Wrexham are back in the Football League after 15 years away as the club's Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney delivered on their promise.
The North Wales club beat Boreham Wood 3-1 on Saturday night at the Racecourse Ground to secure the National League title with a record 110 points with one game remaining.
The visitors came with the intention of spoiling the party and stunned a fervent home crowd when Lee Ndlovu lobbed Ben Foster to open the scoring. But as they have so often this season, the Red Dragons composed themselves and equalised through Elliott Lee.
And after the break a Paul Mullin brace - bringing up his 37th and 38th goals of the season - signalled that the waiting was over and their job was done. With just one automatic promotion spot available, Wrexham had been pushed almost all the way by title rivals Notts County.
However a 3-2 win over the Magpies on Easter Monday - a win achieved thanks to a last gasp penalty save from high-profile March signing Ben Foster - gave them a crucial advantage, and Phil Parkinson's side followed that result up with a draw at Barnet and a win over Yeovil to set up their promotion chance.
Wrexham, who are the third oldest professional football club in the world having been formed in 1864, return to League Two a decade and a half after their 2008 relegation, which had end their 87-year stay in the Football League.
There had been near misses during their attempts to be promoted from the National League over the past 15 years, but the arrival of Reynolds and McElhenney in February 2021 - when the Hollywood stars completed a takeover the club from a supporters' trust that had previously helped keep them in existence - super-charged their attempts to go up.
Upon completing their purchase of the club, the pair told the fans: "[We want] to reward the faith of the supporters who have stood by Wrexham AFC through its history by putting everything we have towards what all fans want most for their club, and that is to... win, win, win."
With the takeover also coming with a fly on the wall documentary 'Welcome to Wrexham' - screened on FX in the US and Disney+ in the UK - the eyes of the world were suddenly on the town in north east Wales, which was granted city status in September last year.
The success of the series has seen Wrexham become a name recognised around the globe, with Reynolds and McElhenney using their worldwide fame to promote the club and secure money-spinning sponsorship deals and visits from other celebrities including Will Ferrell, Reynolds' wife Blake Lively and the cast of McElhenney's TV show 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia', Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton and Kaitlin Olson, McElhenney's wife.
Both owners have repeatedly promised to deliver promotion to the Football League to the club's success-starved fans, and while admitting that they knew little about football before taking over Wrexham they have now fallen in love with the game.
Speaking after the dramatic win over Boreham Wood, Reynolds said:"[People ask] 'Why Wrexham?'. This is why Wrexham. This happening, right now, is why. Boreham Wood showed up today. They are an incredible team. They have one of the best defences in the entire league."
Reynolds then paid tribute to second-placed Notts County, who have pushed the Dragons all the way but will now have to go through the play-offs. He added: "This entire story, the reason we are all on edge of our seats is because Notts County are so damn good. They deserve to go up. We are rooting for Notts County. We want to see them go up."
McElhenney then chimed in, adding: "Well I think we can hear what it feels to the town. It's a time of celebration and be welcomed into their community and be welcomed to this, it is the honour of my life."
Veteran goalkeeper Ben Foster, who was lured out of retirement weeks ago following an injury to first-choice shot-stopper Rob Lainton, was also interviewed and admitted that the club already "felt like home".
He told BT Sport: "This is my seventh game right and it is like home already this club is different. It is special." He then insisted he had no regrets over dropping to non-league when he was asked, adding: "Heck no! Heck no! No where else that I would have come to. I know how much it means to them. Seven games I've played - oh my god they [Wrexham fans] are bonkers!"
Reynolds has even bought a house in the nearby village of Marford as he continues to pay regular visits to the Racecourse Ground.
The success comes hot on the heels of Wrexham's women's team also achieving promotion to the Welsh women's top-flight.
