Wrexham owners mock Southampton over Spygate ahead of Racecourse clash
Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac used a tongue-in-cheek social media video to take a dig at Southampton ahead of their Championship meeting at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday (15:00 BST). The clip referenced last season’s Spygate controversy and was posted on Wrexham’s X account.
Southampton were expelled from the play-off final and docked four points after an intern was found observing their semi-final opponents Middlesbrough in training, with similar incidents later discovered at Oxford United and Ipswich Town earlier in the campaign. The Saints beat Wrexham in both Championship meetings in 2025-26 by an aggregate score of 7-2, including a 5-1 victory at the Racecourse Ground in April that helped them overtake the Welsh side and secure a play-off spot. After seven league matches this season Wrexham sit 19th, while Southampton are ninth on 10 points, three more than the north Wales club.
The video begins with Reynolds appearing from behind a tree and was presented as a skit nominally promoting the club’s shirt sponsor, Firefox. Reynolds says: "Today, for no particular reason, we want to talk about the importance of privacy." Mac follows with: "Specifically, how to prevent spies from seeing what you're doing." Later in the exchange Reynolds jokes about searching for "how to run a football club" and the pair name-check Middlesbrough, Oxford and Ipswich before Reynolds concludes: "Refreshing, huh? An organisation that actually respects your privacy." The 59-second clip finishes with the pair looking at a mobile phone that purportedly shows a Southampton pickleball team in practice.
Wrexham had already taken a light-hearted swipe at Southampton when the club released its September fixture list in June, writing "check training ground" next to the date of 17 September with an asterisk clarifying "for unauthorised visitors," two days before the scheduled meeting with the Saints.
Amid the uncertainty around Spygate, Wrexham maintained contact with the English Football League (EFL) after the end of the 2025-26 regular season. Manager Parkinson addressed the fallout, saying: "We're the team which obviously were affected because we were seventh, but we accepted the EFL decision on that." He added: "Southampton got punished for it and they've had to accept their punishment and move on. That's all I can say on it really, it's gone. We're concentrating on what we've got to do and likewise they're the same."
The Saints visit the Racecourse Ground on Saturday with kick-off at 15:00 BST; Parkinson said his side's sole focus now lies on delivering a positive display against the Saints this weekend following their 6-0 loss to West Ham United last time out.