Ben Foster brings back matchday vlogs for his Wrexham debut at the weekend including Ryan Reynolds in his latest viral YouTube video.
In the latest edition, the co-owner and Hollywood star made an appearance, with the video receiving over a million views in 24 hours.
Last week, the former Prem and EFL goalkeeper announced that he was coming out of retirement to return to the club where in 2005 he had spent half of a season on loan.
Ryan Reynolds welcomed him on his YouTube video, holding his his match-worn shirt with it announced that one lucky fan will win it.
Foster talks about his return to the Welsh outfit, 18 years after first appearing for the club on a loan deal from Stoke.
Speaking while at the Racecourse Ground, he said: “We are back, baby! The Cycling GK, matchday vlogs, GoPro in the goal, we are back and I am absolutely buzzing.
“So you might have seen in the last few days I have come out of retirement and I have signed for a team that I actually played for 18 years ago.
“2005 I was last here at Wrexham, you might know them a little better from the Welcome to Wrexham series with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
“It is a fantastic club, we are in non-league, we are top of the league, we are three points clear and we have a game in hand.”
Reynolds and McElhenney will hope promotion will be the start to climbing the pyramid and have ambitions for top flight one day.
Their pre-season campaign in the United States, will see them go up against Premier League giants Manchester United. The video for that announcement including Sir Alex Ferguson went viral. See that HERE.
Foster and his fellow team-mates will continue their promotion charge at home to Oldham on Saturday.
HIS INTERVIEW
BF: Yeah, really, really good. I gotta say, I did, I’d settled in so quickly, so easily. It’s always, I think it doesn’t matter who you are or what, what you’ve done in your career. I think going into a new dressing room, a new change room full of 25 different blokes yeah, that you’ve probably never met before, it’s always a bit of a daunting prospect. So, yeah, this morning, the drive in a little bit sort of apprehensive nervous, but I’ve got to say, from the second I walked through the door, the reception, the welcoming, everybody just real good people, just made it really easy to settle in. So I’ve had a day’s training session already. It was absolutely brilliant, honestly. Like I said, I’ve been nine months retired now. You always worry that your hands might not be quite up to speed or something like that, but I felt good. I did, I felt good and I’m looking forward to it.
Interviewer: So you’ve mentioned that nine months of time and what was it that tended you back into football as a player?
BF: So, obviously I’ve had some offers. You always get offers, obviously. You wouldn’t believe how many offers actually, it’s mad, you get some mad, far flung ones from all over the world. But even in the last sort of four or five weeks, I’ve had a few really interesting ones, ones that have really sparked my interest to the point of going, yeah, maybe I might consider something, actually. And then, like I say, yesterday morning, I was out of my bike, had a nice little 40 legs, I was cooking, like, brilliant, earning a day, and then got home, my phone was just blowing up, text messages from thinking, what the heck’s going on here? Anyway? Wrexahm interested goalie got injured, unfortunately for Rob. Would you be interested in short term deal to the end of the season? There’s eight games left, what do you think? Straight away, the fact that it was Wrexham is just a massive, massive plus. The fact that I’ve been here before obviously won something, won the LDV Vans in 2005, real good memories of the club. It was genuinely was the springboard to the rest of my career, pretty much. So I left on really good terms with the Wrexham fans and it was a very easy decision to make. Like, say, I got the call yesterday morning, pondered about it for maybe half an hour. With regards to any kind of negotiations and terms, it’s nothing that worries me too much. I don’t even really need to be paid too much, to be perfectly honest here. Just the fact that I could do it and now I’m looking forward to it because I think just speaking to the manager as well, Phil is just one of the most down to earth blokes you can meet, honestly. He’s proper, proper old school proper. And that’s the bit of that I like the most. When you talk to somebody like Phil Parkinson and he’s got a very important rule for signing for one of his football clubs, and that is just don’t be a plonker. Like, if you’re not a plonker, you’ve got a chance. If you’re not bad at football and you’re not a plonker, you could come and play for Phil Parkinson. And that was what sort of ranks all the way through. And that’s exactly what I found whenI walked through the door this morning.
Interviewer: So you mentioned coming back here. I’ve changed a lot, obviously, in the not least last couple of years. But is this feeling as you’re pulling onto the car park, bringing those memories back?
BF: If you like, yeah, it’s nice. You remember all the little streets and little roads, andI ‘m down the motorway and I see Mold, and as soon as I see Mold, I think I’m close. I’ve got to be close. Is that you say it Mold? Yeah, as soon as I see it, I think I’m close then. So, yeah, then you get off and you drive him up to the stadium. And I must admit, I totally forgot what the stadium like, the inner workings are, the change rooms, I forgot the layout, all that. But as soon as you walk through the door again, it’s like, I remember this. They still eat food in the canteen in the same place that we used to eat. It’s nice, it’s fantastic. And just going out on the pitch as well. I know it’s a lot different where the stands are here and then it’s all changed, but it’s still the Racecourse. And that’s the bit that I remember.
