Ben Foster has expressed his admiration for Wrexham, describing the club as “special” following their promotion to League Two after just seven games back in the division.
Not long ago, Foster came out of retirement to play for National League club Wrexham until the end of the season. Despite turning down a return to the Premier League after hanging up his gloves last year, he was happy to return to the Racecourse Ground.
The former Manchester United goalkeeper, who once left Sir Alex Ferguson feeling “robbed,” had previously played for Wrexham on loan for 17 games back in 2005.
Although the signing of Ben Foster initially caused excitement, particularly for neutrals hoping for the return of his vlogs, it almost went awry at the worst possible time.
After making mistakes in a loss to Halifax Town on Good Friday, Foster was labeled an “eight-week PR stunt,” and Wrexham’s promotion hopes were in jeopardy.
However, just a few days later, Foster redeemed himself in the eyes of fans and co-owner Ryan Reynolds by saving a last-minute penalty in a win over Notts County.
On Saturday night, Foster was once again in goal as Phil Parkinson’s team defeated Boreham Wood to earn promotion to the Football League.
Despite his brief stint at the club, Foster is clearly enamored with Wrexham. “It’s my seventh game, and it’s like home already,” he told BT Sport.
“Seriously, this club, this club is different I promise you. So that meant a lot that did, it’s really special.”
“It’s like home already!”@BenFoster on his enduring connection with @Wrexham_AFC 🥹 pic.twitter.com/7puTUJlNfo
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 22, 2023
Asked if he had any regrets coming back, and why he did return, he emphatically answered, “Heck no! Heck no!
“I don’t think there’s anyone else I would have come to, to be fair. I’ve been here before, I know the club, I know how special it is and I know how much the fans love it. I know what it means to them.
“And like I say, those seven games I’ve just played, my god. Just look at them now, they’re bonkers, the noise they make, incredible.”
Even before the match, it felt like a party atmosphere around the ground, and the fans would have expected to see their side promoted.
However, it took just 43 seconds to put a dent in their hopes, even if they did keep singing, with Lee Ndlovu opening the scoring in dramatic fashion, lobbing Foster.
But Elliott Lee soon equalised, and the keeper never had any worries his side might not win. “I’m thinking, ‘Nah lads, that’s not the start you want,'” he joked.
“It was what it was, even then though I thought, ‘we’re going to be fine.’
“When we’re at home, and these fans get going, nobody, honestly nobody, can stand in our way.
“And I knew, just keep doing what we’re doing, and we got the goal back pretty quickly, and that was it, it was never in doubt after that.”
Clearly Foster is smitten with the club and the fans, you can see why.