Swansea and Wrexham are at opposite ends of the country, but the clubs have many connections. Phil Parkinson was the Bradford manager when the Swans won the League Cup at Wembley. Joe Allen, Neil Taylor, Lee Trundle, and Kristian O'Leary represented both clubs in recent times, while Brian Flynn is very fondly remembered for his two seasons managing the Swans, following 13 seasons with Wrexham.

Leon Barton, a freelance writer, author, and lifelong Wrexham fan, worked with Flynn on his biography Little Wonder. We spoke to Leon to get his reflections on the Wrexham story and his thoughts on tomorrow's big game.

It was still early days in the Vitor Matos reign when the Swans overcame Wrexham just before Christmas. Adam Idah's winning goal was massively assisted by a howler from keeper Arthur Okonkwo. But according to Leon, Wrexham fans are backing their number 1. "Okonkwo is loved by Wrexham fans. Mistakes happen and he has done enough good things. He came on loan from Arsenal for the League Two season. He was out of contract and became a fan-favourite. We thought the wage demands would be too high but we secured him for the League One season." Many Swans and Wales fans will be familiar with Welsh keeper Danny Ward, but his injury early in the season during a game against Millwall meant England youth international Okonkwo has been ever present since. So the Swans should not target him? "He has been generally great this season, but he threw in a dodgy performance against Hull in the week so let's see!"

During that Millwall game, Ward received lengthy treatment, which meant ex-Swan Lewis O'Brien was able to score in the 118th minute of the game. This was Wrexham's first second-flight win in 43 years. They have had plenty more victories since then and now sit 6th in the table, with O'Brien playing a leading role. "He is absolutely brilliant. What a classy player. He should score more goals, his shooting lets him down because he gets in great positions, but if he did have that, he would be a Premier League player. Workrate, reading of the game, passing. He had a chance against Chelsea and put it wide."

That FA Cup defeat against Chelsea went the full 120 minutes, and the players felt the effects with a loss to Hull a few days later. It seems like it is a great time to be playing Wrexham? "The squad is really being tested. Until this week we have been on such a good run. Injuries are affecting the squad, with fewer options for rotation. Ben Sheaf and Matty James are injured. New Zealand international Liberato Cacace is a very talented player but has missed many games. Ollie Rathbone was rotated for the Hull game and was brought on at half-time."

Wrexham lost to Hull 2-1, with Welsh international Lewis Koumas scoring the second goal. His dad, Jason, was born in Wrexham after his father moved to Wales from Cyprus in the 70s to open a fish and chip shop. The Everland Fish Bar is still active today, and is only a 20 minute walk from the stadium. "Jason always played well for Wales at the Racecourse, and also always against us! He scored in a 5-1 win from Tranmere in Brian Flynn's last game - of course Lewis was going to score!"

Koumas' current Welsh teammate Kieffer Moore is likely to miss the game however. "Moore was plan A up until his recent injury. He is a great focal point, not just an emergency option. It reminds me of how Mark Hughes employed John Hartson to great effect, but if he was off his game, the whole team struggled." Cabango and crew will instead face Sam Smith, who is a smaller but pacier option, and has been in good form recently. Smith has 6 league goals this season, but only from eight starts, and did score with a composed finish against Chelsea.

Playing Smith instead of Moore changes the way Wrexham approach the game. During their rise through the leagues, they developed a reputation for a direct style of football dubbed "Parky Ball". It became a running joke on the fan forums and podcasts that opposition fans would continue to label Wrexham as "the worst team to come here this season" while sailing away with the three points. The stats also hint at an efficient rather than exciting style, with the Dragons strongly overperforming their xG and 23rd for touches in the opposition penalty box, but that does not tell the whole story. "Prior to this season it was about getting the ball forward to a target man, but now we can mix it. You can't label it Parky Ball now. If you watch the 120 minutes against Chelsea, we were down to ten men but it was still an even game. We have played some really good football. If you keep adding quality players, it will come naturally."

Those quality players have come at a cost. I learnt the delightful fact that before the current ownership was in place, the record transfer fee was buying back Joey Jones from Liverpool for £212k all the way back in 1978. Now, Nathan Broadhead's fee could rise to £10 million and talented Premier League academy products and youth internationals like Callum Doyle are signed on high wages.

Bought not earnt? As Elis James put it so beautifully before the previous meeting, "it wasn't a derby then, and it isn't a derby now", but it is undoubtedly a growing rivalry. How do the Wrexham fans see it? "You want the bragging rights as the best team in Wales. Swansea and Cardiff have had their rivalry amongst themselves for so long and now we are the upstarts. We aren't going away! I know Elis quite well. He appeared on popular Wrexham podcast Fearless In Devotion and actually spoke positively about the whole project. He is well versed in Wrexham and Welsh football history." Full-time Swans fan James has a side hustle as a comedian and a BBC radio show. He got friendly with another comedian called Humphrey Ker during their touring days. Long story short, Ker worked with Rob McElhenney, introduced him to British football via Sunderland 'Til I Die, fell in love with the sport, and said "let's buy a club". The rest is history.

It is easy to mock the hype around the Hollywood ownership. "Rob and Ryan", as the Wrexham fans call them, will be commentating on the game for Sky Sports, much to the amusement of many football fans on social media, but the locals couldn't give a damn. "For the North American audience it will be good. Just lighten up! After the Snoop Dogg tea towel gimmick, you can't complain! People are so serious about football. I love football and I spend a lot of my life thinking about football. The Wrexham Supporters' Trust got so much abuse when we were stuck in the National League. Football can be used to belittle people and score points. Now it's only a positive story."

Finally and most importantly, I ask Leon, where are the best places for a pint? "Well, there will be a fanzone at the ground pre-game. Of course there's the now famous Turf on Mold Road (below) which is full of memorabilia and old photos, and bricks signed by Ryan and Rob. It will be heaving so go early. Ryan's been there all week and Rob will also be there, so keep an eye out for them. Liam Stokes-Massey is a local artist who paints murals around the city, including a Paul Mullin one on the side of a lovely pub called The Fat Boar. Saith Seren is a Welsh-language community centre and pub. The Wynnstay Arms hotel was where the FAW was first formed almost exactly 150 years ago. And get your fish and chips in the Everland!"

Wrexham always had a wonderful history, having a claim to be the third oldest professional football club in the world. In a small city of only 45,000 people, they now matter on and off the pitch. "Rob and Ryan have transformed the community. People visit who would previously have ignored it." The Indy highlighted yesterday how hard the run-in will be for the Swans. Wrexham also have a tough fixture list, with their final two games against Middlesbrough and Coventry, but the Dragons' record against the teams in the top six is much better than ours. So a prediction? "Maybe the hype gets the better of the occasion! I'll go for a draw."

Many thanks to Leon Barton for his time and input. You can find Brian Flynn, Little Wonder in the link below:

⚽️ Swans latest plus Swans talk

⭕️ Swans fans talk

⭕️ Matos on Wrexham

⭕️ A play off myth ?

⚽️ Wrexham v Swansea City Latest

⚽️ Bio : Leon Barton was born in Wrexham, north Wales in 1978. He started writing about music in 2013 and was one of the founders of Welsh football online broadcaster Podcast Peldroed in 2014. His writing on Welsh football has also appeared in the Guardian, Vice, These Football Times, In Bed With Maradona and When Saturday Comes. Leon has lived in Innsbruck, Austria since 2009.

⚽️ Buy his book here —> Click

It could save your life.

Photograph Leon Barton, artwork by Xolin