Supercomputer predicts Wrexham finish as Reynolds and McElhenney made to sweat

04 March 2024 , 21:02

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Wrexham co-chairman Ryan Reynolds may have to accept that the Red Dragons are in a real fight for automatic promotion in the run-in (Image: Getty)

Ryan Reynolds may be left sweating in the coming months as Wrexham face a real fight in order to secure automatic promotion for a second year running according to a supercomputer prediction.

Alongside co-chairman Rob McElhenney, the Hollywood superstar has helped mastermind the Red Dragons' transformation since assuming the reins in 2021. Since then, they finally ended their 15-year wait for a return to the EFL, booking their place in League Two by winning the National League last season.

Despite further investment in talents such as former Premier League stalwarts James McLean and Stephen Fletcher, they have not had things all their own way in the fourth tier. Currently, the north Wales outfit sit in the final automatic promotion slot in third - trailing leaders Mansfield, as well as Stockport.

Now, the Opta supercomputer has predicted that Phil Parkinson's men are facing a 41.9 per cent chance of missing out on finishing in the top three. With playoff spots on offer for the teams finishing between fourth and seventh, the number crunchers have forecast that they this is the fate they may have to settle for.

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Opta's software on March 4 has determined that they have a 28 percent chance of finishing fourth, while giving them an 11.2 percent chance of finishing in fifth. The supercomputer has also predicted that they have a 4.8 per cent chance of managing sixth place, while having a 1.6 per cent chance of scraping into the playoffs in seventh.

The more optimistic news for Wrexham, however, is that the supercomputer sees the Dragons as having a 58.1 per cent shot of making the automatic slots. Furthermore, their chances of finishing outside the top seven appears slim, with Opta forecasting only a 0.7 per cent probability of them finishing eighth.

That will likely be music to the ears of Wrexham's head coach Parkinson, who is tasked with attempting to guide the club back to League One. They last competed in the third tier in the 2004-05 campaign but a rampant 4-0 win against Accrington Stanley in their most recent outing will leave Reds fans feeling buoyant for the run-in.

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Wrexham head coach Phil Parkinson was delighted with his players in their most recent outing

Waxing lyrical about his team's performance in the demolition job at the Racecourse Ground, the Wrexham boss said: "It was a really good performance from the lads and a great win. I have been saying that we have dominated a lot of games without really getting our rewards but we kept believing that dominance would be turned into goals because in the last few years, it normally has.

"This is probably the first time where we have had periods where we haven't punished teams but today we were excellent in and around that final third which is obviously the most important part of the football pitch. It was a really good day all-round for us and we took our chances when they came.

"Obviously we would love to have built on it in the second half but Accrington are a good side. We still had three or four really clear cut chances to get that fifth goal. "But we are not going to be greedy, it is a great three points for us."

Parkinson added: "I thought the lads were professional in everything they did. We found the spaces with our football, we found the spare men in midfield in James McClean and Elliot Lee, and really looked like a threatening side."

Tom Beattie