Promotion to the Premier League is not in the cards for Wrexham this season. The Welsh side fell short in their bid for a Championship playoff place on Saturday following a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough.
There were several permutations that would have seen Wrexham finish in one of the four playoff spots, but between their draw and Hull City’s 2-1 win over Norwich, the dream of a fourth straight promotion and a place in the Premier League came to an end.
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Wrexham fell behind early against Middlesbrough after four minutes, but Josh Windass leveled the match with a 28th-minute free kick. Thirteen minutes later, Sam Smith gave the Red Dragons the lead. But hope was dissolved just two minutes later when David Strelec equalized just before halftime.
As the second half went on, Wrexham found itself bouncing in and out of a playoff place with Hull and Derby remaining in the mix. Once Derby fell behind, it was up to Hull, which were boosted by an Oliver McBurnie 67th-minute penalty kick to lift it ahead of Wrexham in the table.
That meant Wrexham needed to win or hope Norwich tied Hull. Neither result happened and the Welsh side, which gained worldwide exposure after being bought by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2020, will spend a second season in the Championship.
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No English team had ever achieved three consecutive promotions before Wrexham accomplished it last year. The club’s rebirth began after being sold in 2020. It has since launched a popular TV show, “Welcome to Wrexham,” and seen revenues increase leading to an improved squad.
After eight seasons in the National League, Wrexham clinched its first promotion with a league title in 2023. The Red Dragons then followed that up with successive second-place finishes in League Two and League One to rise to the second tier of the English soccer pyramid.
Millwall, Southampton, Middlesbrough and Hull are playoff bound with the Premier League in their sights. Champions Coventry and Ipswich Town secured automatic promotion.
