WREXHAM’S American tour shows just how powerful club owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds can be in their bid to make the Reds a global force in football.

Wrexham filled the Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill last week as 55,000 watched the 5-0 defeat to Premier League big boys Chelsea while it was another packed house last week as Wrexham took on another of Mickey Thomas’ former clubs, Manchester United.

“To be on tour in America is incredible but to attract that kind of opposition - Manchester United and Chelsea - just shows how powerful the club’s owners are,” said Thomas.

“You have to give Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds a large amount of respect for making it happen. 

“They’ve completely sold out the Chelsea game. It’s not just about people that want to come and watch Chelsea play, people want to watch Wrexham and this team that everyone is talking about.”

Reds legend Thomas, who had two spells with the Reds at the beginning and end of his professional career, also spent time playing in America with Wichita Wings in the mid Eighties and knows that if Wrexham’s success continues on and off the pitch, the Reds’ support Stateside and worldwide will only increase.

“This tour has shown just how popular Wrexham are,” added Thomas.

“That will only get bigger and Ryan and Rob will make sure of that.

“The second series of the Welcome To Wrexham documentary is out soon and that will help too.

“It’s a great time to be a Wrexham fan and makes up for all those years in the National League.

“It was a horrible league and how many times have we talked about the fact that they had to get out of it and back into the Football League?

“They’ve done that now and we can all look forward to the start of what should be another exciting season.”

Thomas isn’t the only ex-Wrexham star to venture to America and two of his former team-mates from the 1970s also played out there.

Arfon Griffiths, another Wrexham legend, turned out for Seattle Sounders, playing against Pele, while Brian Tinnion was a team-mate of the great Brazilian during his stint with New York Cosmos.

Winger Tinnion, who made 336 appearances for the Reds between 1968 and 1976, scoring 66 goals, told the Daily Mail: “I never had any desire to leave Wrexham. We were in Division Three and building a good team but John Neal called me into his office one day, and said Ken Furphy wanted me for New York Cosmos. I told him I didn’t want to go to America but it was a good deal for Wrexham.

“He did a good sales pitch, did Ken. “Come and play with Pele,” he said.

“We played a 4-3-3 at the Cosmos with me on the right and Giorgio Chinaglia on the left and Pele like a withdrawn centre forward. I always remember Pele showing for the ball in one game and I didn’t pass to him. 

“Ken was shouting: “Give it to Pele! Give it to Pele!” I said: “There are three men on him.” He said: “I don’t care if there are 10 men on him!

Just give him the ball! They’ve come to see him, not you!” I just got the ball and gave it to Pele after that.

“Pele was a lovely, genuine man. There was nothing big-headed about him. He knew he was a star. He knew he was a good player but he didn’t boast about anything. The press came into the dressing room after each game. They surrounded him and didn’t bother us. He handled it well. 

“He would do anything to promote the game. We would sit on the bus for 45 minutes after a game while he signed autographs. He would sign them until the bus driver went to fetch him and say: “That’s enough”.

“Ken was right, I should have just given him the ball. He could handle it even with three men on him.”

No player in the club’s proud history has pulled on the red shirt more times than Wrexham-born Griffiths.

As manager, he also led Wrexham to the Division Three title in a 1977/78 taking the Reds to Division Two and what is now the Championship.

Wrexham had five-figure attendances for most home games with 23,451 crammed into The Racecourse to watch them being presented with the Third Division trophy.

“They were great days and you would love it for the younger generation to have a successful team to watch,” said Griffiths. “If Wrexham are doing well, fans from all over North Wales will be coming to town to watch them.”

Griffiths also knows all about the American razzmatazz having spent a summer playing for Seattle Sounders in 1975.

“I’ve got a picture of me playing against Pele and New York Cosmos,” he added. “It was the first televised game in America to be screened coast to coast.

“I was still with Wrexham but John Neal let me go out there and I really enjoyed it.
“I remember it being 90 degrees in that game and when you see the picture, that’s about as close as I got to Pele!”