Photo via BBC Sport

Wrexham owners aim Spygate dig at Southampton

Ahead of their Championship meeting on Saturday at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac poked fun at Southampton with a video referencing their opponents' previous spying controversy. Southampton had been barred from last year's play-off final and docked four points when a club intern was caught watching Middlesbrough train, an infraction that had also occurred during sessions held by Oxford United and Ipswich Town.

In a lighthearted 59-second commercial nominally highlighting shirt sponsor Firefox, Reynolds and Mac stressed the need for digital privacy, specifically mentioning Middlesbrough, Oxford, and Ipswich before examining mock footage of a Southampton pickleball workout. Wrexham had previously hinted at the incident on their official fixture calendar by scheduling a training pitch inspection for unauthorized visitors ahead of this match, though senior EFL officials reportedly considered the new video clip to be in poor taste.

Southampton, guided by manager Tonda Eckert, occupy ninth position in the table with 10 points, three points clear of 19th-placed Wrexham after seven matches. The Saints enjoyed a 5-1 victory during their previous journey to north Wales back in April, leapfrogging the hosts to secure a post-season berth, while Wrexham finished seventh and monitored the EFL's disciplinary process.

Wrexham manager Parkinson noted that his squad has put the ruling behind them, shifting their focus to rebounding from a 6-0 thrashing against West Ham United.