Paul Mullin was the hero as Wrexham sealed the National League title and a return to the Football League after a 15-year absence in front of 10,000 jubilant fans.
Wrexham’s 3-1 win over Boreham Wood, which came after they fought back from 1-0 down after 43 seconds, sparked a joyous pitch invasion, with the club’s owners – Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – tearfully hugging in the stands.
Reynolds told BBC Sport Wales he felt “unadulterated joy” at the final whistle.
He added: “To see the joy on the players’ faces and, of course, the entire stadium is what it’s all about.”
McElhenney said: “It’s hard to put into words. I actually think I blacked out.
“I don’t remember anybody running onto the pitch. I don’t remember them being on the pitch so yeah, a bit of a blackout for us.
“So much of what we’re feeling isn’t so much to do with us winning, the club, it’s the town – you’re carrying the emotions of so many people in this town and it means so much to them.
“Fifteen years they’ve spent out of the Football League, which ends now, and I think that’s all coming in like a bit of a tsunami moment and I think it’s going to take a minute to process.
“Both Rob and I were up and watching and both of us had tears in our eyes and didn’t quite know how to express what we were feeling.”
As fans celebrated, star striker Mullin, who scored two second-half goals, took selfies with some of those who poured onto the pitch at full-time.
Manager Phil Parkinson led the chanting of ‘We Are Going Up’ from the stands, after what he had previously described as “15 years of pain” in non-league football.
Actors Reynolds, McElhenney, and Paul Rudd – pictured drinking in local pubs with fans before the crucial match – joined in the celebrations.
Fans spilled onto the pitch with red flares at the final whistle and the rain-sodden trophy presentation had to be delayed as fans were requested to leave the field.
When the trophy lift did take place, Wrexham players sprayed champagne around as Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions’ played out over the PA system.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Parkinson. “I feel so emotional after what the club has been through in the last 15 years. I am so proud of the performance and the fans.”
Mullin, the man who swapped the prospect of League One for the National League when he joined Wrexham from Cambridge United in the summer of 2021, scored the brace that finally sealed a return to the Football League.
His two goals added to Elliot Lee’s first-half equaliser after Lee Ndlovu had put the visitors in front.
The striker, 28, added: “We are ecstatic. To deal with the pressure we have had, I am so proud of the lads.
“We had to deal with a lot and people think with the biggest budget you’ll win it easy and it’s not like that.”
Wrexham’s return came 15 years to the day since they dropped out of the EFL following a 2-0 defeat at Hereford on 22 April 2008.
Since relegation from League Two, the club has endured play-off disappointment five times and was also on the brink of going out of business.
But since Deadpool star Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator McElhenney took over in early 2021, the club has been transformed.
With the airing of the Disney+ documentary Welcome to Wrexham, interest in the club has grown globally and coincided with an epic National League title race.
Source – BBC Sport
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