Ryan Reynolds invites special guest for first Wrexham visit for thrilling FA Cup win over Forest

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Phil Parkinson, Wrexham's boss, hailed the club's "special" FA Cup triumph over Nottingham Forest and was delighted that Hollywood owner Ryan Reynolds was there to see it unfold. The Deadpool star even brought his mother along for her first-ever visit.

Wrexham prevailed 4-3 on penalties to reach the fourth round of the competition following an entertaining 3-3 stalemate, having earlier been 2-0 and 3-1 ahead. Parkinson discussed his pre-match chat with the actor, saying: "I had a chat with him before the game and it was great to see him over here with his family."

He added: "I think Ryan's mum was here tonight, which was for the first time. So it's really special and I hope they've enjoyed the night.

"I'm sure that on the flight back home tonight, they'll be having a few glasses of wine to celebrate."

Wrexham arrived at the SToK Cae Ras in blistering form , having secured four straight victories in the Sky Bet Championship. Liberato Cacace and Oliver Rathbone both found the net within three minutes of each other in the opening period to put the hosts 2-0 up at the interval.

Igor Jesus pulled one back for Forest before Dominic Hyam restored the Red Dragons' two-goal cushion. Forest substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi dragged the tie into extra time with two stunning strikes, the second arriving in the 89th minute.

But goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo became Wrexham's hero with outstanding penalty stops from Jesus and Omari Hutchinson. In a chat with TNT Sports , Parkinson stated: "We had to rally the troops a bit in the break, because I think the whole ground had gone flat.

"You get that feeling 'have we lost our best chance to get through and beat a Premier League team?' But the lads rallied themselves, there was a lot of tired legs, and credit to both sides for putting on such a good game after that busy Christmas schedule.

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"It's a huge night for us and I'm pleased for this group of players to write their own bit of history in the club's rich heritage in the FA Cup ."

Wrexham have a notable FA Cup track record, having defeated renowned teams like Arsenal , Newcastle , and West Ham over the years. However, this was their first face-off with top-tier opposition in the competition in 26 years.

Forest manager Sean Dyche gave a scathing review of his team's first-half performance, which ultimately sealed the fate for last season's semi-finalists. Dyche commented: "The first half is completely unacceptable. I've let certain individuals know that and they've got to look in the mirror.

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"It's unacceptable to me, but it's unacceptable to the badge as well. They all knock on your door and say 'why aren't I playing'? But the evidence is quite honestly there.

"Not for all, but that's what football is. You've got to train and prepare right all the time, because when the day comes you've got to be ready and there's too many who weren't.

"The players who came on second half were a credit and we looked like a Premier League side. Penalties are a lottery, but we've created enough chances to win the game."

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