Wrexham’s push for promotion to the Championship looks set to go to the wire after Wycombe Wanderers beat Huddersfield Town.
Wrexham fans were on cloud nine over the weekend as the promotion race appeared to swing firmly in Phil Parkinson’s favour.
Wycombe Wanderers lost at Reading, whilst Wrexham beat Burton Albion 3-0 to open up a six-point gap to third place.
That lead was cut to three points on Tuesday night, though, as Wycombe beat Huddersfield Town 1-0 away from home.
Both teams now have just five games left and are heading into a straight shootout for second place.
Wrexham are not over the line yet, but Phil Parkinson will have confidence of a third straight promotion.
Simon Jordan on Wrexham rise
Wrexham have been through testing times at stages of the season but are in a strong position with just five games to go.
Parkinson surely would have taken this position before the season started, and we could see Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds attending Championship games next term.
Few could have expected this just a few years ago, but Wrexham are on the rise – and earning praise along the way.
Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has told TalkSPORT that he wasn’t convinced by the McElhenney and Reynolds project early on.
Jordan doubted that the pair would be able to generate enough money to seriously challenge in the higher divisions.
However, Jordan has now seen the sheer traction and popularity of this Wrexham side, with McElhenney and Reynolds firing the club into the mainstream.
Jordan now believes that Wrexham or Birmingham City could reach the Premier League in the coming years, with both sides generating huge momentum in League One.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the momentum propels them forward into the Championship and we see them again being really competitive in the Championship,” said Jordan.
“Then you’ve got Wrexham coming up. All of a sudden you’ve got American owners everywhere.
“The thing about Wrexham, I sort of pooh-poohed it back in the day because I thought ‘you’re not going to get the traction’, and when it comes to putting your hands in your pockets, and if you do get up to the Championship, this is where the serious dough starts to come in.
“We’ll see your appetite, your Hollywood guys normally use other people’s money rather than their own. In this instance, that may well be the case, but the traction that these guys have got, Ryan Reynolds and the other fella, is so enormous that you’re seeing Wrexham badges on Marvel superheroes inside mainstream films.
“The traction they’re getting is so significant that the commercial investments and the money that’s behind Wrexham can build a new stadium. I would not be surprised if either one of these clubs end up in the Premier League in the next two or three years,” he added.
Wrexham’s incredible sponsorship money
Jordan speaks of Wrexham’s ‘enormous’ traction and the popularity of the club under McElhenney and Reynolds.
That has been reflected in Wrexham’s annual accounts, with enormous sponsorship money posted for the 2023-24 season.
Wrexham raked in £13.1million of sponsorship money in League Two, numbers that would make some Championship clubs envious.
Wrexham don’t bring in any money directly from ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, but continue to use the show as a marketing vehicle.
As Wrexham go up through the leagues, that sponsorship money only looks set to rise – and provide a great platform for more growth in the coming years.