Wrexham tap into past glory in bid for FA Cup upset against Chelsea

Wrexham's Dominic Hyam, referee Ben Speedie and Ipswich Town's George Hirst walk out before the match. Reuters

Wrexham players have watched clips of the Racecourse Ground's most famous giant killings several times over the course of this season -- reminders of what this old stadium has witnessed, and what might again be possible.

Now, as Premier League heavyweights Chelsea arrive for an FA Cup fifth-round clash on Saturday, Wrexham centre back Dominic Hyam hopes his team can carve out a chapter of their own.

"Before the previous round and two rounds ago, the gaffer (Phil Parkinson) showed us a lot of clips on the history of Wrexham and some of the big games that happened here many years ago," Hyam said on Thursday.

Wrexham have already dispatched Premier League Nottingham Forest in a third-round thriller decided by penalties, the latest highlight in several seasons full of them.

Under Hollywood A-list owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who purchased the Welsh team in 2021, Wrexham have surged from the fifth to the second tier with three successive promotions, and are currently sixth in the Championship, pushing for a place in the Premier League via the playoffs.

For a club whose recent rise has already produced more than its share of memorable moments, the Chelsea game is another chance to stretch the boundaries of what is possible.

Hyam, who has anchored Wrexham's back line this season, embraces the scale of the challenge.

"Obviously one of the biggest teams in the world, we're under no illusions, we're the underdog in this game," the Scotland international said. "But it's what the FA Cup is all about. And we're here to hopefully make another bit of history."

'EVERYTHING TO GAIN'

For Parkinson, this is the kind of week that makes the grind worthwhile.

"We go into this weekend with an everything to gain, nothing to lose mindset," he said. "But we're also in a strong position in the league, and it is a great test for us against Chelsea, and that's what we're looking for, like the Forest game, how can we cope against Premiership quality players?

"These are the weeks you really want to be involved in as a football manager, player, supporter, Chelsea at home in the FA Cup, and then we roll into two really exciting (league) games," he added ahead of the visit of Hull City and Swansea City.

"When people moan about fixtures, we've worked hard to get to this stage, the FA Cup. We've worked exceptionally hard to be in the top six (in the league)."

That blend of ambition and realism will shape Saturday's approach.

"You've got to go into every game believing," Parkinson added. "If not, we might as well not turn up.

"We've also got to go with an understanding of the underdog mentality and what boxes we've got to tick to make this evening as difficult as possible for Chelsea."

Hyam feels the same. He scored his first goal for Wrexham against Forest, a reminder of what can happen on these nights.

"Yeah, really special day for me and for the club," he said. "It's the magic of the FA Cup. Hopefully we can have another good evening here with the backing of our fans. We know anything's possible. Under no illusions, it's going to be a really tough game, but really looking forward to it."

Chelsea are fifth in the Premier League and coming off a 4-1 thrashing away to Aston Villa on Wednesday.