27 September 2023 , 20:22
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A Wrexham fan from the US has called the experience of finally seeing her beloved team in action "amazing", despite the Dragons slumping to a humiliating 5-0 defeat.
Seattle resident Dana Burkey became an overnight internet sensation after she posted her emotional reaction after getting a ticket to see the team play Stockport County. Having watched the first season of " Welcome to Wrexham ", she developed a love for the club after identifying with the area's past.
She grew up in a small town in the Eastern U.S. state of Ohio and felt an affinity with the history of Wrexham after watching the docu-series. Burkey soon made friends with followers of the club online, before one generous supporter surprised her with the gift of a lifetime.
Having already planned a visit to the UK to visit an old friend who is currently living in England, she was eager to possibly attend a Dragons fixture. After telling her online Wrexham-supporting pals that she was keen to visit the town, a local fan then kindly offered a ticket for the Stockport match.
She eventually made the two hour trip to Greater Manchester to attend the game from Wales but would soon get a true taste of the rollercoaster ride nature of being an EFL fan. Now, she has reflected on the experience of attending the game, despite Phil Parkinson's men slumping to their heaviest defeat of the campaign.
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Despite being unbeaten since their opening day loss to MK Dons, the Welsh outfit were already three goals down before half time, before shipping another two strikes after the break. However, Dana still enjoyed the afternoon, telling The Athletic : "The result wasn’t great but I got to experience the atmosphere; it was amazing... everyone had their heart in the game."
After she returned to her hotel room in Wrexham, though, she scrolled through her social media and saw that she had received some negative comments. Dana, who also supports Seattle Sounders, was shocked by the response to the picture she had posted of her holding her ticket for the game.
Wrexham slumped to a 5-0 loss in their clash with Stockport County on a disappointing afternoon (Anna Gowthorpe/REX/Shutterstock)She explained: "When people were saying things like, ‘I’d have a cry if I went to Stockport too,’ that was pretty funny. But then people started to get really rude — ‘She’s an American fan, she’s fake, she’ll never be back…’ it went from just banter to really rude."
Despite her disappointment on that front, she was pleased with the experience overall and has reflected on the afternoon fondly. The American particularly enjoyed the fraught nature of the rivalry between Wrexham and Stockport, especially after their promotion tussle two years ago.
She added: "Sports are fun because of the rivalry. I know back home, if we (Seattle Sounders) beat Portland Timbers (their closest U.S. neighbours) it is the best day, because they are our biggest rivals. That’s helped me take (Wrexham’s loss at Stockport) with a pinch of salt."
“Wrexham did not get a documentary because they win all their games. When you know that history of hurt and struggle and, ‘Are we even going to have a club tomorrow?’, this is not so bad."