BRYN Terfel has backed a North Wales garage owner's bid to buy Wrexham FC.

The world-famous opera star said fans' favourite Neville Dickens could make a success of the troubled League Two club.

The Pantglas bass-baritone is back in North Wales for his son Morgan's seventh birthday.

He is currently playing Falstaff at the New York Metropolitan Theatre.

His comments came after it emerged millionaire hotel owner Stephanie Booth wants to pump funds into the car sales boss's bid.

And football fan Terfel echoed her sentiments, saying it would be "wonderful" for North Wales if he could make a success of Wrexham. "It's very important that people are backing the club," said Terfel..

"Mr Dickens has certainly been successful as an entrepreneur.

"So hopefully if he takes over the club he can be just as successful. Wrexham have done very well in the FA Cup over the years and it would be nice to see Wrexham become a bigger club. It's very important for North Wales."

Opera giant Terfel's new album, Simple Gifts, is released on Monday.

But first of all he has a "pretty full" weekend to look forward to..

"On Saturday I'm watching Morgan play football for Bontnewydd.

"And on Sunday I'm watching my eldest Tomos, 11, play rugby for Caernarfon.

"I'm planning to go swimming with them and of course there's choir practice with Ysgol Glanaethwy.

"Then it's my son's birthday on Monday and I fly back to America the next day - so my weekend ' s pretty full."

The singer, who has a third son, Deio Siôn, four, with wife Lesley, celebrates his 40th birthday next month.

The Daily Post is giving away 20 signed copies of Terfel's new album in a special competition.

The star said Simple Gifts "kept the recipe" of platinum-selling Terfel, but had "more of an inspirational feel to it. It's got hymns. It ' s got words that really have a message".

The album features a duet with fellow baritone Simon Keenlkyside on Ave Verum Corpus - a piece specially written for Terfel by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins.

There is also a collaboration with acclaimed classical guitarist John Williams on She Was Beautiful.

While Terfel also duets with Llandegfan tenor Aled Jones on Cesar Panck's Panis Angelicus - the two performed together at this year's Faenol Festival.

Terfel is in back in Wales to perform at the Royal Variety Performance at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on November 21 before two Christmas concerts on December 10 and 11.

* A hearing which could decide the future of Wrexham FC's Racecourse ground was adjourned by a judge in Birmingham yesterday. It is due to resume next Friday.