Interviewer: What does Wrexham mean to you, as I said, having effectively launched your career from your own story?
BF: Exactly that. They’ll always have a special place in my heart. I was moving house last week, last Thursday, actually, so I’ve had a busy couple of weeks. Don’t move house, by the way. Moving houses, don’t do that. But I had a load of stuff in storage, load of my football memorabilia, stuff that I’ve collected over the years. And it’s been in storage for the best part of ten years now, until we moved into a bigger house where we’ve got the room for it.So they basically re delivered everything to the house.I ‘m unpacking all sorts of stuff and framed pictures of shirts and this and that.And then I’ve stumbled across the LDV Vans final shirt. I’ve got my medal in there, load of pictures, ticket stubbed, the program from the day. And it’s just nice. As soon as I see that, I just think, oh yeah, that’s class. So I’ll get a picture for you guys. You can see it, but it looks lovely. We’re even just reminiscing with some people that remember that team and some of the players in the team that was my start of my career. That was what gave me the springboard for the rest of my career.
Interviewer: What are your memories of that first spell here, especially the final at down in Cardiff?
BF: Yeah, the first game was against Hereford in the LDV Vans away at Hereford. And Hereford, actually, I remember, because Hereford is not actually too far from where I live, on Midlands based anyway, so Hereford is in a million miles away and I never really got a chance to go and train with the lads too much. I think I have one training session, maybe before the game, and manager Dennis Smith was like, Listen, the game’s tomorrow night, but you can go home and then just meet us at the stadium if you want. And I remember that way thinking quite like, he trusts me to just go and meet the lads. Do you know what I mean? But that’s how it was and it’s still that same way now, where it’s just a real down to earth club, like a proper club. He trusted me and that’s the bit that made me feel like a proper first team player, an important first team player, part of the team. And that’s something I’ve never felt before as a 20 year old, I’ve never felt it before. So that was my very first taste of not only first team football, but being and feeling an integral member of a team.
Interviewer: Now, right back up to the modern day, how do you approach these final eight games on a personal level?
BF: Oh, personally, it’s business as usual, genuinely is for me, always. The best part of being a footballer is that 3 o’clock kickoff. As soon as that whistle blows on a 3 o’clock, that’s when you get all the adrenaline and the buzz and the bits. That’s when you can do stuff that you can’t normally do. You can’t do it on the training pitch, you can’t replicate that feeling. And that’s, for me, that’s a bit that I’ve always just found really easy to just go into autopilot mode. And I think if you’re in autopilot mode, you’re cooking. So, yeah, I have my first training session today. Hands felt fine, to be honest. Diving around, all good. I’ll probably say something different when I wakeup tomorrow morning, I’m peeling myself off the bedsheets, but now I felt good. But, yeah, like I said, the last eight games, it’s very much just try and not rock the boat too much. Just keep it steady, keep it going. And if we can get a nice little run together for the Notts County game and then put it to bed by beating them as well, then we’re cooking.
This is what fans had to say as Ben Foster brings back matchday vlogs for his Wrexham debut including Ryan Reynolds…
@_LiamRoberts: What a legend 👏🏼
@beardywxm: Friggin ledge
@AntAntshell4: Wow great blog 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️🏴
@le_lebouf76: Oh yes missed these the @BenFoster match day vlogs and goal pro in the goal – the content gives you a insight you wouldn’t normally get 👌
@jordanread72: Awesome video!! Another year with us @BenFoster I’d love to see these next season 😉😂
@xemma79x: Brilliant match day blog Ben 🤩
@serial_waffler: Sheeeesh @BenFoster number 1 on trending ya know! Loved the vlog mate, can’t wait for more! Keep it up! 🔥💯🙌🏼
@JLA2792: Ben Fosters first matchday vlog hasn’t disappointed. Although there’s been a distinct lack of him calling people friggin’ ledges.
@vivamattcanning: Im so glad the matchday @BenFoster videos are back. What a ledge.
@KandtRw: I’d never seen a @BenFoster CGK report before & really enjoyed it. Great “eye” view. Does one need proper dispensation to put a Go-Pro inside the goal? I’m actually surprised it’s allowed, but glad it is! #askwxm
@BSECricket: Great to see Ben back at Wrexham. I saw him when they won LDV Vans Cup back in 2005. Also in that Wrexham team was Carlos Edwards who is still playing at age 40+ for Bury Town FC (Suffolk) in non-league Tier 8. Carlos still oozes class even against opponents half his age !
@jonadevitt: @BenFoster and 2 others Really good this. I’m most star struck seeing actual mold road and the uni car park on the small screen!
@DarrenObsesses: These match day videos from @BenFoster are outstanding and great for all of who are hooked on all things @Wrexham_AFC and @WrexhamFX
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