Tag: Ben Foster

The ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ writers have really outdone themselves

A 40-year-old goalkeeper coming out of retirement to make the biggest play of the season? Cliché, but we’ll allow it

The next season of “Welcome to Wrexham” looks like it’s going to be a doozy.

The latest plot twist (spoiler alert!) involves a 40-year-old goalkeeper coming out of retirement to make a heroic penalty save in the last second of the biggest game of the season.

A little cliché, we know, but sometimes you can’t beat a classic.

Wrexham was tied with Notts County atop the National League table entering Monday’s showdown at Racecourse Ground. The game had all the makings of a promotion-decider, with only the first-place finisher gaining automatic passage to League Two for next season.

Notts County took the lead on the stroke of halftime, but a wild second half saw Wrexham emerge with a 3-2 lead as the game entered stoppage time.

The visitors were given a chance to level with the last kick of the match, but Ben Foster, a former England international who only came out of retirement last month, stepped up to deliver the save of the season — and a play that could ensure Wrexham’s promotion.

Wrexham won 3-2 and now have a three-point lead over Notts County with a game in hand, and just four games left to play.

The Welsh club’s incredible rise under owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney shows no sign of slowing down. You could barely script it.

Watch Foster’s heroic save for Wrexham

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Ex-England goalkeeper Foster comes out of retirement to join Wrexham

The 39-year-old retired after last season with Watford

For Wrexham, it was nice to have Ben Foster’s name in the club’s rolodex.

With first-choice goalkeeper Rob Lainton out for six weeks due to a knee injury, the National League leaders have brought Foster out of retirement, signing the 39-year-old to a contract through the end of the season.

Foster returns to a club where he starred on loan 18 years ago, before he went on to a stellar career that included stops at Manchester United, Birmingham City, West Brom and Watford. He also earned eight caps for England, including an appearance at the 2014 World Cup.

“I’m over the moon. I’ve been at the club an hour this morning and it seems a really nice place. Everyone is down to earth and the manager’s top class,” Foster said in a club statement.

“It’s changed a lot since I was last here, but it’s nice to be back and it’s nice to be back as a player too. It will be interesting to see how my body feels after training today! I’m looking forward to getting started.

“If you’d told me 18 years ago that I’d have gone on to have the career that I have had, I probably wouldn’t have believed you to be honest so I do owe a lot to Wrexham.”

Wrexham, who have of course risen to fame after being taken over by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, are currently three points ahead of second-place Notts County in the National League table with a game in hand.

Only the champion gains automatic promotion to League Two, with teams in second through seventh place entering a playoff to determine the second promoted team.

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