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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.
A massive win for Wrexham over Mansfield Town on Good Friday put the Red Dragons in a really commanding position when it comes to promotion, but their midweek defeat away at Doncaster Rovers means their wait to confirm a place in League One will only be prolonged.
Owen Bailey struck for the home side just before the break and Wrexham had no response, leaving the Red Dragons with their fate in their own hands, but with their margin for error significantly lessened.
As it stands, Phil Parkinson’s side still have a game in hand on fourth-placed MK Dons, though the gap is still pretty tight at the top. So while five successive wins will make promotion a certainty, an early one is looking unlikely at this point.
Therefore, all eyes remain on the final-day clash with Stockport County on 27th April to decide their fate, though they can confirm a top-7 place this weekend if results go their way.
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Wrexham fixtures and standings
Current League Two standings (as of 2nd April)
Pos
Team
Played
GD
Pts
1
Stockport
40
+39
77
2
Mansfield
40
+40
73
3
Wrexham
41
+23
73
4
MK Dons
42
+14
71
5
Barrow
40
+14
67
6
Crewe
41
+9
66
7
Crawley
40
+5
62
8
Morecambe
41
-7
60
Wrexham’s next assignment is against Colchester United, who are fighting for their EFL status after dropping back into the bottom two. Crawley Town and Forest Green Rovers then visit before two crunch clashes which could be crucial to their league status come next season. Crewe are still firmly in play-off contention, while their meeting with Stockport on the final day could yet become a title showdown.
A play-off spot is now within touching distance with a 13-point gap to 8th as it stands, leaving Wrexham to focus on a top-three berth.
Wrexham’s next 5 fixtures
Date
Competition
Opposition
H/A
6th April
League Two
Colchester
A
9th April
League Two
Crawley
H
13th April
League Two
Forest Green
H
20th April
League Two
Crewe
A
27th April
League Two
Stockport
H
Wrexham results
Having been in the driving seat following their victory over Mansfield, their latest defeat has given Wrexham’s rivals another opportunity to close the gap next weekend.
Crucially, Wrexham’s fate remains in their hands, but their failure to win what look like winnable games on paper means that they cannot take anything for granted. They seem to be getting away with this level of incosistency for now, but with a number of six-pointers coming up, they will need to perform when it really matters.
Wrexham’s last 5 results
Date
Competition
Opposition
Result
2nd April
League Two
Doncaster
L 0-1
29th March
League Two
Mansfield
W 2-0
23rd March
League Two
Grimsby
W 3-1
16th March
League Two
Tranmere
L 0-1
12th March
League Two
Harrogate
D 0-0
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