‘Handsome enough for Peaky Blinders? I’ll take that from Ryan Reynolds!’ League Two hero Macaulay Langstaff on Wrexham rivalry

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The prolific Notts County striker tried his best to deny Wrexham the National League title last season with a record-breaking 42 goals

Macaulay Langstaff celebrates scoring against Wrexham last season
Macaulay Langstaff celebrates scoring against Wrexham last season (Image credit: Getty Images)

Wrexham's image and media profile has been completely transformed by the arrival of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as owners.

Many lower division teams have seen their achievements overshadowed by events at the Racecourse Ground, not least Notts County. The oldest professional club in the world returned to the Football League through the play-offs last season despite picking up an incredible 107 points.

Notts County played bold, attacking football under Luke Williams, scoring 117 goals, but that still wasn't enough to clinch the title.

Macaulay Langstaff and Ruben Rodrigues celebrating promotion at Wembley

Macaulay Langstaff and Ruben Rodrigues celebrating promotion at Wembley (Image credit: Getty Images)

Wrexham pipped them to top spot as an intriguing rivalry developed between the two clubs that has continued this season as both push for consecutive promotions.

As Notts County's key man, with a record-breaking 42 goals during their National League promotion campaign, Macaulay Langstaff was referenced several times in series two of the Disney+ show Welcome To Wrexham.

In an interview with FourFourTwo magazine, the striker was asked about McElhenney joking that “Langstaff can f**k off”, and Reynolds claiming he was good-looking enough to be in Peaky Blinders.

"Listen, I’ll take that all day from Ryan Reynolds, and if Peaky Blinders are up for giving me a role, I wouldn’t say no. 

"Obviously it was surreal having people like Ryan and Rob mentioning me. It was funny, and so many people were messaging me about what they’d said when the show aired. It was good fun. "

Wrexham supporters in front of a banner featuring Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

Wrexham supporters in front of a banner featuring Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney (Image credit: Getty Images)

Talking about last season's promotion race, Langstaff said: "We knew Wrexham were going to be the main challengers for the title, and we ended up pushing each other to the wire. 

"We wouldn’t have reached the number of points we did without them and they’d probably say the same thing about us. 

"Paul Mullin and I also pushed one another all the way in terms of goalscoring [the Wrexham striker scored 38].

"The rivalry between the two clubs, in the wake of Wrexham’s fame, shone a light on non-league football, and that can only be a good thing."

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Ed McCambridge
Ed McCambridge
Staff Writer

Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.

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