Co-owner Ryan Reynolds celebrates Wrexham promotion to third-tier as Welsh club seals rise from League Two

Wrexham had another successful season in the sequel.

League Two

Stockport Played 43, 86 points (Promoted)Wrexham Played 44, 82 points (Promoted)Mansfield Town Played 43, 79 pointsMK Dons Played 44, 74 pointsCrewe Alexandria, Played 44, 70 pointsBarrow, Played 42, 67 points

* Top three teams are promoted, next four compete in playoffs for final promotion spot

The Welsh team co-owned by actor Ryan Reynolds clinched promotion to the third tier of English soccer thanks to a 6-0 home win over Forest Green on Saturday.

That’s back-to-back promotions for the team since it was thrust into the spotlight following the investment by its Hollywood owners. It is two tiers away from the Premier League.

Wrexham needed to both beat Forest Green and see MK Dons and Barrow drop points in order to secure automatic promotion to League One with two rounds to go.

Wrexham’s win was never in doubt as the team was 4-0 up at half-time. MK Dons wasted an early lead in losing at home against Mansfield 4-1, while Barrow lost to Gillingham 3-0.

That sparked mass celebrations at Wrexham as fans ran onto the field after the final whistle, despite pre-game warnings from the club urging them to stay in the stands.

Wrexham is second in League Two, four points behind leader Stockport, which also clinched promotion on Saturday.

The top three teams are automatically promoted to League One, and fourth-placed MK Dons can no longer catch Wrexham.

Reynolds and McElhenney took over in November 2020, buying the little-known club for $US2.5m ($3.85m).

They missed out on promotion from the National League in their first full season, before ending a 15-year exile in non-league football in the 2022-23 campaign, getting back into the English Football League — the three divisions below the Premier League. 

The club’s trials and tribulations under its famous owners have come to international attention through the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham.

This is the first time in the club’s 159-year history that it has earned promotion in two consecutive seasons.

“A few years ago, if you told me I would be crying tears of joy over a football match taking place in North Wales, you would be Rob McElhenney,” Reynolds wrote in his social media post.

“Congrats to Wrexham and to my co-chairman in crime. Double up the town!”

AP/Reuters