Wrexham fans react to rumours Ryan Reynolds is buying house in Marford
- Published
Wrexham football fans already over the moon at their 3-2 win over Notts County say they can't wait to welcome Ryan Reynolds as a neighbour.
It has been rumoured that the 46-year-old Deadpool star has bought a £1.5m house in Marford, Wrexham county.
The village is just six miles from the Dragons base at The Racecourse.
Residents said the Wrexham part-owner would join stars in the area like snooker player Dennis Taylor and football manager Steve Cooper.
Wayne Jones, landlord of Wrexham pub the Turf Hotel, said it would be "brilliant" if Mr Reynolds bought a house in Wales, as reported in The Sun, external.
It would be a boost for the economy and show his commitment to the area, Mr Jones added.
"I've never, ever doubted that they're both massively committed anyway," Mr Jones said of Mr Reynolds and fellow actor and owner Rob McElhenney.
"But, it's just another feather in the cap of these guys. They are just wonderful human beings aren't they?"
Mr Jones said he had never seen a town or region lifted so much by two people.
"I messaged them both last night and said: 'You need to realise and take a little bit of appreciation of what you guys have done for the area'.
"So if he has there'll be some happy faces in that neighbourhood."
Tracey Nevitt, who runs a playgroup at Marford Community Centre, said rumours of Mr Reynolds' move had been the talk of the village.
"People are trying to guess where, because there's only so many houses round here he could potentially buy," she said.
"Yeah, I think it's a good feeling. He's not the first star here. We've got Dennis Taylor just down the road and Steve Cooper. So we're quite used to it."
Jan Jones, chairwoman of Gresford community council, which serves Marford, said two of her children had been sending her pictures of houses they thought Mr Reynolds might have bought.
"Whichever house it is, I'm sure it'll be a lovely house and he and his family will be made really welcome, and they'll find lots to do," she said.
"I'm sure they'll love living here."
On Sunday, Mr Reynolds and Mr McElhenney were awarded the Freedom of Wrexham at a ceremony at the city's Guildhall.
The honour was conferred upon them just hours before the Dragons' victory over the Magpies at The Racecourse.
Club executive director, Humphrey Ker, said he had been enjoying the outpouring of excitement around the town.
Monday's win was the latest step in making promotion back to the football league a reality for Wrexham after 15 years.
Mr Ker said: "Obviously we've not won anything yet. We've got four more games to go. We need to get seven points minimum so there is still a big task ahead of us."
The team, he said, was historically a league football club.
"We're the third-oldest professional team in the world," he said.
"We used to play in Europe regularly. We'd play in front of crowds of 35,000.
"As far as you can use the word 'deserves' in football, because what you deserve in football is what you work for, it's a club that deserves to be higher up the league."
It would mean "everything" for the fans and was, he said, "incredibly important" to those who had "arrived more recently".
After the win, Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster was kissed on the lips by Mr McElhenney and Mr Reynolds called him "double handsome".
The player said he would "take that".
"I said to them, 'Listen, you may as well end the documentary now'," Mr Foster said.
"You'll never get a better moment than what's just happened."
A documentary series, Welcome to Wrexham, has documented Mr Reynolds' and Mr McElhenney's experiences in football.
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