Key Takeaways
- Wrexham’s Under-18s have reached the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup for the first time in the club’s history
- UEFA Pro Licence holder Craig Knight returned to Wrexham in November 2025 as professional development phase lead coach after a decade with the FAW
- The U18s face defending champions Aston Villa on February 24 at Keys Park in Hednesford
- Max Cleworth and Harry Ashfield are cited as academy-to-first-team success stories at the Championship club
- Wrexham’s senior side is currently pushing for promotion to the Premier League, raising the bar for academy pathway development
The Club Hollywood Put on the Map
Since actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased Wrexham AFC in 2020, the Welsh club has become one of the most recognizable names in global football. The FX docuseries Welcome to Wrexham, streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally, has brought unprecedented visibility to a club that has since delivered back-to-back-to-back promotions from the National League to the Championship. Now, that momentum is reaching the academy.
Craig Knight Returns to Where It Started
Craig Knight’s career began in Wrexham’s academy. Now he’s back, tasked with developing the next generation of Red Dragons talent.
Knight, a UEFA Pro Licence holder, spent a decade with the Football Association of Wales before joining Wrexham in November 2025 as professional development phase lead coach. His remit is clear: build a pipeline from the academy to the first team.
“I’m absolutely loving it,” Knight told BBC Sport Wales. “There’s a real energy about the club. Working with young players, there’s always excitement and an energy around them.”
A Historic FA Youth Cup Run
Wrexham’s U18s have already made club history. After beating Port Vale and Southend United, the squad reached the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup for the first time. Their reward: a match against defending champions Aston Villa on February 24 at Keys Park, home of Hednesford Town.
Knight sees the fixture as a valuable measuring stick. “These are the type of games as a player, as a coach, as staff, you want to be involved in, where you are testing yourself against the best players,” he said.
The Academy-to-First-Team Challenge
With Wrexham’s senior side competing in the Championship and pushing for a place in the Premier League, the gap between academy and first team is significant. But Knight pointed to existing proof that the pathway works.
Max Cleworth came through the academy ranks and is now a regular at Championship level. Harry Ashfield, another academy product, is currently on loan at Cheltenham Town, with the first-team staff holding “high hopes” for his future.
“When you’ve got players like that within the building who have been able to force their way into a first-team environment, that’s the motivation that you should be using on a day-to-day basis,” Knight said.
Why Youth Development Matters at a Club on the Rise
Wrexham’s recent trajectory, back-to-back-to-back promotions and consistent history-making, puts added pressure on the academy to keep pace. Knight acknowledged that the families of young players share in both the investment and the reward.
“Obviously the families invest so much as well over the years in terms of taking boys to train, supporting them when things aren’t going quite so well,” he said. “So these type of games and these type of opportunities are a reward for families as well.”
For a club operating at Championship level with Premier League ambitions, the FA Youth Cup run is more than a feel-good story. It’s an early signal of whether Wrexham’s academy infrastructure can develop talent that matches the club’s rising trajectory.
Source: BBC Sport Wales, Dylan Griffiths, February 22, 2026
Photo: Wrexham AFC Youth
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