Michael Cheek broke Wrexham hearts during the 21/22 FA Trophy final at Wrexham. Now, he has made a stunning FA Trophy claim about Wrexham.
The 29th Championship matchday is already underway. League rivals Middlesbrough have put the finishing touches on a statement 4-0 victory over Preston North End, which again stresses the fact that direct promotion will be beyond Wrexham’s wildest dreams this season.
Realistically, the Reds will have to gain a Premier League ticket through the playoffs. That means winning the two-legged semi-final tie and then heading to Wembley to write their Premier League fate for the upcoming 2026/27 season.
Just shy of 4 years ago, Phil Parkinson’s Wrexham were at Wembley, albeit for a different FA Trophy cause.
Wrexham’s 21/22 FA Trophy journey
Unlike major Cup competitions in English football like the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, the FA Trophy is played by clubs sitting outside of the Football League pyramid. Teams from the National League, Southern League, Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League take part in the FA Trophy via a knockout path to the final.
During the 21/22 FA Trophy, Wrexham comfortably thumped past Gloucester City, Folkestone Invicta and Boreham Wood to mark their presence into the quarter-finals. Notts County were a decent match for the Red Dragons but Phil Parkinson’s men downed them 2-1 and later, broke Stockport County’s hearts with a late 2-0 win.
READ MORE: ‘Will see’ – Championship boss drops his feelings on signing Wrexham January target
READ MORE: Crystal Palace’s stance on Sidiki Cherif is crystal clear for Wrexham to see
READ MORE: Wrexham training shows January’s best player faces healthy competition for places
Little did Wrexham know then that their hearts will also be broken in the final. Wrexham vs Bromley was the fixture of the grand Wembley showdown. For a significant section of the Reds fanbase, it was their first time to celebrate a Wrexham title win since the glorious 2004/05 Football League trophy.
However, Bromley No.9 Michael Cheek soured those moods by netting a solitary 1-0 winner to deny Wrexham the 21/22 FA Trophy title.
Michael Cheek makes stunning FA Trophy claim about Wrexham
The same man has now opened up on that Wembley night, and has made a stunning FA Trophy claim about Wrexham. In his own words, Cheek spoke to The Times: “There was no pressure on us to win. It was all about them. It was never about Bromley. And it even goes down to the way we played that day. It was all about Wrexham.”
Moreover, Cheek admitted that Bromley’s simple strategy to score goals was also to just let Wrexham fall under pressure and then seize their opportunity. He added: “So, let them have the ball. We’ll sit back, and we’ll do our thing on the counter. And that’s exactly what the goal came from. I think it stunned them.”
Honestly, the Reds weren’t left entirely on the back seat throughout the 90 minutes. They had their scoring moments too, with the last ten minutes seeing great 1-1 equaliser chances go to waste.
READ MORE: ‘Will see’ – Championship boss drops his feelings on signing Wrexham January target
READ MORE: Crystal Palace’s stance on Sidiki Cherif is crystal clear for Wrexham to see
READ MORE: Wrexham training shows January’s best player faces healthy competition for places
Former Wrexham striker Jake Hyde even rolled the ball in the back of the net, but offside played spoilsport there. Going by Cheek’s assessment, it feels wise to say that the Reds could have done themselves a favour by not letting fan emotions get to their nerves.
What next for Bromley and Wrexham?
Bromley are currently sitting at the top of League Two, one division higher than their previous national league status during the 21/22 FA Trophy final. Currently, Bromley are losing 1-0 to Swindon Town with half-time approaching. Still, the hope would be that Bromley would make it to another promotion to League One by the time the current 2025/26 season ends.
As for Wrexham, the Reds have never looked back from that Wembley final defeat. Currently in the Championship, Wrexham are fighting tooth and nail for a playoffs berth. At the time of writing Phil Parkinson’s men are trailing QPR 1-0, which isn’t a good sight for the travelling Reds fans.
Hopefully, the scoreboard reflects a different story for Wrexham at the full-time whistle.
READ MORE WREXHAM NEWS HERE:
- ‘Will see’ – Championship boss drops his feelings on signing Wrexham January target
- Crystal Palace’s stance on Sidiki Cherif is crystal clear for Wrexham to see
- Wrexham training shows January’s best player faces healthy competition for places
- Phil Parkinson warns Wrexham fans about Sidiki Cherif links
- ‘Expected’ – Wrexham chasing the signature of 26-year-old former PL fullback
