Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney mark Wrexham visit with gin shots

Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney marked their first visit to Wrexham AFC since becoming co-owners by drinking shots of gin in the local pub.

The actors held a press conference at Wrexham’s Racecourse ground on Thursday after arriving in the North Wales town the day before and meeting with supporters in The Turf pub, next to the stadium.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia creator McElhenney, 44, said they had an “incredible” reaction from the town.

He said: “We’ve only been here two days and we just feel like we’ve been welcomed home.”

Reynolds said: “They’ll be bored of us soon I hope but it’s been pretty amazing. Last night we were at The Turf, probably had a few more drinks than we should have.”

He said he had not been expecting to have the “no-holds barred” conversations with supporters which they had on their first visit.

McElhenney added: “I was expecting to drink but I wasn’t expecting to do multiple shots of gin, which is exactly what we did. They just kept lining them up, shot after shot.”

Reynolds joked: “I’m surprised we didn’t end up out here on the pitch.”

The Deadpool actor, 45, told reporters he was hoping to bring friend and comedian Will Ferrell to watch a match.

He said: “He’s a pal, I just finished working with him, huge, huge football fan so I would love to see Will Ferrell at the Racecourse.”

He said his long term plans for the team were to “win, win, win” and said he had hoped for the team to reach Premier League.

He then apologised after being told he was live on television when he added: “Unless there’s a meteor in which case we’re all f*****.”

The pair, who trained with players on the pitch on Thursday morning, appeared to have embraced Welsh culture, with McElhenney talking of his love for the Welsh national anthem, trying out a few Welsh phrases and impressing with his pronunciation of the country’s longest place name.

They said their families and friends have also become Wrexham supporters.

Reynolds said his children, with wife Blake Lively, were “head to toe” in Wrexham kits, “whether they like it or not”.

The duo attended their first match on Tuesday, when the club played away at Maidenhead

Reynolds said: “Being at a football game like that and being as invested as we are was absolute torture.

“Normally I’m only heckled in my home so that was sort of new for me and sort of weirdly thrilling.”

He said he had been attracted to the “Cinderella aspect” of the club, which is also set to be the focus of a docuseries being created.

Reynolds said: “There’s an underdog story there that is powerful and potent

The pair made headlines after taking 100% ownership of the fifth tier Red Dragons in February.

They took over from the Wrexham Supporters’ Trust and made a £2 million investment under the terms of the deal.