Hollywood superstars and Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac both attempted in vain to contact a player they’d surprisingly let go in the summer. And the player who declined their calls, Steven Fletcher, has revealed his reasons for blanking the megastars, but how he patched up the relationship with the pair during a round of golf.

'Premature' exit from Red Dragons

Fletcher enjoyed a highly successful two-year spell at Wrexham, helping the club secure back-to-back promotions from League Two to the Championship. The former Scotland international, often deployed as an effective "super sub," scored 16 goals in 77 competitive appearances, with eight in each season, including a memorable hat-trick against Barrow. His time at was widely praised by team-mates, fans, and the celebrity owners alike for his leadership and impact.  

His exit, however, was not his choice. Following the club's promotion to the Championship at the end of last season, manager Phil Parkinson opted not to offer the 38-year-old a new contract, citing squad size considerations and the increased demands of the higher league. Fletcher expressed his disappointment, stating he would have loved to stay, but ultimately understood the decision and subsequently announced his retirement from professional football.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportFletcher: 'I did blank a few calls to start with'

Fletcher said: "Looking back now, it was probably the right decision from the club with the amount of players that we had, but it took me a while to get over it. I was angry for a good few weeks. I'm quite a chilled guy, but I blanked a few phone calls for a while. Obviously, people from the club tried to call me after they found out and I was like, 'I am not ready to talk to you.' Rob and Ryan both called me after, but I did blank a few calls to start with. 

"I got on really well with both of them, but I didn't want them to get the brunt of [my anger]. I did calm down then and Rob texted me and said, 'Let me know when you want to speak.' I think they understood. I spoke to Rob, and then me and Ryan missed each other back and forward for a while. I was missing his calls and then he was missing mine. Then I'm thinking that he's thinking I'm blanking him. We met up in person, me and Ryan, and he was like, 'Did you not want to speak to me?' I was like, 'No, of course not.' I had a good relationship with the owners. Rob was great with me and we went and played golf quite a few times."

Splash the cash

While the club continue to adapt to life in the Championship, they have been urged to show some faith and spend on a targeted few players, rather than casting the net wide and Sky Sports analyst Don Goodman has been forthright in his assessment. The former Wolves and Sunderland striker urged the club to act decisively but intelligently. Goodman said: "What you are seeing at the minute is loads of teams that are evenly matched and that gives a real opportunity. It could be that Wrexham might not get a better opportunity. With that in mind, I think there probably will be money available in January, if necessary. 

He added: "Their summer recruitment was massive in terms of Championship experience and quantity, a lot of new players came in. If they go and spend money in January, I would expect it to be quality over quantity. I would expect maybe it would be a couple of players brought in that would go straight into the starting eleven and improve them rather than players brought in for the squad. When I look at that table, they are one of four teams, from 11th to 14th, on 21 points, which is four points off a play-off spot. I would expect them to have a real go, and spend some money in January."

Getty Images SportMassive Ipswich test

Wrexham, currently 13th in the Championship table, travel to Portman Road with confidence, having lost only one league game since mid-October. Victory would move them above Ipswich in the standings, closing the gap to the play-off places. Key player Kieffer Moore has bagged nine goals this season and faces a race to be fit from a hamstring injury; if he is unavailable, Sam Smith is expected to lead the attack.