The sequel turned out to be just as good for Wrexham.
The Welsh team, co-owned by actor Ryan Reynolds, gained promotion to the third tier of English football thanks to a 6-0 home win over Forest Green on Saturday.
These are back-to-back promotions for the team since they rose to prominence following investment from their Hollywood owners. It is two levels away from the Premier League.
“This is the trip of our lives,” Reynolds wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after the game.
Wrexham needed to beat Forest Green and see MK Dons and Barrow drop points to secure automatic promotion to League One with two rounds remaining.
Wrexham’s victory was never in doubt as the team led 4-0 at half-time. MK Dons squandered an early lead by losing at home to Mansfield 4-1, while Barrow lost to Gillingham 3-0.
That sparked mass celebrations in Wrexham as fans rushed onto the pitch after the final whistle, despite pre-game warnings from the club urging them to remain in the stands.
Wrexham are second in League Two, four points behind leaders Stockport, who also won promotion on Saturday.
The top three teams are automatically promoted to League One, with fourth-placed MK Dons no longer catching Wrexham.
Reynolds and McElhenney took over in November 2020 and bought the little-known club for US$2.5 million ($3.85 million).
They missed out on promotion from the National League in their first full season, before ending a 15-year exile in non-league football in the 2022-23 campaign, returning to the English Football League, the three divisions below of the Premier League.
The trials and tribulations of the club under its famous owners have attracted international attention through the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham.
This is the first time in the club’s 159-year history that it has achieved promotion in two consecutive seasons.
“A few years ago, if you told me I would cry with joy at a football match taking place in North Wales, you would be Rob McElhenney,” Reynolds wrote in his social media post.
“Congratulations to Wrexham and my crime co-chairman. Double the town!”
AP/Reuters
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