TO SOME, it's like a drug and to others a religion, but for nearly all of us it's a fantastic day out.

I'm talking of course about time spent at Wrexham's iconic Racecourse ground - which is officially more in the spotlight now than it perhaps ever has been.

That is due to the fairytale story of Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney taking over the North Wales club.

The story of that takeover, officially complete in early 2021, is set out in the 'Welcome to Wrexham' documentary that premiered on Disney+ this week.

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Thousands attend what is the oldest international football ground in the world every chance they get - with the latest match drawing in a crowd of 9,862.

But, for many others - especially given the current popularity of the club - getting their hands on tickets can prove difficult.

That is why we thought we'd bring the matchday experience to you and give you just a glimpse of what an afternoon at the Racecourse is like.

Reporter Arron Evans was at the ground for last Saturday's 5-0 win over Maidstone United and this is how it went ...

READ MORE: Wrexham: How young fans gifts brought Paul Mullin 'luck' ahead of hat-trick

Normally, when going to watch Wrexham play - I would get a train with friends before heading into town itself to the likes of Elihu Yale Spoons, Saith Seren and The Turf for a bit of pre-match 'Dutch courage'.

But as I was travelling alone for this one, I drove the hour-and-a-half ride from my house to Wrexham and parked at the neighbouring Glyndwr University. And despite earlier reports of parking issues being predicted as there was an open day taking place there, there was actually plenty of space for parking.

I arrived around two hours early, both to watch the atmosphere build up as kick-off time approached and to also see if I could catch a glimpse of the Hollywood owners who were rumoured to be appearing.

And, moments after I arrived there they were. Rob and Ryan, in real life! They generously stopped for around 20 minutes to pose with fans and I even managed to sneak in a quick conversation myself!

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PIC: Rob and Ryan outside the Racecourse ground!

It was great to see, in person, the amazingly happy atmosphere this created for the families who gathered to see their heroes. I'm sure many of them will treasure the chats they had and the selfies they took forever.

Around an hour or so before kick-off, I made my way into the ground itself - helping myself to a matchday programme along the way. For the price of just £3, it's always a must-read pre-match at Wrexham.

READ MORE: ITV's Ruth Dodsworth and actor Mark Lewis Jones amongst celebs at Wrexham match

By this point, I was running off the less-than-generous bowl of Coco Pops that I had eaten at 9am and so food was well and truly on my mind!

Luckily, I was one of the first in and so the queue for refreshments was not as long as it later became (It was incredibly long by around 2.40pm!).

Now, traditionally of course pies are the gourmet of the football world. But, as I'm not a huge fan of those, I opted for a jumbo sausage roll instead.

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PIC: Proper football grub!

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PIC: The legendary Village Bakery sausage roll. Yum!

And if you've never had a Village Bakery sausage roll before, then I would highly recommend you try one. It's my go to sausage roll both in and out of a football ground!

I coupled that up with a pint of Wrexham Lager (what else?!) for a price of £7, which is not too shabby really. Especially compared to a lot of other grounds.

There was a lot of choice on offer too - even sweets such as wine gums - and other beers on tap now include Carling and the hugely-popular Spanish tipple of Madri.

With pint and sausage roll downed and devoured, it was time to talk to some of the other Reds supporters of the club about their concerns 'pre-match'.

'Rob McElhenney has never seen us win in person and he's here today, that can't be good', one says. Another worries that 'Parky might get things wrong again' following the 2-0 defeat to Chesterfield in midweek.

The nerves are clear among most fans of the club, but the excitement is also evident.

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PIC: Wrexham fans chat pre-match.

2.50pm came about quickly as it so often does and so I made my way out onto the Wrexham Lager stand.

Chants for Rob McElhenny and Ryan Reynolds rang out around the ground as the two waved to the faithful supporters.

A giant Welsh flag waved just yards in front of me as Dafydd Iwan's 'Yma O Hyd' played over the PA system, reminding me and others that this club is very proud of its heritage.

The iconic 'Wrexham is the name' was then belted out by fans as the players made their way out onto the pitch.

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PIC: The Welsh flag flies high at the Racecourse.

An early goal from talisman Paul Mullin settled the nerves and sent the crowd into Euphoria just eight minutes in.

Then, local lad Jordan Davies was on the scoresheet on 39mins, getting on the end of an Ollie Palmer flick-on to smash the ball home.

That was followed by an own goal on the stroke of half time to make it 3-0 and get fans believing that this really could be the day that Rob McElhenney finally saw the Reds win in person, after five failed attempts previously! 

A Mullin penalty (64') was followed by another smart finish by the forward (83') in the second half as he scored his first-ever Wrexham hat-trick!

The atmosphere out there was simply incredible on Saturday afternoon. It really is both a stadium and a fanbase which is deserving of being in the English Football League and I do very much hope that the 15-year wait for a return comes to an end in 2023.

I made my way back to the car with a smile on my face after that performance from the Reds. It gave me and so many others hope that this really could be the year we end the wait.

The Racecourse eh, there's nothing quite like it for a North Walian football fan (and two Hollywood actors!).

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