Wrexham AFC response to cancelled contract should be unanimous | OneFootball

Wrexham fans should be wishing former wing-back Anthony Forde after his contract was mutually terminated at the end of the January transfer window.

The reaction to Wrexham AFC's decision to mutually terminate Anthony Forde's contract should be unanimous, and the fans should wish him the best.

Despite being a brilliant club servant over the past three years, it should be a complete agreement that it was the correct decision to part ways.

The right decision as Parkinson says goodbye

Due to the excellent form of current Wrexham right wing-back Ryan Barnett, Forde has fallen down the pecking order at the club, failing to make a single League One appearance this season, with his only four appearances coming in the EFL Trophy.

Before losing his starting spot to Barnett, Forde was a regular in the first team for the Red Dragons, especially when he first signed.

Forde, who's now 31, joined the Red Dragons back in July 2022 from Oxford United for an undisclosed fee. He went on to make 39 appearances in all competitions during Wrexham's record-breaking promotion from the National League in 2022/23.

It would be fair to say that the Wrexham fans will have no argument regarding the decision to part ways. It'll free up space in the squad and ease the wage bill without losing an important first team player; there's little room for sentiment in a League One promotion-chasing club.

After 61 appearances in all competitions during his two-and-a-half year stay in North Wales, Forde and the club decided it was best to part ways. His manager, Phil Parkinson, had nothing but kind words to say about the defender.

Parkinson said to the Wrexham AFC website: "I'd like to thank Forde for his contributions since he's been at the club. He's lived through a lot on and off of the pitch during his time here, but he has been an outstanding professional, and we really wish him all the best for the next stage of his career."

Ryan Reynolds shows his class with Forde in extreme circumstances

The connection he and Wrexham share won't be forgotten

Forde was a model professional during his time at Wrexham, despite personal heartbreaks that prevented him from playing for some time.

During February 2023, his partner Laura was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor just after giving birth to their son, and a neurosurgeon had even informed the couple that she might only have a couple of months to live.

The club rightly let Forde take as much time off as he needed to support his family.

When speaking on the podcast Talking Transitions in January 2024, Forde confirmed what the club's co-owner Ryan Reynolds did to help him and his family.

Reynolds FaceTimed Forde while in America and set up for Anthony and Laura to get a second opinion and booked them an appointment with one of the leading neurosurgeons in New York.

Thankfully, and by a miracle, the second opinion revealed that Laura had been misdiagnosed and actually had a Benign (none cancerous) tumor which tends to stay in place and won't spread.

During the podcast, the Irishman expressed his thankfulness to the club's co-owners. He said: "I just don't think I'd get that help anywhere else, they were amazing."

Forde departs a true professional with everyone's best

Despite the heartbreaking revelations in his personal life, Forde returned to action for the club as soon as he could - a true professional through all the setbacks.

He came back in the following 2023/24 season, making 18 appearances in all competitions. He scored one goal, which came in Wrexhams's 5-2 defeat to MK Dons. Despite the defeat, the goal was significant as it came in Wrexham's first game of EFL football in over 15 years; a place in the history books at Wrexham to cling onto now Forde's departure is official.

After his contract termination was announced, the 31-year-old took to Instagram to thank the club for their support. In his message, he said: "I can never fully express how grateful I am for the support you (Wrexham) gave me and my family during the hardest time in our lives."

Forde has been a brilliant servant for the Welsh club and has always stayed professional despite going through so much. Judging by the comments on his Instagram post and those flooding in from elsewhere, the fans wish him absolutely nothing but the best as he takes the next steps as his Wrexham chapter sensibly comes to an end.