Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner offered a classy olive branch by putting money behind the bar for fans ahead of Thursday night's game against Wrexham. The American financier, who has an estimated net worth of around $1.6billion (£1.34bn), was spotted in the iconic Turf pub with Wrexham chief executive Michael Williamson. Wagner, who led the takeover of Birmingham in mid-2023, endeared himself to supporters by sticking his hands in his pockets so they could enjoy some free drinks.
The Turf is often featured in the hit documentary series Welcome To Wrexham, which has made the North Wales club a global attraction under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. With no sign of the two actors or NFL legend and Birmingham minority investor Tom Brady last night, Wagner chose to sit with the Blues fans in the away end to enjoy the League One clash at the Racecourse Ground.
Wrexham's own minority investors, the Allyn family from New York, were present in the owners' box, alongside Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan. Actor Brandon Sklenar, who starred alongside Reynold's wife Blake Lively in It Ends With Us, was also seen taking in the game from an executive box.
The two ambitious American-owned clubs played out a 1-1 draw in front of the Sky Sports cameras. Wrexham took the lead early on as midfielder Ollie Rathbone curled an excellent shot into the bottom right corner of the goal. His effort was cancelled out by Lyndon Dykes' header for Birmingham nine minutes later. The enthralling tie finished all square despite a second-half onslaught from Wrexham.
