One vowel away from the big time… it could have been us!

For the want of a vowel, our local football club could have been in the big time – with Hollywood owners and a promotion run in League 1.

So says the team at Wroxham FC, who claim one letter could be the reason they missed out on catching the eye of Wrexham’s celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

And the club has gone viral with a tongue-in-cheek trailer for a documentary which will tell their unique story.

The short film has racked up more than 300,000 views and garnered thousands of comments and national press coverage – but, as yet, no comments from the two stars.

Featuring characters from the club and showing Wroxham posters outside Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground and the fans’ watering hole, The Turf, the film has sparked discussion and some friendly rivalry online.

And it seems to have won the Yachtsmen some new fans, with suggestions that the teams hold a pre-season friendly.

“What’s 1 vowel and 250 miles between friends?” asked one social media user. “Up the Wr_xhams!”

The fortunes of our local side, currently sitting rock bottom of the Isthmian North League, could not be further from those of Wrexham – but chairman James Blower said the club had had hundreds of people confusing them over the past couple of years.

“We’ve watched from the subs bench as Wrexham FC has soared up the leagues and achieved global fame thanks to their celebrity owners,” he said. “There’s plenty of people around this great little club that think but for ONE letter it could have been us.

“With investment from our new club sponsor, Riot Labs, we’ve finally been able to make the documentary that tells our side of the story – and with a bit of luck, with all the social media reaction, put the club on the map to maybe secure our own celebrity investment.”

He said he hoped Ryan and Rob saw the interactions and would be up for a “pre-season grudge match” – the Vowel Derby.

One of the stars of the documentary is 78-year-old head groundsman Barry Letten, who has tended the grounds as a volunteer for the past two decades.

He said: “I walked into the clubhouse this morning and a couple of regulars asked for a photo with me. Apparently I’m a social media sensation now, whatever that means! This must be what Ryan Reynolds feels like when he turns up at Wrexham.

“Wroxham FC means the world to me. I’m here five days a week come rain or shine looking after the pitch, cleaning the toilets, sweeping the changing room…

“It’s a community club that deserves its time in the limelight, and to be what everyone is calling ‘the star of the show’ means an awful lot. I love it.”

Rachel Cole has been involved with Wroxham for more than 30 years, and her father was once the club physio. Now she runs the catering on matchdays, when the average crowd is around 150 fans compared with the 13,000 who turn out for a  Wrexham match.

She said: “My dad was a massive part of this football club, and I’ve been involved in all sorts of roles for decades. Despite the small crowd numbers, there’s nothing like the buzz of a matchday here. It’s exciting to know people are taking an interest in the club. It’s our time to shine!”

The tale of two teams whose fortunes are separated by one vowel is a story the club have wanted to tell for more than  three years. They have been able to make it now thanks to the new club sponsor, quit smoking missionaries Riot Labs.

They have invested in the club as part of a drive to help non-league football fans quit smoking, and the iconic Kenny Cooke Stand behind the goal will be smoke-free for the rest of the season.

Riot Labs CEO Ben Johnson said: “It’s simply a great story that had to be told.

“To be able to support the club and give them the platform and investment to share their unique story is an honour and the reaction has been brilliant – we hope it helps them attract future sponsors and maybe even Hollywood owners of their own.”