The Red Dragons continue to rise up the Football League with their latest promotion, but what happened the last time Wrexham were in the second tier?
Wrexham secured their third-successive promotion by clinching second spot in League One with a 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic at the weekend.
After a rollercoaster season and an intense battle with Wycombe Wanderers, Phil Parkinson’s men finally put significant daylight between themselves and the chasing pack thanks to a strong run of form through April.
It’s all been part of the plan for Wrexham’s owners, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, who have helped lift the club from National League obscurity right up to the second tier of the EFL in a matter of just four years.
Parkinson deserves credit, too, of course. And collectively, the group behind this success have now delivered something Wrexham fans haven’t experienced in 43 years.
- READ MORE: Lee Trundle congratulates Wrexham on promotion as Cardiff City drop out of the Championship
Wrexham’s one and only spell in the second tier explained
That’s right, Wrexham have not played in the second tier since 1981/82. The Red Dragons spent four seasons in the old Second Division, having won the old Third Division in the 1977/78 season.
Admittedly, Wrexham struggled with the step up. They finished 15th in their first season in the Second Division, before back-to-back 16th placed finishes (when there were 22 teams in the league).
Wrexham legends like goalkeeper Eddie Niedzwiecki, Micky Thomas, Joey Jones, Gareth Davies, and Les Cartwright were in the squad at the time.
The 42-game season in 1981/82 saw Wrexham finish in 21st place, suffering relegation alongside another Welsh club, Cardiff City.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luton Town (C, P) | 42 | 25 | 13 | 4 | 86 | 46 | +40 | 88 |
| 2 | Watford (P) | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 76 | 42 | +34 | 80 |
| 3 | Norwich City (P) | 42 | 22 | 5 | 15 | 64 | 50 | +14 | 71 |
| 4 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 55 | 51 | +4 | 70 |
| 5 | Queens Park Rangers | 42 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 65 | 43 | +22 | 69 |
| 6 | Barnsley | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 59 | 41 | +18 | 67 |
| 7 | Rotherham United | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 67 |
| 8 | Leicester City | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 56 | 48 | +8 | 66 |
| 9 | Newcastle United | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 52 | 50 | +2 | 62 |
| 10 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 47 | 43 | +4 | 59 |
| 11 | Oldham Athletic | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 50 | 51 | −1 | 59 |
| 12 | Chelsea | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 57 |
| 13 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 50 | 65 | −15 | 51 |
| 14 | Cambridge United | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 48 | 53 | −5 | 48 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 34 | 45 | −11 | 48 |
| 16 | