Wrexham AFC: Phil Parkinson and co will be enjoying Birmingham City noise - View | OneFootball

Birmingham City's League One adventure is taking up a lot of the spotlight that Wrexham have become used to in recent years

Wrexham’s rise from the National League to League One has earned a lot of attention.

The Hollywood owners that have helped fund this rise, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have also played their part in attracting a lot of attention to Phil Parkinson’s side.

While this has been great for the club in so many ways, helping them grow the brand and expose them to a much wider audience, there have still been some drawbacks.

That wider exposure brings added pressure to the management and players to succeed.

The title challenge with Notts County in 2023 saw both teams go toe-to-toe every week in a thrilling battle, but it gained a lot more attention than the average championship fight in the fifth tier of English football due to Wrexham’s newfound popularity.

That extra attention must have been difficult for the players and management, even if they did ultimately rise to it and win the title, and promotion, with it.

Birmingham City’s noise will help Wrexham

Now that they are in League One, Wrexham should be getting more and more attention as they swiftly rise up the English football pyramid.

The higher up they get, the harder it will become to keep climbing at this incredible rate, and a promotion challenge this year would be impressive in so many ways, let alone actually achieving a place in the Championship.

But the Red Dragons should be pleased with the role Birmingham City are currently playing in the third tier, even if they’ve become runaway leaders after only nine or 10 games.

The Midlands outfit have made a big splash since suffering relegation last season, and the £15 million deal to sign Jay Stansfield has only ramped up the amount of media coverage their US owners have brought to St. Andrew’s.

The Blues look a safe bet to take one of the coveted automatic promotion spots, but Chris Davies’ side are also taking up a lot of attention, especially with Tom Brady also on board.

This eases some of the pressure on Wrexham, putting them out of the spotlight and allowing them to go about their business more quietly than they’ve become used to.

Wrexham’s promotion challenge

It’s been a strong start to the season for the Welsh outfit, with the team sitting second, albeit having played a game more than most of their rivals.

If they can maintain this level of competitiveness over the course of 46 games, then they will be in the mix for a top six place by the end of the season.

That in itself will be an impressive achievement for Parkinson’s side in the club’s first year back at this level since 2005.

But the decreased level of media attention now that they have to compete with Birmingham for eyeballs could prove beneficial to their pursuit of a top two or six spot by April or May.

As Wrexham continue to embark on this remarkable rise up the English football pyramid, they may ironically find themselves enjoying having to share the spotlight more and more as they start competing against traditionally bigger and bigger clubs like Birmingham.