Ever since the arrival of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as Wrexham AFC’s new owners, the Welsh club has enjoyed plenty of publicity – and some success on the pitch to go with it.
The Red Dragons’ most recent campaign saw them promoted back to the EFL after 15 years in the non-league wilderness, and are now hoping to secure successive promotions as they bid to escape League Two at the first time of asking.
Of course, Wrexham did exist prior to their Hollywood takeover, and indeed have a proud history, from making waves in the Football League and Europe, to FA Cup giant-killings, to surging up the English pyramid today.
But how did they go from the obscurity of the fifth tier to the verge of becoming EFL heavyweights? And is promotion a realistic possibility by the end of the season? Football FanCast provides you with the latest Wrexham fixtures, results and updates here.
Wrexham owners
Actors Reynolds and McElhenney completed their takeover of Wrexham in February 2021. They replaced the Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) as owners of the club, pledging £2m of their own money to assume control of the Red Dragons.
It would turn out to be a watershed moment for Wrexham, as along with off-pitch fame and fortune has come plenty of success on the field. At the time of writing, their footballing achievements since the arrival of the Hollywood duo include their astonishing 111-point haul in the National League to secure promotion, while there has also been play-off and cup final heartache along the way.
Now in EFL League Two, they are set for another promotion charge.
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Welcome to Wrexham documentary
Having been taken over by acting royalty, the next natural step for Wrexham would be a documentary – something everyone seems to be doing these days.
The first season of ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ explored the club’s journey under Reynolds and McElhenney upon their arrival in Wales, as well as the story of the previous ownership and their 2021/22 campaign, which ended in an FA Trophy final defeat at Wembley and a captivating play-off semi-final tie against Grimsby Town, with the Mariners coming out on top as they went on to seal promotion.
The second instalment, which was released in September, chronicled the club’s 2022/23 season, where Wrexham broke records and won fans all over the world – particularly across the Atlantic.
The series also looked into the progress of their women’s team – something Ryan & Rob vowed to invest in – as well as looking back at the club’s giant-killing pedigree in the FA Cup, with Wrexham valiantly bowing out in the fourth round proper last term having begun their journey in the qualifying rounds.
A third season of the documentary is due to be released later this year, with new episodes set to premiere in April.
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Wrexham’s 2022/23 season
Wrexham’s 2022/23 National League campaign will go down in history. As if having Hollywood owners looking on wasn’t enough, the players on the pitch delivered a season of epic proportions, breaking the records for the most wins in a season (34) and most points earned (111). They also secured the league’s highest attendance figures for a second successive year, with an average of almost 10,000 supporters coming to each Wrexham home game at the 13,000-capacity Racecourse Ground.
Striker Paul Mullin was Wrexham’s top scorer with an incredible 38 goals in 46 appearances, while he added a further eight during their FA Cup run.
Despite exerting their dominance most weeks in the league, the Red Dragons were locked in a tense title tussle with league rivals Notts County, who themselves had accrued a rather remarkable 107 points in 46 games, some 23 more than third-placed Chesterfield.
A crucial Racecourse meeting in April 2023 saw Wrexham and County locked on 100 points each, and Wrexham’s game in hand meant they would be in control of their destiny with victory over their opponents, who had beaten them in the previous October.
In what has almost become true Wrexham fashion, a topsy-turvy game went the way of the hosts, with Elliot Lee’s winner securing victory for the Red Dragons. A 3-1 success over Boreham Wood a fortnight later confirmed Wrexham’s return to the Football League, while Notts County would later join them in League Two after winning the play-offs.
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Wrexham in 2023/24
Wrexham have refused to hold back after winning the National League, with Phil Parkinson’s side going for promotion once again.
After a slow start where they won just one of their opening five games, results began to pick up over the autumn, and Wrexham were into the promotion spots by October.
They have recently picked up their promotion push after a blip following the new year, with a play-off place now looking like a worst-case scenario as the games begin to run out.
The Red Dragons also repeated last season’s feat of reaching the fourth round of the FA Cup, seeing off Mansfield, Yeovil and League One’s Shrewsbury Town before coming unstuck against Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers.
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Elsewhere, their EFL Cup campaign was over in the second round, with Wrexham heading out on penalties to league rivals Bradford City. There was similarly no luck in the EFL Trophy, where despite winning all of their group-stage games, Wrexham were knocked out in the last 32 by Burton Albion.
As mentioned, Wrexham are firmly in the race for promotion from League Two. The top three go up automatically to League One, with teams placed 4th-7th entering the play-offs.
Wrexham continued to pick up points following their success last week against Accrington Stanley, with Parkinson’s side battling from a goal down to beat 10-player Morecambe away from home.
The result means that the Red Dragons remain in third place, while another defeat for promotion rivals Crewe means that they now have a game in hand on fourth place, which is now occupied by MK Dons.
The win also means that with ten games remaining, as long as Wrexham keep winning, it will only be a matter of time before promotion is confirmed. A League One spot for 2024/25 is still in their hands, and with games in hand over some of their rivals and a lead over fourth starting to build, there is even now some margin for error.
As for a definitive promotion party date, it is still too tight to pinpoint which game could see them confirmed as a third-tier side.
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Wrexham fixtures and standings
Current League Two standings (as of 9th Mar) |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Pos |
Team |
Played |
GD |
Pts |
1 |
Mansfield |
36 |
+39 |
69 |
2 |
Stockport |
35 |
+30 |
66 |
3 |
Wrexham |
36 |
+21 |
66 |
4 |
MK Dons |
37 |
+13 |
64 |
5 |
Crewe |
36 |
+13 |
61 |
6 |
Barrow |
35 |
+12 |
59 |
7 |
Gillingham |
37 |
-7 |
55 |
8 |
AFC Wimbledon |
37 |
+11 |
54 |
Wrexham now face back-to-back home games as they look to press home their advantage ahead of the automatic promotion chasers. Harrogate are up next on Tuesday evening, before Tranmere visit next weekend.
The Good Friday tie against Mansfield stands out in particular, and that could be a game that not only shapes the promotion race, but the destination of the League Two title – especially if both clubs can keep up their current form heading into the final month of the campaign.
Wrexham’s next 5 fixtures |
|||
---|---|---|---|
Date |
Competition |
Opposition |
H/A |
12th March |
League Two |
Harrogate |
H |
16th March |
League Two |
Tranmere |
H |
23rd March |
League Two |
Grimsby |
A |
29th March |
League Two |
Mansfield |
H |
2nd April |
League Two |
Doncaster |
A |
Wrexham results
Wrexham’s victory over Morecambe saw them secure successive wins for the first time in a month, so this will hopefully be a sign that the Red Dragons are peaking at the right time as the run-in approaches. With points in the bag, Parkinson’s side can even afford to be less than perfect, knowing that a maximum return from their remaining games will see them as a League One club come next term.
Wrexham’s last 5 results |
|||
---|---|---|---|
Date |
Competition |
Opposition |
Result |
9th March |
League Two |
Morecambe |
W 3-1 |
2nd March |
League Two |
Accrington |
W 4-0 |
27th February |
League Two |
Forest Green |
D 1-1 |
24th February |
League Two |
Gillingham |
L 0-1 |
20th February |
League Two |
MK Dons |
D 1-1 |