four-point deduction after an intern was caught watching Middlesbrough train.
• Southampton won 5-1 at the Racecourse Ground in the sides’ April meeting.

The clip was presented as a promotion involving Wrexham shirt sponsor Firefox and opened with Reynolds appearing from behind a tree. He introduced a discussion about privacy, before McElhenney turned the conversation towards stopping spies from seeing private activity.

Reynolds later made a joke about searching online for advice on running a football club. The pair then mentioned the three clubs connected to the spying allegations, before ending the sketch by looking at a phone said to show Southampton’s pickleball side training.

Parkinson, however, said the previous EFL ruling was no longer an issue for his squad. Wrexham’s seventh-place finish meant they were next in line when Southampton’s play-off status changed, but the manager said his club had accepted the outcome.

“We were obviously the team affected because we finished seventh, but we accepted the EFL’s decision,” Parkinson said. “Southampton were punished and have had to accept that, then move forward. It is gone now. We are concentrating on our job, and they will be doing the same.”

The fixture gives Wrexham an opportunity to cut into the gap to Southampton early in the campaign. The North Wales club will also be looking for a markedly different result from April, when Southampton left the Racecourse with a comprehensive 5-1 win.