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

WREXHAM, Wales, March 5 : 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,