Sam Dalby has revealed he got his very own ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ from Ryan Reynolds.
The striker has joined Dundee United on-loan from the rising English League One side who have added a bit of A-list glamour in the Deadpool star and Rob McElhenney. Dalby revealed the Hollywood owners who have made the Welsh side a worldwide brand thanks to their documentary charting their rise through the ranks. The forward, when he asked if he had much interaction with the pair, answered: “Yes, quite a few times, actually. They’re quite involved with the club.
“I’ll get that question a lot, ‘Do you actually know him?’ or does he just put a name on the club but they’re very involved. They’re always checking in on you, they text you and stuff like that, which is great. That wasn’t something I expected when I first joined, but it makes it a bit more personal. The first day I signed it was like, ‘Hey, it’s Ryan!’ That’s something that you don’t really expect. It’s just crazy.”
Dalby was also involved in the documentary but insisted it is pretty much a way of life for the staff and players at the Racecourse Ground. He admitted: “To be honest, you get used to it quite quickly. There are cameras about but the people behind them are great – they’re really nice.
“So if you have that relationship with them, it makes it a lot easier. You get a lot of attention and a lot of negative attention as well. I went there when I was 21, 22 years old and it’s very different from clubs I’ve been at before and sort of playing in front of thousands of fans every week.
“It’s a massive difference, but I feel like that helps me develop mentally as well. Just sort of playing in front of that many fans and just having that attention. Yes it definitely helped me develop a thick skin.”
The 24-year-old has started to find his feet at Dundee United. He got his first 90 minutes in the last win at St Mirren and is looking to build on that with a first start and victory at home to Hibs. He excitedly admitted: “I’ve been here about six weeks now, and we’ve only had one home game!
“So it’s kind of crazy how it’s panned out but yeah, looking forward to getting back in front of the home crowd. That’s it exactly, a 14k stadium and we’ve had a sellout against Rangers. There’ll be a big crowd there on Saturday and that’s something that I’m looking forward to. The stadium’s all great, the pitch is unbelievable and, yeah, just looking forward to it.”
Dalby has come up through the leagues. He started at LeytonOrient and went to Leeds and Watford before stop-offs at Southend and then Wrexham. He is looking to make further strides forward under Jim Goodwin. He claimed: “Yeah, definitely. I feel like it’s quite a technical League. A lot of teams try and play, it’s quite tactical as well.
“I think lower down in the English leagues, it’s more about trying to physically impose yourself on the opposition, whereas this has definitely been more technical and tactical. I want to develop as a player, getting that consistent game time.
“I want to learn a lot about Scottish football as well. To be honest, I didn’t know too much about it before I came and it’s something that I’ve taken in my stride. I just want to keep developing myself as a player, helping Dundee United finish as high as possible.”