It was once claimed, by Wrexham’s many detractors, that the razzmatazz off the pitch was a mere sideshow, that the football team would find their level and their celebrity owners would get bored.
Not on the evidence of this victory over Wycombe. Welcome to Wrexham 3.0, the League One edition, and even after back-to-back promotions, it seems the only way is up.
“When Ryan and Rob are here, there’s an electricity around the whole place,” said Phil Parkinson on the influence Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have on his players, the club and the entire city. It was certainly evident before kick-off at STōK Cae Ras, AKA the Racecourse Ground, as the decibel level built to a crescendo.
The duo paid a quick visit to the home dressing room before kick-off for a “general chat” to help relax the players. The vibes are certainly there and it’s difficult to argue it’s not a boost to the squad, who are now dealing with a new level of pressure. “It’s always a lift,” said the striker Steven Fletcher.
The Hollywood club have enjoyed a superhero rise over the past two seasons. Expectations are still in the stratosphere, despite the fact Wrexham are, after 20 years, back on the same standing as Birmingham, Huddersfield and Charlton, having welcomed Wealdstone, Boreham Wood and Dorking Wanderers two seasons ago.
Amid predictions of yet another promotion, however, there has been the sense inside the club that this won’t be a stroll – as Parkinson has been keen to stress. The only guarantee is that, because this is Wrexham, this will be a whole heap of fun. It proved as much against Wycombe, who Wrexham outpunched to the tune of 13,214 roaring fans.
A late penalty from Alfie May salvaged Birmingham a 1-1 draw against Reading on the opening weekend of the new League One season. Blues, relegated from the Championship last term and with new boss Chris Davies in charge, fell behind when Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan scored just before the break. After Ehibhatiomhan saw a second-half effort ruled out for offside, May levelled from the spot with just three minutes left to snatch a point.
There was no such drama for Huddersfield, who won 2-0 at Peterborough.
Antony Evans and Ben Wiles were on target in the first half to give new Terriers boss Michael Duff a perfect start. Rotherham, who were also relegated, lost 1-0 at Exeter as substitute Caleb Watts struck with 20 minutes left
Promoted Wrexham beat Wycombe 3-2 in a thriller at the SToK Cae Ras, with co-owner Ryan Reynolds watching on. Max Cleworth and Jack Marriott gave the Dragons a flying start. Richard Kone pulled a goal back for the Chairboys before substitute Steven Fletcher slotted in Wrexham's late third and Sam Vokes then set up a tense finale.
Stockport, who came up as champions, beat Cambridge 2-0 with goals from Louie Barry and Kyle Wootton. Bolton, beaten by Oxford in the League One play-off final, won 2-1 at Leyton Orient with a late goal from Victor Adeboyejo, who had only just been sent on.
Crawley, promoted through the play-offs, beat Blackpool 2-1. Lloyd Jones' late goal saw Charlton win 1-0 at Wigan, while Bristol Rovers' summer signing Bryant Bilongo scored in stoppage time to beat Northampton 1-0 at the Memorial Stadium.
Paudie O'Connor grabbed a brace as Lincoln came from behind to win 3-2 at Burton, scoring his second with just four minutes left to snatch all three points.
“Nothing is going to be handed to us,” the manager said. “It wasn’t in the National League, it wasn’t in League Two, so don’t think this is going to be handed to us. We’re going to have to fight tooth and nail for our wins. Wycombe have been known for their fighting spirit and they were a Championship club not long ago.”
So after Wrexham swatted aside a wizened League One team with playoff ambitions of their own, is a historic third successive promotion really the stuff of movie scripts, or a tangible reality? The fact is Wrexham’s squad is packed with oven-ready League One, if not Championship, experience. Less than 24 hours before kick-off they unveiled a club record signing, Ollie Rathbone, snaffled up from promotion likely lads Rotherham.
They stormed ahead in the opening minutes, James McClean’s corner flicked on in the direction of Max Cleworth, who could barely miss and didn’t, steering home to a cacophonous roar from the home crowd. The party was in full swing by the half-hour, as Jack Marriott struck a sweet volley into the top corner. More noise.
Wycombe initially looked like a pawn in a Marvel movie scene, playing second fiddle to the headline act protagonists. Parkinson was in the director’s seat, his every move paying off with interest. The Wrexham new boy George Dobson starred in midfield, aided by the runners Andy Cannon and Elliot Lee, while the wily McClean loitered with intent down the left and Ollie Palmer acted as a battering ram up front. Why can’t this be a blueprint for success in League One?
Bromley started life in the EFL with a 2-0 win at Harrogate. The Ravens, promoted from the National League via the play-offs, scored their first EFL goal when Michael Cheek turned the ball home after 62 minutes and Kamarl Grant headed in a late second.
Cheltenham, relegated from League One last season, held off a fightback by Newport to win 3-2 with a stoppage-time goal from Joel Colwill.
Fleetwood made a winning start to life back in League Two with a 1-0 victory over Grimsby, while Ben Garrity's brace saw Port Vale open their bid for a swift promotion with a 2-0 win at Salford.
However, Carlisle, who also went down, were thrashed 4-1 at Gillingham.
Luke Molyneux scored twice as Doncaster, beaten in the play-offs last season, laid down an early marker with a 4-1 win over Accrington.
MK Dons, who also lost in the play-offs, saw their first game under new ownership end with a 2-1 home defeat by Bradford, the visitors scoring twice inside 10 minutes. A Kuwait-based consortium led by Fahad Al Ghanim completed a takeover from former long-term owner Pete Winkelman on Friday.
AFC Wimbledon came from two goals down to beat Colchester 4-2, Walsall edged Morecambe 1-0, while Tranmere and Notts County played out a goalless draw.
Wrexham did lose some momentum as half-time came into view and the visitors got a deserved goal back via Richard Kone’s smart near-post finish after the break. Fletcher, who Parkinson was able to usher from the bench, then curled home in the 83rd minute, but the action still wasn’t done, as Welshman Sam Vokes reduced it to 3-2. In the end, the win was all that mattered to Parkinson, Reynolds, McElhenney and the sellout crowd. And we knew it would be fun, didn’t we?
“Every season I’ve ever been in as a player or manager, you’ve got to aim to be at the top,” Parkinson said. “That’s not getting carried away, because if you aim for the middle, you can end up at the bottom. So we’ve got to have dreams.”
It might have been 20 years ago that Wrexham last competed in League One, but those two decades away barely seem to matter now. Their only dreams are of an exciting future.
