Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney give verdict on Wrexham’s FA Cup exit

Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took to Twitter to express their pride in the plucky Welsh hopefuls after they were cruelly knocked out of the FA Cup by Sheffield United in the dying embers of Tuesday’s fourth-round replay at Bramall Lane. Two late goals from Billy Sharp and Sander Berge gave the Blades a thrilling 3-1 victory to set up a high-profile meeting with Tottenham in the next stage of the tournament at the expense of their National League opponents.

Wrexham once again did not look out of place against a side three divisions above them after forcing a 3-3 draw in the original tie but were left heartbroken when Sheffield United popped up with two stoppage-time goals to send them crashing out of the competition. Paul Mullin had fired the Red Dragons level from the penalty spot after Anel Ahmedhodzic’s opener for the hosts before Sharp and Berge struck late to wrap up a famous victory for Sheffield United in front of a boisterous home crowd.

Reynolds, who has been involved with Wrexham since early 2021, tweeted after the final whistle to insist that he was unbelievably proud despite seeing his team fall short in their valiant attempts to reach the latter stages of the world’s oldest domestic cup competition. He wrote: “So proud of these boys. And the 4000 plus away supporters who gave it all.”

The 46-year-old’s sentiments were quickly echoed by McElhenney, who added: “I could not be more proud of those men than I am right now. They gave it absolutely everything,” followed by a heart emoji. “Now let’s go win this f****** league.”

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Everybody associated with Wrexham will undoubtedly be pleased with their efforts after pushing Sheffield United all the way in their bid to set up a historic meeting with Tottenham, although they ultimately came up short in spite of their best efforts over the course of Tuesday’s hugely exciting contest. It remains to be seen if they will be able to respond by going on to secure a long-awaited return to the EFL at the end of the season, with Phil Parkinson’s side just three points adrift of leaders Notts County at the top of the National League table.

Not all observers were full of praise for Wrexham after the full-time whistle, though, with Sheffield United goal hero Sharp taking aim at the Welsh outfit in his post-match interview after what he perceived as a disrespectful approach to the fixture from their perspective and a one-sided performance from the match officials. Mullin’s penalty was a controversial one, with the foul in question appearing to take place mostly outside the area, while the Blades were denied a last-gasp spot-kick of their own for a blatant handball that diverted Oliver Norwood’s fiercely-struck effort away from danger.

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“I am glad we’ve beaten them,” Sharp told ITV Sport. “They are doing well in their league and we are doing well in ours but I wasn’t happy with a few of their players there, the way they’ve been as a club before the game, eyeing up Spurs before the game.

“They had not even beaten us. They thought we would just roll over when they got back in it and I think the referee was helping them as well. I don’t think he gave me one foul all night.”

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