22 April 2023 , 19:25
455
0
Wrexham won the National League title and clinched promotion back to the Football League with a 3-1 win over Boreham Wood on an emotional evening in north Wales.
The Dragons, who have been mired in the fifth-tier since 2008, knew that three points would end a 15 year exile from the Football League - but they made the worst possible start to their seismic promotion showdown.
Lee Ndlovu ghosted in behind the Wrexham defence to latch onto a long ball over the top before lobbing Ben Foster after just 43 seconds to stun The Racecourse. But a swift response felt inevitable and Elliot Lee promptly restored parity with the simplest of back-post headers in the 15th minute.
After heading in level at the break, Paul Mullin bagged a brace to put the seal on promotion and ensure that Wrexham would be coronated in front of their fans with a game to spare. Here, Mirror Football looks at the talking points from Saturday's match...
The hottest ticket in Tinseltown
Not for the first time this season, The Racecourse played host to some very famous faces in amongst the sell-out crowd.
Ryan Reynolds mispronounces name of new Wrexham signing in hilarious video
The presence of owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney for such a big match was a given, but the presence of Marvel star Paul Rudd sent fans into overdrive on social media before a ball had even been kicked.
Twitter was awash with pictures of Antman enjoying a pint with Dragons fans in the build-up to kick-off before he was snapped looking slightly more tense alongside Reynolds and McElhenney.
Various other Hollywood stars have been snapped in Wrexham over the course of the season, including Will Ferrell and Reynolds' wife, Blake Lively. You wouldn't bet against that trend continuing next year, either, as the Wrexham bandwagon rolls on.
Join the debate! How far do you think Wrexham can go with Reynolds and McElhenney at the helm? Let us know here.
Paul Rudd in the stands with Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney (Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)A nightmare start
The upward trajectory Wrexham have been on since the arrival of Reynolds and McElhenney feels like it could have been lifted straight from a blockbuster Hollywood script.
However, the start Phil Parkinson's side resembled a horror flick rather than the fairytale that the capacity crowd in attendance were anticipating.
Ndlovu's strike after 43 seconds left the league leaders with a mountain to climb. The play-off hopefuls were unbeaten in the previous 43 league games they had struck first.
But Wrexham rallied instantly, aided by the raucous atmosphere at The Racecourse. It seemed like only a matter of time before the game, which felt and played like a cup final, would swing back in the hosts' favour...
Elliot leads the way - again
Elliot Lee scored Wrexham's first goal of the afternoon (Oli SCARFF / AFP) (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)Although Foster's dramatic last-gasp penalty save stole some of his thunder, Lee was Wrexham's saviour in the 3-2 win over Notts County that put them in pole position for promotion.
And the former West Ham and Luton man was back at it to keep the Dragons' promotion hopes alive.
Wrexham boss details scale of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's involvement
The striker, who is the son of Newcastle legend Rob, was the coolest man in Wrexham as he ghosted into space to cancel out Boreham Wood's shock opener with another important goal.
More Mullin magic
Paul Mullin celebrates after scoring for Wrexham in their promotion decider against Boreham Wood (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Cometh the hour, cometh the man. And when it comes to this Wrexham team, Mullin is most definitely the leading man.
With the score locked at 1-1, Mullin stepped up to bend a sensational strike into the top corner to send The Racecourse - and Reynolds and McElhenney up in the gods - absolutely potty. And it got even better for him and Wrexham when he bagged a second in the 72nd minute.
The former Cambridge striker copped plenty of stick when he made the decision to snub interest from clubs higher up the pyramid to join Wrexham. But Mullin is now an EFL player once again and on the cusp of a Wales call-up after bagging 46 goals in all competitions this season.
Like many others, he was lured to Wrexham to fire them back into the EFL. And after bagging the bulk of the goals that ended the Dragons' 15-year non-league odyssey, we fancy he'll never have to buy a beer in north Wales ever again.
Foster signs off in style
Ben Foster celebrates during Wrexham's promotion decider against Boreham Wood (Matthew Ashton/AMA)If this is going to be it for Foster, who came out of retirement to answer an SOS call from Wrexham last month, then he signed off in style on Saturday night.
The 40-year-old barely had time to position his beloved Go Pro before his clean sheet was wiped out by Ndlovu, but he wasn't overly troubled as Wrexham saw the job through.
It remains to be seen if the veteran goalkeeper will choose to extend his stay beyond the end of the season after helping the club who have him his first senior start back into the Football League.
The Wrexham fans who serenaded him all afternoon would clearly love him to stay on. But if Foster does decide to sign off for good, this was a fitting finale.
League Two beware
Wrexham fans will finally see their side play league football again next season (Oli Scarff/AFP)Now that Wrexham are back in the league, how far can they go?
There's no telling, really. In truth, this is a squad capable of thriving in League Two without reinforcements.
But momentum is so often a game-changer in football and it won't be lost on the Dragons that last year's National League winners, Stockport County, are firmly in the mix for back-to-back promotions. Few would bet against Wrexham emulating that off the back of Saturday.