- By Chris Wathan
- ` Sport Wales
2 hours ago
image source, Jake Kirkman/Shutterstock
image description, Wrexham regularly play to sell-out crowds at Stok Racecourse, which is already undergoing redevelopment
It didn't take long for owner Ryan Reynolds to nail it the way the best storytellers can.
“This is the ride of our lives,” posted the Wrexham co-chair.
At the racecourse on Saturday, where the celebratory songs were repeated once again, you wouldn't find anyone disputing this point.
Back-to-back promotions, until recently third tier football, the North Wales club feared relegation to the sixth tier and financial abyss.
And that's without mentioning the profile and, more importantly, the opportunities that come with their unique ownership.
Wrexham is on the rise – and in a hurry.
And not just in the way the racecourse shouted its confirmation of promotion on Saturday, long before it became official.
Not only did Wrexham need to win to achieve their first consecutive promotion in their 159-year history, but they also needed rivals to lose.
From the first minutes of the afternoon everything went according to plan. At halftime it seemed all but certain as fans in the concourse had to double-check their calculations and their own eyes as they checked their scoring apps.
“So we would be upstairs? Are you sure, mate?' Wrexham's six-goal haul and their biggest win of the season – including an incredible volley from rare goalscorer Ryan Barnett – did little to assuage the strange mixed feelings of disbelief and delirium.
It was not as poignant as last year's exit from non-league after 15 years, where tears flowed as if some repressed sporting trauma was being released or as if the faith of those who had given up hope had suddenly been restored .
Sometimes it felt like a promotion was permanent. That was deserved and fun.
And so the fans were already on the pitch when the results from MK Dons and Barrow were officially checked off. Caution had long been required given the red smoke flares in the wind.
image source, Charlotte Tattersall
image description, Former Bradford, Bolton and Sunderland manager Phil Parkinson will take over at Wrexham in 2021
Even manager Phil Parkinson, relishing the calm amid the documentary cameras and celebrity chaos that can sometimes accompany Wrexham, allowed himself a premature moment.
Noticing the referee signaling him to blow, Parkinson eventually asked his dugout about the results elsewhere. In both cases, three goal margins. He turned away from the field and toward the stands behind him, where his family sat. His arms outstretched, his eyes almost closed, as if he wanted to enjoy the experience of a fifth career advancement.
Soon after, fans galloped onto the pitch, even though the final whistle had not yet blown elsewhere.
However, they could be forgiven for being excited about their first promotion to the third tier of English football in 21 years, especially considering how quickly their club is getting there.
And so the fan conversation became not just about how far the formerly fan-run club had come, but also about how far it could still go, not long after the champagne spray and brimstone had worn off.
Even before the game, former managers and players Denis Smith, Dean Saunders and Barry Horne mentioned moving into the Championship.
Such discussions should perhaps be postponed to another day, one after the celebrations, but even the manager doubled down on his earlier statements.
“When we got promoted last year, I felt like there were a lot more chapters that needed to be written,” Parkinson said. “I still firmly believe that now.”
And while few suggest playing back-to-back like no one has done before, goalscorer Elliott Lee mentioned one of his former clubs moving from non-league to the Premier League.
“I'm not saying we'll be promoted to the Premier League any time soon, but I've always said I see similarities with Luton,” Lee said. “Special things can happen.”
video caption, “We know that the club is only going in one direction”
Special things happen, especially for the club, which was bottom of the National League table after the defeat at Ebbsfleet in November 2019, only barely survived the season and the closure due to the Corona crisis – and then within a few months from an intermediary Request received about something else kind of takeover.
Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney were on the film set as the latest chapter unfolded, and McElhenney posted that he was “at a loss for words” when the success was announced on social media.
The recent increased workload in their day jobs has put them off, but both remain heavily invested – both emotionally and financially – and the ambition is only growing.
In their place came managing director Humphrey Ker, who smiled at the simplicity of the day. It may not have been a dramatic event for the documentary, there were no plot twists, but that misses the point of what is happening at Wrexham, where turnover this season is expected to reach £20m, a figure more in line with the Championship clubs matches. Last year alone, almost a quarter of their sales came from outside Europe as their status in the US continues to grow.
“Most importantly, we have proven once again that it is not a gimmick, it is not a joke, it is a serious operation,” he said, adding that the club now has to temper expectations in a league where Clubs with history and greater financial clout than even Hollywood stars can muster.
“We have to catch up in terms of infrastructure and facilities, but we will do everything we can to provide the expected standards for the players and staff. And then it goes on again.”
Where it goes remains fascinating.
But just as important on this day of celebration was where Wrexham was.
On the header of one of their social media accounts, Wrexham placed an image that shows, not Ryan and Rob, but players smiling with secretary Geraint Parry, a figure who has been involved with the club for so long that there aren't many left to be sure when it started.
He and others have experienced previous promotions and have seen the club in the third division and above.
But it's what he and the 12,000 – and now many more around the world – can dream of, and that's what excites us next. It is the restored pride after the pain of having fallen so deeply.
And that's why they'll enjoy the ride of their lives for as long as it lasts.
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