Sky Sports icon Jeff Stelling has raised concerns over whether the celebrity status of Wrexham‘s Hollywood owners is swaying referees to rule in their favour. The ex-Soccer Saturday host voiced his frustration after criticising two decisions made by referee Seb Stockbridge during the Red Dragons’ 3-0 triumph over Burton Albion on Saturday.
Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds was present at the Racecourse Ground to witness his team solidify their second-place standing in League One. Burton, who are battling relegation, were reduced to ten men just ten minutes into the match when Charlie Webster was shown a straight red card for a high tackle on George Dobson.
Despite Wrexham’s numerical superiority, the game remained scoreless until the 71st minute when Phil Parkinson‘s squad were given a penalty. Ex-Scotland international Steven Fletcher took the spot kick and scored after his teammate Sam Smith was taken down by Brewers’ goalkeeper Max Crocombe.
Additional goals from Smith and Jack Marriott ensured a win for Wrexham, pushing them six points ahead of rivals Wycombe Wanderers in the battle for the third tier’s second automatic promotion spot. However, Stelling was not convinced by the two pivotal decisions made by referee Stockbridge, even though Dobson needed stitches for his leg following Webster’s late tackle.
Stelling didn’t mince his words when he labelled the penalty awarded to Wrexham as “laughable” on his show on talkSPORT. He also implied that the presence of one of the Hollywood owners and vocal fans might have swayed the referee.
“Wrexham have strengthened their hold on second place but I have to say, I wonder if when referees go to the Racecourse Ground, they are intimidated by the crowd and the fact that there are Hollywood stars everywhere,” Stelling said.
“Burton Albion went there at the weekend and Seb Stockbridge was the referee. He gave an early straight red to a Burton player that was never a red card. But worse, Burton then held on for 70 minutes and he gave a penalty when the goalkeeper was collecting the ball and a Wrexham forward clattered into him.
“It was laughable and one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen in football. I just wonder whether they get carried away with the whole environment.”
His co-presenter Troy Deeney responded by saying: “I totally agree with you”, before sharing his predictions for League One’s promotion hopefuls. Even though Deeney concurred with Stelling about the questionable officiating, he still predicted a positive outcome for Wrexham’s season alongside Birmingham City at the summit.
Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary ‘Welcome to Wrexham’.
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“I’ve said this season that I thought Birmingham and Wrexham would have a really good chance of going up,” Deeney said. “I have also tipped Stockport as well – they’re a really good team, and you’ve started seeing these guys come to the forefront.”
“I think Wycombe have just run out of steam at the wrong time. Obviously, losing their manager has derailed them, but I do feel that that’s got to be the top two now.”
“You wouldn’t want to play Charlton in the play-offs, and hopefully, just because of what’s going on off the field, you’d like to see Reading in there as well.”
After Wycombe’s 1-0 defeat to Reading last Saturday, Wrexham gained control of their fate with five games remaining. With promotion to the Championship in their sights, Wrexham are gearing up for a trip to Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
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