Football
Wrexham win back-to-back promotions under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s ownership; Phil Parkinson’s side hammers Forest Green Rovers 6-0 to reach League One for the first time since 2005; Stockport County clinched League Two title
Sunday 14 April 2024 10:20, UK
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Wrexham turned on the style to seal promotion to League One with a 6-0 victory over Forest Green.
The north Wales-based club, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have earned back-to-back promotions after winning the National League title last season.
Reynolds and McElhenney took over the club in November 2020 and after losing in the play-offs in their first full season at the club, ended their 15-year absence from the EFL by edging out Notts County to clinch promotion with a record-breaking 111 points.
Nine victories in their last 15 league games, with just three defeats, saw them power into the top three this season and reach League One for the first time since 2005.
League Two leaders Stockport County, four points clear, also secured promotion on Saturday with the title still up for grabs.
Sky Sports’ EFL Editor Simeon Gholam:
“Anyone following the Wrexham journey will know that this season has been positively relaxed compared to what has come before.
Wrexham seal promotion
League Two table
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“The strife of getting out of the National League – play-off heartache followed by that record-breaking battle with Notts County – has been followed by a relative canter on their return to League Two. It will be interesting to see how they try and make promotion with two games to spare a truly dramatic climax to a documentary.
“The start was a little mixed, but Wrexham have rarely been out of contention, and the form of Paul Mullin since the turn of the year has seen them really hit their stride. Ironically, they follow Stockport again, the side that initially stood in their way of a return to the EFL in 2022.
“For all the scepticism and scrutiny that can follow a club with such famous owners as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, this is still simply a tale of an historic old club that had fallen on decades of hard times finding their feet again. It is a rise that should be lauded and celebrated.”
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson was full of praise for his team, saying: “I’m immensely proud of the lads today because, when it mattered most, we’ve put in our two best performances of the season.
“It’s never easy with Forest Green’s low block making it difficult but it was important we showed that we’d learned from when we played them last time, and I think some of our football was of a very high standard.
“I came into the game not expecting other results to go our way – I think that’s the best way to approach it.
“It wasn’t until about two minutes to go when my son George, who’s our analyst, gave me the rundown and obviously then you know it’s a done deal. I’m just so pleased.
“It’s a great achievement for everybody connected with the club. There is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
“It really is a team effort at Wrexham – everybody pulls together and I have to include the supporters in that because, home and away, they’ve been absolutely magnificent for us.
“They’ve stayed with us, kept the faith and the belief and they’ve got their rewards.”
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