Wrexham's dream of reaching the Premier League is over for this season. The Welsh club missed out on a place in the Championship playoffs after drawing 2-2 with Middlesbrough in a dramatic final round of the regular season on Saturday.
Hull City jumped ahead of Wrexham into sixth place — the final playoff spot — courtesy of a 2-1 win over Norwich. Oli McBurnie scored the winning goal in the 67th minute, appearing to be in an offside position, but there are no video reviews in the English Football League.
Ryan Reynolds expressed his devastation on X: "I am completely gutted by today's result but incredibly proud of our season."
Wrexham's Historic Run Ends
The draw ended Wrexham's unprecedented run of three straight promotions under its famous owners. The streak began by getting out of the fifth tier in the 2022-23 season and has been documented in the Emmy Award-winning "Welcome to Wrexham" series.
Seventh place marked Wrexham's highest finish in its 150+ year history, bettering the 15th position achieved in the second tier in the 1978–79 season.
"We've come a long way in five years and this was the best result in our 150+ year history," Reynolds wrote alongside a graphic showing Wrexham's rise from the National League. "More to do. But for now, we have so much to be proud of, Reds."
Match Recap
Wrexham started the day in sixth place, ahead of Hull on goal difference. They conceded in the fourth minute but responded through Josh Windass and Sam Smith to lead 2-1 by the 41st.
Middlesbrough equalized in the 43rd minute. Wrexham finished the stronger, squandering late chances for a winner that would have secured a playoff place on goal difference. They finished two points behind Hull.
Playoff Field Set
Ipswich Town secured the second automatic promotion spot behind champion Coventry — and an immediate return to the Premier League — by beating Queens Park Rangers 3-0.
Joining Hull in the playoffs are Millwall, Southampton and Middlesbrough. The playoff matches will be:
- Millwall vs Hull
- Southampton vs Middlesbrough
Looking Ahead
"This squad as it stands, with a preseason together, will be even stronger next year," said Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson, who oversaw a summer spend of around $40 million last year.
"Of course we'll always look to add to that to try and give ourselves an even better chance... we know where we'd like to strengthen and what we need to improve on. We'll do that and we'll make this squad as strong as we possibly can to mount a challenge next year."