How Wrexham celebrated promotion to League Two

A day that had been 15 years in the making threatened to unravel after 43 seconds.

As has become readily apparent since Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds injected millions into Wrexham, money does not necessarily ensure that success comes easily. Lee Ndlovu silenced the Racecourse with an opener for Boreham Wood inside the first minute of Wrexham's penultimate league game of the season.

With Notts County victorious against Maidstone United earlier on Saturday, Wrexham had to win to cement their status as National League champions and snag the only automatic promotion spot back to the Football League.

Read more about Wrexham's Hollywood story

Elliot Lee duly headed the Welsh side level before perennial hero Paul Mullin bagged a brace - taking his seasonal tally to a sickening 46 goals across all competitions - and send this corner of north Wales into raptures.

Those inside the Racecourse - which, as any viewer of the club's docu-series will be aware, is the oldest international ground still in use - spilled out of the history-soaked stands and onto the turf at the final whistle.

Eventually, the stewards managed to corral the herd of jubilant dragons to one side for the trophy presentation. Mullin led the lap of honour as Wrexham's players basked in the club's first promotion in any division since 2003.

In recent weeks, another protagonist has leapt off the pages of the script that has been Wrexham's promotion campaign. Former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster came out of retirement to patrol the posts, delivering a crucial intervention against Wrexham's closest rivals for promotion, Notts County a fortnight ago.

After making a last-minute, match-winning penalty save against Notts County, Foster earned special praise from one of the club's co-owners. "Probably half an hour after the full-time whistle," the keeper remembered, "Rob McElhenney came into the changing room and he walked in and looks straight at me and goes: 'I need to give you a kiss on the lips!'"

On Saturday, McElhenney made a beeline for the keeper once again, boyishly leaping into Foster's arms as the former Manchester United stopper span him around in a circle of unadulterated glee.

Reynolds may not have been hoisted aloft by Foster but he did make sure to snag his match-worn shirt after the final whistle - despite the goalkeeper's protestations. "This stinks by the way," Foster told the club's comedically stern co-owner while he steamed right through the post-match press conference. "Honestly, this absolutely stinks."

In fairness, Reynolds didn't exactly end the day at his fragrant best.

"Everything I own smells like champagne, beer and grass," the 46-year-old actor Tweeted. "I’m still somewhere between giggling and sobbing. This town and this sport is one of the most romantic things on earth."

McElhenney and Reynolds widened their glittering posse with the inclusion of fellow actor Paul Rudd on Saturday. The comedy star was pictured rubbing shoulders with fans in a local pub before taking his seat next to Reynolds in the directors' box - although, Rudd joined the excitable owners in standing up for the vast majority of a typically helter-skelter contest.

Even manager Phil Parkinson got in on the act. Filmed bouncing up and down with a beer-drenched shirt after the final whistle, Parkinson sheepishly emerged for an interview the following day. The 55-year-old coach wistfully - maybe hazily - remembered a "great night" spent in the bar opposite the ground but didn't follow his players as they "drifted off into Wrexham". Although, Parkinson did croak: "There's more to come."

Some of those that made their way into town were spotted in a local fast food chain the following morning. Still perky despite the small hours, the footage appears to show Mullin leading a spirited and blunt critique of the Conservative party.

Mullin was banned by the club from wearing boots which had "F*** the Tories" stitched onto them in October but that has not stopped the robust slogan from becoming a feature of Wrexham's support, with banners preaching the same sentiment spotted in the crowd of multiple matches.

LISTEN NOW

On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss a potential midfield merry-go-round this summer, Victor Osimhen's chances of joining Chelsea, Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher's futures, Harry Kane, Ilkay Gundogan, Ousmane Dembele & more!

If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!