Wrexham seals third straight promotion and will play in English soccer's second tier

WREXHAM, Wales — Wrexham fans ignored the warnings. They were always going to.

By the time the final whistle blew on Saturday to confirm promotion to English soccer's second tier, thousands were ready and waiting to storm the home field in celebration.

Flares were lit, red smoke filled the air, Welsh flags were waved proudly and songs sung raucously.

Wrexham was one step from the Premier League and nothing was going to stop this party.

Charlton was beaten 3-0 to ensure Wrexham went up as the third division runner-up behind champion Birmingham, and co-owner Ryan Reynolds reflected on their third promotion in three seasons.

''It just seemed like an impossible dream,'' the movie star said. ''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.''

There were warnings of police action for pitch invaders before kickoff. And as the game reached its final moments, an announcement over the loudspeaker told fans it could be stopped if they didn't move back behind barricades.

But everyone inside the club's historic Racecourse Ground knew what was coming, and within seconds of the whistle the field was a sea of red as Wrexham supporters celebrated wildly.

The Welsh soccer team's remarkable rise under Hollywood owners Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has hit a new high — returning to the second tier for the first time since the 1981-82 campaign.

It means that from next season it will be playing one level below the Premier League, something that was unthinkable just four years ago when it was a struggling non-league team.

Reynolds and McElhenney were part of a full house of nearly 13,000 fans.

''The stadium and atmosphere is incredible, it's a massive club and a big project, it will be a special week now,'' said striker Sam Smith, who scored two goals in the win.

Who knows what's next for a team that has defied the odds since the actors bought it for $2.5 million in 2021 and turned it into a household name around the world.

''The owners have come in and done an amazing job. I'm so pleased for them because they deserve it,'' manager Phil Parkinson said. ''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.''

While celebrations greeted the final whistle, the party began much earlier after promotion rival Wycombe lost to Leyton Orient 1-0.

Wrexham just needed victory then to clinch the second promotion place in League One.

Reynolds posed for selfies with fans outside and served drinks behind the bar in a marquee set up outside the nearby Turf pub, which has earned world renown from the docuseries ''Welcome to Wrexham.''

Fans erupted in cheers after the final whistle of Wycombe's loss, which was shown on a big screen.

Wrexham just needed to finish the job off against fourth-placed Charlton and eased nerves with two goals in the space of three minutes in the first half. Oliver Rathbone's long shot in the 15th minute was followed by Smith's volley.

When Smith headed in a third in the 81st the outcome was in no doubt and Wrexham's fans serenaded the players with chants of ''We are going up.''

''This is for those supporters who followed the team in those 15 years in the (non-league) National League in really, really tough times, but stood strong behind their club and they deserve tonight,'' Parkinson said.

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer