Wrexham is one step from the Premier League. The Welsh football team’s remarkable rise under celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney continued when it sealed promotion to English football’s second tier on Saturday. A 3-0 win against Charlton ensured Wrexham will go up as the third division runner-up behind champion Birmingham. It means that from next season it will be playing one level below the Premier League — something that was unthinkable just four years ago when it was a struggling non-league team.
Reynolds and McElhenney were part of a full house of nearly 13,000 fans packed into the club’s historic Racecourse Ground to celebrate a third consecutive promotion. Who knows what’s next for a team that has defied the odds since the actors bought it for USD 2.5 million in 2021 and turned it into a household name around the world. Raucous celebrations greeted the final whistle, but the party began much earlier after promotion rival Wycombe lost to Leyton Orient 1-0. Wrexham just needed victory then to clinch the second promotion place in League One.
Fans erupted in cheers after the final whistle of Wycombe’s loss, which was shown on a big screen. Wrexham just needed to finish the job off against fourth-placed Charlton and eased any nerves with two goals in the space of three minutes in the first half. Oliver Rathbone’s long shot in the 15th minute was followed by Sam Smith’s volley. When Smith headed in a third in the 81st, the outcome was in no doubt and Wrexham’s fans serenaded the players with chants of “We are going up.”
Wrexham earned promotion for a record third straight season with a 3-0 home win over Charlton Athletic in League One on Saturday, the latest chapter in a stunning rise under the ownership of Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Sam Smith struck twice after Ollie Rathbone opened the scoring to send the Red Dragons up to the Championship (second tier) next season in front of a jubilant Racecourse Ground crowd that included Canada's Reynolds and American McElhenney. They are the first team ever to enjoy three successive promotions in the top five tiers of English football and return to the second tier of the country's football pyramid for only the second time after relegation in 1982.
Phil Parkinson's side, who hail from North Wales, clinched second place with 89 points and one game remaining in the season. Birmingham City, who top the League One table with 102 points, had already sealed promotion as champions. "When the big games come and you produce one of your best performances, we did it last week at Blackpool (5-1 win) and backed it up today with a really strong performance, that makes me very proud," a beer-drenched Parkinson told Sky Sports. "I just want to savour it. Everyone's talked about the history; it can never be taken away from this group of players and the staff."
Wrexham dominated from the start and Rathbone put them ahead in the 15th minute when James McClean worked a short corner to the midfielder, who fired home from the edge of the box. The home fans were still celebrating when Smith doubled the lead with a spectacular strike three minutes later. Matty James chipped a long pass over Charlton's back line that Smith volleyed in with his left foot. Smith completed his brace in the 81st when he latched onto Max Cleworth's cross and fired just over the head of goalkeeper Will Mannion.
"Two goals, promoted, job done," said Smith. "It's been an incredible few months and I signed for times like this. There's been a real calmness in the group since we have been here." The final whistle sparked mayhem as thousands of fans poured onto the pitch carrying banners saying "Back to back to back" and hoisting grinning players on their shoulders amid clouds of red smoke, while Parkinson cracked his first smile of the game.
"What a feeling, it's incredible," Wrexham forward Steven Fletcher said. "For this club to go back to back to back is amazing and something special, it gets better each time. We want to go again. It's a big ask but we'll reset and the sky is the limit with this club." Fans were undoubtedly cheering on the other side of the Atlantic as well on Saturday as the team is wildly popular there thanks to the "Welcome to Wrexham" documentary and the team's North American owners, who bought the club in early 2021.
Wrexham will play in the second tier of English football for only the second time in their history. The party at the Stok Cae Ras was in full swing on Saturday night as Wrexham sealed an unprecedented third successive promotion. Wycombe Wanderers' 1-0 loss to Leyton Orient earlier in the day paved the way for Phil Parkinson's side to open up an unassailable advantage over the chasing pack in League One if they could beat Charlton Athletic. It was an opportunity they grasped as Ollie Rathbone scored his eighth goal of the campaign before Sam Smith netted a brace to clinch an emphatic 3-0 win.
Wrexham have not finished below second place in the various divisions they have competed in any of their four seasons under Phil Parkinson, who was appointed as manager just five months after the takeover was finalized. Semi-final play-off heartache against Grimsby Town brought an abrupt end to an impressive debut campaign in north Wales for Parkinson in 2021-22. But the following season proved memorable as Wrexham clinched the National League title with a record 111 points to end a 15-year absence from the Football League. And there has been no stopping the Red Dragons since.
Wrexham won 26 of their 46 matches en route to taking the runner-up spot in League Two as the club sealed back-to-back promotions last term. Despite another step up in level, Wrexham have successfully gone toe to toe with a number of former Premier League sides to take the second and final automatic promotion place in League One this season. Charlton was Parkinson's 181st league match in charge of Wrexham, and his record is nothing short of remarkable. Wrexham have triumphed in 112 of Parkinson's league games. Their win rate is just shy of 62%.
Across this period, Wrexham have scored 361 league goals (not including play-offs) at a rate of almost exactly two per game while claiming an average of 2.08 points per game. Parkinson, 57, also guided Wrexham to the FA Trophy final - they lost to Bromley at Wembley - in his first season and has twice led his side to the fourth round of the FA Cup. "Phil Parkinson, our manager, deserves an unbelievable amount of credit because there have been other teams that have had more resources than us in the past that have not been able to get to the cusp that we have got to," said Ker.
The 'Welcome to Wrexham' television documentary has been at the heart of the club's rise to global prominence over recent seasons. Season four is set to premiere in May and will detail the club's journey from League One to the Championship, with Wrexham becoming the first side in the top five divisions of English football to secure three successive promotions. While Wrexham do not earn money directly from the show, its popularity has had a significant impact on improving the club's revenue streams. "It's extraordinary. We often talk about the power of storytelling," said Ker. "What we've been able to do with the documentary and the football club is tell people in America why football is so significant to us, what it means and what the stakes are. Truly, I'm astonished by the volume of interest. It's because America is fascinated by English football and we are a way in for a lot of people who don't follow it in other ways."
Wrexham's hierarchy have plenty to ponder as they plan for the club's first season in the second tier since 1981-82. Their squad size will rise from 22 players to 25, while matchday squads will feature nine substitutes as opposed to seven. It could, in theory, pave the way for Paul Mullin's return to the squad following his absence over the previous 13 games. Whatever striker Mullin's situation, it is clear there is further work to be done on the squad, as Parkinson will want to bring in more players of a higher calibre to bolster his side's Championship prospects. The inevitable acquisitions will lead to an increased wage bill, with Ker recently suggesting Wrexham would need to quadruple their wage outgoings to be competitive in the Championship.
But on the plus side, the club are currently operating with a model most EFL clubs will envy. The £26.7m Wrexham made in revenue during their 2023-24 League Two season puts them just below the top Championship sides - who benefit from parachute payments - in terms of income. TV and sponsorship revenue will only increase in the Championship, so there is no doubt Wrexham are well placed at present. The next challenge is always the toughest, and the Championship is a different beast from what Wrexham have faced over the past few years. But with such impressive alignment from top to bottom at the club, Wrexham know they are in a strong position to achieve their ultimate goal at some stage - whether it be next season or beyond.
