Celebrities from Hollywood joined ardent supporters in rejoicing over Wrexham’s return to the Football League on Saturday.
Famous owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney saw the Welsh club come from behind to defeat Boreham Wood 3-1 alongside Ant-Man actor Paul Rudd.
Owners and supporters wept with delight as Wrexham rejoined the Football League after a 15-year absence.
Co-owner McElhenney stated, “We can hear how it feels to the town.”
At the conclusion of the game, emotional Wrexham supporters rushed out onto the field as their Hollywood owners, who made the club famous with their Disney+ We Are Wrexham documentary, sobbed in the directors’ box. Paul Mullin’s two goals had turned the sold-out Racecourse into a party.
People asked in the beginning, “Why Wrexham?,” and this is precisely why Wrexham is happening at this very moment, Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds told BT Sport.
“I’m speechless, I’m not sure I can even process what happened tonight.”
When Wrexham won the National League title with a record number of points, fans hugged and punched the air in celebration. In the past, they could only watch in terror as the club flirted with extinction and winding-up orders as it wrestled with multi-million dollar debts more than a decade ago.
“How it feels for the town is the most important to us. It’s a moment of catharsis and celebration for them. To be welcomed into this community and have this experience is the honor of my life,” McElhenney further stated to BT Sport.
Wrexham wins the National League trophy, 45 years to the day after their previous title triumph in 1978.
Before Wrexham captain Ben Tozer raised the National League trophy, the owners stood alongside their team on the field and embraced the winners.
After a momentous evening and what their owners could refer to as a Hollywood ending, Wrexham players sang Queen’s hymn We Are The Champions in the locker room as fans poured out onto the streets.
Rarely has a team winning a championship in the fifth division of English football garnered such international attention, but Reynolds and McElhenney’s involvement, together with their behind-the-scenes series at the third-oldest club in the world, has made Wrexham’s victory newsworthy.
However, promotion is not simply the aspiration of their famous owners; thousands of Wrexham supporters, particularly those present at the sold-out Racecourse on Saturday night, have also had their fair share of heartache and anguish.
Comment from the public:
“Fantastic, this is amazing, I just can’t even speak”
Supporter Laura Roberts said, “This is fantastic, this is amazing – I can’t speak I’m so happy, it’s the best day ever,” as she left the Racecourse.
“This is absolutely wonderful,” said Elwyn Davies, a Wrexham supporter since 1957, “I didn’t get much sleep last night, and I was anxious before the game, but we did it.”
Elwyn Davies, a devoted fan who has been following Wrexham for more than 60 years, says he had one of his best nights ever at the club.
Cali Howet, 11, who is excited to see her team play in the NFL for the first time in her life, said, “I can’t believe we won the league, but we all knew it would happen.”
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It’s incredible; Ryan and Rob are wonderful and have done so much for the community.
Congratulations Wrexham AFC,” the Prince of Wales tweeted. Cali Howet and her friend Isobel to the Racecourse to celebrate Wrexham’s victory.
“A team with such an incredible history is anticipating a very exciting future once it returns to the Football League. Making Wales proud,” tweeted Prince William.
Gary Lineker, a former England striker and host of Match of the Day, also expressed his congratulations to Wrexham on social media, and Mickey Thomas, a former Wales and Manchester United star who is now a legend at Wrexham, commended the club’s owners and players for securing promotion.
