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“I want to get north Wales back up there and hopefully one day I can get them to the Premier League,” says Wrexham’s record signing, Nathan Broadhead. Back at the club after a 17-year absence, he did not miss a clash with Cardiff in that time but the rivals renew acquaintances in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, with the Red Dragons looking down on the boys from the Welsh capital.
The enmity between Wrexham and Cardiff has cooled given they have not faced each other since a Welsh Cup semi-final in 2004 and last met in the league in March 2002 but a lively atmosphere can be expected at Stōk Cae Ras in the battle for a quarter-final spot. The two passed each other this summer, when Wrexham continued their journey up the leagues to the Championship, while the Bluebirds dropped into the third tier for the first time in 22 years.
Broadhead is a fan of his hometown club Bangor City but was brought up in a household with affection for Tuesday’s opponents, including his dad. “I know quite a few Cardiff fans and there’s a lot of people who support Cardiff, and go to watch Cardiff from Bangor,” says Broadhead, who will mute a few WhatsApp groups this week. “They all say the same thing, telling me not to score. Hopefully I do score, but I’m just happy to be part of it.”
The forward started as a youth at Wrexham before, like many young north Walians, feeling compelled to head to England to join academies in Manchester or Liverpool. It was Everton in his case. The structure was not in place at Wrexham before Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney arrived, meaning they missed out on generations of talent, including Harry Wilson, Neco Williams and Danny Ward.
“I wanted to do well for the club and also to get the academy and everything like that back to where it was,” says Broadhead, who wants Wrexham to be a hub for talent from north Wales. “If you get youngsters in, give them a chance; if big teams want them, they make money off that.”
There was an offer to return on loan while Wrexham were in the National League but a teenage Broadhead decided he was not physically ready. It cost the Red Dragons an initial £7.5m to bring Broadhead back from Ipswich, with a potential further £2.5m, and goalkeeper Ward also returned this summer, on a free. The Broadhead deal is a sign of the spending power the club has with Reynolds and McElhenney at the tiller. “I didn’t think I’d end up back here,” Broadhead says. “The club is on a trajectory and the investment that’s been put in is eye-catching.”
Traditionally, Wrexham’s more vicious rivalry has been with Chester, while Cardiff have focused attention on Swansea and Newport. But their meetings were not without friction and that was exacerbated in the 1980s when there was conflict over which club would host Wales internationals.
The Racecourse Ground was known for offering an intimidating atmosphere, helping the national team to have a fine record there. Ninian Park, however, was bigger and could bring in greater revenue. That drew the Football Association of Wales to the Cardiff option but the results did not match those in Wrexham, leaving many of those outside the capital infuriated.
The two fanbases make up a lot of the hardcore Wales away following, coming together behind Wrexham’s Broadhead and Kieffer Moore, and players at Cardiff including the Colwill brothers. Cardiff will take 1,200 supporters to Wrexham, filling out the away end. The fact that the ground is one stand short, while a new one is constructed behind one goal, will take away from the atmosphere somewhat, but those packed inside will be eager to make up for it.
If Wrexham are benefiting from their owners’ investment, many Cardiff supporters would say their club’s predicament is down to the ownership of Vincent Tan. They find themselves a tier below Wrexham for the first time since 2000-01. Since then they have spent two years in the Premier League.
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Part of Wrexham’s global profile can be attributed to the Welcome to Wrexham documentary. Its popularity made Paul Mullin into an international star but Broadhead is not concerned about building a brand. “I’ve never watched any of their movies,” he says. “I just came here for what I wanted. I didn’t think about that too much. I just wanted to do well, as soon as I came here. That’s it, really. It was the same when I went to Sunderland – I didn’t watch theirs. I wanted fresh eyes and fresh everything. I didn’t want any negative or any judgment.”
Broadhead is almost 200,000 Instagram followers behind Mullin, who moved to Wigan on a season-long loan in June, but doing it on the pitch is all that matters. After a slow start back home, Broadhead scored the winner against Oxford on Wednesday, only the third time Wrexham have picked up maximum points in 12 league games this season. “It’s not gone as well as I thought,” says Broadhead. “But the lads are trying their best and we need to put it right. A win can change a lot of things. Confidence is everything.”
After a 21-year wait, two very different versions of Wrexham and Cardiff are ready to do battle again. “To be part of that as a Welsh lad is a nice feeling, and hopefully the north can be on top,” says Broadhead with a knowing smile.
