Charlton boss calls Wrexham a “circus” ahead of League One showdown

Nathan Jones has added serious heat to Charlton Athletic’s clash with Wrexham by taking a swipe at the media storm surrounding the Hollywood-owned club, referring to their rise as a “circus” ahead of Saturday’s pivotal promotion battle.

Wrexham, currently sitting second in League One after a dramatic 2–1 win over Blackpool, are on the verge of a third straight promotion—something Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney only dreamed of when they bought the club in 2021.

But not everyone is buying into the fairytale. After guiding Charlton to a commanding 4–0 win over Wycombe, Jones took the opportunity to fire a pointed jab at the North Wales side.

“All we do is take a game as it comes,” he told ITV4. “We’re not looking at the play-offs, we’re not looking at Burton at home. We’ll finish, debrief, breathe, and then move forward with Wrexham. It’s a bumper game—we have to go to the circus and see what we can get.”

The comment, thinly veiled, was clearly aimed at the global attention surrounding Wrexham, who have become football’s biggest underdog story thanks to their celebrity ownership, docuseries, and aggressive ambition on and off the pitch.

Charlton, now fourth, trail Wrexham by four points and will need two wins and favorable results elsewhere to sneak into the automatic promotion spots. But with Jones clearly rallying his squad—and stoking pre-match tension—the visit to the SToK Racecourse has just become one of the most anticipated games of the season.

For Wrexham, the challenge will be to rise above the noise, once again, and let their football do the talking—just as they’ve done all year.