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When Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney) first appeared before the cameras at the Racecourse Ground in October 2021, Wrexham were a National League side clutching at hope rather than building genuine momentum.

Promotion seemed far-off, the EFL still wasn't a reality and the arrival of two Hollywood stars was, depending on your perspective, either thrilling or slightly ridiculous. Jump ahead to January 2026 and that press conference now feels like a relic from a bygone age.

Wrexham are battling for a Championship play-off place following three straight promotions, the Racecourse is undergoing major redevelopment and the club has emerged as one of football's most recognised brands worldwide. What previously sounded like wishful thinking is now clearly identifiable as the framework for the triumph that has ensued.

Looking back at that debut appearance by Reynolds and Mac during their first visit to the town, two things shine through more clearly than before. Not the fame and not the media attention, but the hints that were there for all to see from the beginning.

The first is precisely how much they've already fulfilled aspirations that, back then, were greeted with scepticism. When Reynolds quipped that their target wasn't the Premier League but "to take everyone to space", it served as an effortless way of raising a laugh whilst slightly managing expectations before they spiralled out of control.

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But even cloaked in comedy, the message was unmistakable: they were determined to win, time and again, and they wanted Wrexham to represent something that stretched further than just north east Wales. Reynolds discussed expanding the club "in every way we can" and transforming Wrexham into a worldwide brand, whilst emphasising that everything must be achieved "in lockstep with the community".

Mac echoed this sentiment by presenting the takeover not as a personal indulgence but as conscientious ownership, establishing frameworks to ensure the club could flourish long after their departure. Back then, even referencing the Premier League seemed wildly optimistic, yet they mentioned it regardless.

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Reynolds was particularly cautious about managing expectations of quick fixes, emphasising this represented "a long road" and certainly not an instant transformation. Success, he suggested, would provide the ideal ending as he spoke like an owner who fully grasped Wrexham's humble starting position.

Four years on, the extraordinary aspect isn't that the Premier League was discussed. It's that the distance between the club and the top division has narrowed far more rapidly than anyone could have reasonably anticipated.

The second detail that reveals everything is much smaller, yet possibly more telling. Reynolds spoke extensively about how much he treasured the spontaneous encounters during that initial visit, including moments with players away from the spotlight, dismantling what he called a "weird wall" between the owners and the team.

He confessed they'd spent more than a year observing from a distance and wanted the players to understand who they were and why they were there. What strikes you now is his casual remark that they were mulling over altering their schedule just to spend more time with the players over the coming days.

It was only mentioned offhand, but it exposed an ownership approach built on curiosity and modesty rather than a top-down hierarchy. Mac described booting a ball about on a pitch like the one at the Racecourse as a childhood fantasy, expressing amazement at how eagerly the players embraced him.

Reynolds, meanwhile, was left impressed by the squad's own humble character. Looking back, that impulse to listen first and make decisions later feels fundamental to everything that's happened since.

From honouring the club's volunteers to safeguarding the Racecourse as the pulsing heart of the town, the standard was established early. Towards the conclusion of the press conference, Reynolds was questioned about how success should be measured.

His response now seems rather prophetic. The evidence, he said, would emerge in time and assessments in the early days were merely speculation, but the owners' dedication was "110 percent". Several years later, the evidence is everywhere you look.

Revisiting that first press conference now, what's remarkable isn't how audacious the vision was, but how realistic it was at the same time. The aspiration was present from day one, but so was the patience.

Amid the laughter, the down-to-earth approach and the readiness to rearrange their commitments simply to be with the squad, Wrexham's resurgence was already beginning to take form.