04/26/25 03:47:00
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04/26 15:46 CDT Wrexham seals third straight promotion and will play in English
soccer's second tier
Wrexham seals third straight promotion and will play in English soccer's second
tier
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
WREXHAM, Wales (AP) --- Wrexham fans ignored the warnings. They were always
going to.
By the time the final whistle blew on Saturday to confirm promotion to English
soccer's second tier, thousands were ready and waiting to storm the home field
in celebration.
Flares were lit, red smoke filled the air, Welsh flags were waved proudly and
songs sung raucously.
Wrexham was one step from the Premier League and nothing was going to stop this
party.
Charlton was beaten 3-0 to ensure Wrexham went up as the third division
runner-up behind champion Birmingham, and co-owner Ryan Reynolds reflected on
their third promotion in three seasons.
"It just seemed like an impossible dream," the movie star said. "We said five
years ago our goal was to make it to the Premier League. There were
understandably a lot of laughs, but it feels like a thing that could make it to
fruition right now."
There were warnings of police action for pitch invaders before kickoff. And as
the game reached its final moments, an announcement over the loudspeaker told
fans it could be stopped if they didn't move back behind barricades.
But everyone inside the club's historic Racecourse Ground knew what was coming,
and within seconds of the whistle the field was a sea of red as Wrexham
supporters celebrated wildly.
The Welsh soccer team's remarkable rise under Hollywood owners Reynolds and Rob
McElhenney has hit a new high --- returning to the second tier for the first
time since 1981.
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.
"The stadium and atmosphere is incredible, it's a massive club and a big
project, it will be a special week now," said striker Sam Smith, who scored two
goals in the win.
Who knows what's next for a team that has defied the odds since the actors
bought it for $2.5 million in 2021 and turned it into a household name around
the world.
"The owners have come in and done an amazing job. I'm so pleased for them
because they deserve it," manager Phil Parkinson said. "They're invested in all
the decisions, but they trust us in in our decision making and that's why we've
had success over the last three years."
While celebrations greeted the final whistle, 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.
Reynolds posed for selfies with fans outside and served drinks behind the bar
in a marquee set up outside the nearby Turf pub, which has earned world renown
from the docuseries "Welcome to Wrexham."
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 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 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."
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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