Ben Foster has sensationally extended his stay at Wrexham, performing a U-turn on his retirement after the Welsh club secured promotion.
The Red Dragons regained their football league status after a dramatic title-race last term against Notts County, with their efforts having captured hearts and minds across the globe. Ultimately, they would finish four points above their promotion rivals, with a last-gasp 3-2 win over their nearest challengers proving decisive.
Former Manchester United and Watford goalkeeper was a major coup for the club, which is owned by Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds and his signing made a major difference during the title run-in. Out of his eight appearances for the North Wales outfit, he was able to keep three clean sheets, while proving a driving force in the dressing room.
After the Welcome to Wrexham docuseries captured worldwide attention, the pivotal clash versus Notts County staggeringly was mentioned more times on Twitter than a crucial game in the Premier League title race that day involving Arsenal and Liverpool. Millions, therefore, will have been witness to Foster's miraculous match-winning penalty save, which effectively sent the club on its way to automatic promotion.
The dramatic scenes at the tail-end of the last campaign have seemingly convinced the 40-year-old to keep on playing, with Foster now confirming that he will don his gloves again next season. He explained to Wrexham's club website: “At the end of last season it was obvious that I enjoyed being at the Club, I loved being part of the team and everything that Wrexham stands for.
“The fans took to me so warmly, Phil Parkinson is brilliant, Steve Parkin is top class, I love Aidan Davison to bits, and the Co-Chairmen are out of this world."
He added: “I’d decided before the end of last season I wanted to do it, because it feels like home. I’ve never joined a football club and felt at ease so quickly.”
In a post on Twitter, he also spoke of his happiness at putting pen to paper on a new deal, stating: "I decided before the end of last season, let's do one more year, baby! League One here we come!"
The news has also delighted his manager Phil Parkinson, who praised for former England stopper's application on and off the pitch, saying: “We’re delighted that Ben has signed for the coming season.
“It’s a key signing for us because we all saw the impact, he had not just on the pitch but also around the training ground, and we are all looking forward to working with him again next season.”
Wrexham will play next season in League Two, where they will be hoping to retain their football league status after a 15-year absence from the upper echelons of the game.
