Wrexham narrowly missed out on the Championship play-offs, but co-owner Ryan Reynolds witnessed Southampton’s strange side as they were kicked out of the final at Wembley.
Ryan Reynolds downplayed Southampton’s play-off exclusion (Image: Getty Images)
Ryan Reynolds posted a photo on social media mocking Southampton after the Spygate scandal cost them a place in the Championship play-off final.
Wrexham’s owner saw his team narrowly miss out on a top-six finish in their first season back in the Second Division. Southampton finished nine points above Wrexham and beat Middlesbrough 2-1 in the semi-final.
However, both games were overshadowed by allegations of spying at Middlesbrough, with the EFL charging Saints. A hearing followed the win and on Tuesday it was confirmed that Southampton would be expelled from the play-off final against Hull.
Middlesbrough are back and Reynolds was clearly looking on the funny side, posting a photo of two men from the movie Spies Like Us and compiling a Southampton scarf into the snap.
The 1985 comedy is about two government agents who think they’re U.S. spies, but it turns out they’re actually nuclear war decoys.
read more: EFL releases new Spygate statement as play-off final kick-off time changesread more: Southampton official’s damning message surfaced on WhatsApp: “He was wearing a rival club’s shirt to spy”
Southampton manager Tonda Eckert claimed she was unaware of the rules about watching opposing teams practice, which is common in other countries where she has worked. Saints admitted he watched Middlesbrough train, as well as Ipswich and Oxford, earlier this season.
They plan to appeal the ruling, which they believe goes too far. It is the first of its kind and has not been seen before since the EFL tightened its rules after Leeds spied on Derby in 2019. Despite the ruling, Southampton’s chief executive said in an email to staff that the club was confident it could reverse the decision.
Wrexham lost to Southampton in the opening game of the season, but Saints scored the winning goal in the 96th minute against St Mary’s. When played at the Racecourse Ground in April, the visitors recorded an incredible record of five wins and one loss, severely denting Wrexham’s hopes of making the play-offs.
Reynolds’ team had climbed the football pyramid, winning three promotions in a row, but their progress came to a halt. Wrexham won only two of their last seven games and drew with Middlesbrough on the final day, ultimately missing out on the play-offs by two points.
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