Wrexham's ''behaviour is different'' this season | OneFootball

Hollywood-backed Wrexham have found their level and dialled down their attitude in the Championship this season, according to a rival manager. 

Paul Heckingbottom, now in charge of Preston North End, has a rare vantage point and shared his views on the rise of the Welsh club in an interview with The Athletic. 

Heckingbottom faced Wrexham at the height of their global hype in January 2023, when millions watched the then-non-League club take his Sheffield United side to a dramatic 3-3 draw in the FA Cup.

That fourth-round tie — broadcast live on Match of the Day — carried all the Hollywood spectacle, including Ryan Reynolds presenting signed shirts to the studio pundits.

The replay, which Sheffield United won 3-1, was just as intense. Tempers flared, and a post-match confrontation between the teams simmered for days. Heckingbottom later admitted he was irritated by several off-field issues in Wales.

Almost three years on, their paths have crossed again in a very different context. Now three divisions higher, the narrative is still about Wrexham's star-powered ownership, but the playing field is levelling with the Premier League now on the horizon. Heckingbottom’s Lilywhites drew 1-1 with the Red Dragons last weekend and there has been a clear shift in the Welsh club's persona, in his view. 

“The main difference between my first time up against Wrexham is they’ve found their level,” he told The Athletic. “When they were in the National League, they signed players better than that level. Same in League Two and League One. That probably got people’s backs up.

“Now, they are no longer the biggest fish and their behaviour is different. There’s also a respect for what they are doing.”