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Unsung hero Geraint Parry's pride in helping Wrexham stay on the map

The 65-year-old, a Reds' supporter since his early teens, stood down last year as football secretary after more than two decades in the role when he experienced a fair share of highs and lows.

Long before Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac completed their takeover at The Racecourse in February 2021, unsung hero Parry saw the club battle for survival when off-the-field issues dominated what was happening on the pitch.

Worries about mere existence have long passed and the Reds have become a global sensation under the A-listers, rising through the pyramid to the Championship after securing a record-breaking three successive promotions under Phil Parkinson.

Despite all the glitz and glamour now associated with Wrexham, loyal servant Parry, who remains with the club after taking up the post of official club historian, has earned a reputation for going out of his way to help people and he won't change.

"So many people come up to you and say, 'you do this for me'." he said.

"It is no nice that people remember things.

"You just try and be nice to people, treat people how you like to be treated yourself. Hopefully we can continue that.

"The club has got bigger and bigger, I fully understand it gets more and more difficult, but I hope we don't lose that side of it and people still feel they are part of it even with 17,000 crowds when the new stand is open."

Parry's long association with Wrexham began when he started helping put the matchday programme together in 1984 and as the years wore on, he eventually gave up a job building wings at an aerospace factory to go full-time early in the millennium.

"We started doing the programme in 1984 so were always involved with the club, doing our little bit to help the club," he said.

"I was working at British Aerospace and when the offer came to come to Wrexham 20-odd years ago, they were brilliant.

"They said take it and if it doesn't work out, give us a shout and you can come back, so that was really nice."

It was rocky ride when Parry started out as football secretary and when Wrexham went into administration in 2004, it was all hands on deck with employees mucking in wherever needed to ensure the club kept operating.

"When I first started as football secretary, we went into administration and everybody had to help everybody else," he said.

"Cleaning the stadium, moving snow off the pitch, washing the kit or whatever it might be.

"But with the way the club has gone, my focus has just been a secretarial role. Everything is paperwork!"

It is that paperwork that Parry won't miss, with Conor Barry leaving Wolves to take over as Football Administration Manager at The Racecourse

"With being a Welsh club, initially that wasn't a great problem but with crossing international borders all the time, everything now is to do with getting international clearance, even from 12-year-olds on up," he added.

"Registrations, training compensation, players becoming professionals, I was spending far too much of my time doing stuff for FIFA and all their red tape.

"Virtually every player we sign comes from across the border."

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