Wrexham AFC is just one step away from English soccer’s Premier League after being promoted into the system’s second tier — the Red Dragons’ third straight promotion.
The Welsh soccer team, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, advanced to the top tier of the English Football League — or the Championship — after beating Charlton 3-0 on Saturday.
Reynolds and McElhenney celebrated the win alongside thousands of fans who stormed the home field, despite police warnings for those who invaded the pitch.
“It just seemed like an impossible dream,” Reynolds said after the win, according to the Associated Press, reflecting on his team’s third promotion in three seasons. “We said five years ago our goal was to make it to the Premier League. There were understandably a lot of laughs, but it feels like a thing that could make it to fruition right now.”
Wrexham kicked off Saturday’s game with two goals in three minutes, leaving them with a comfortable lead early on. Striker Sam Smith sealed the deal with the third goal in the 81st minute of play.
The team — the oldest in Wales and third-oldest soccer team in the world — will spend next season sitting just below the coveted Premier League.
When Reynolds and McElhenney took the reins in 2021, Wrexham was in the National League, making it seem unlikely that the team would so quickly be within spitting distance of the top tier of English soccer.
“The owners have come in and done an amazing job. I’m so pleased for them because they deserve it,” manager Phil Parkinson said, according to the AP. “They’re invested in all the decisions, but they trust us in in our decision making and that’s why we’ve had success over the last three years.”
The Associated Press contributed.
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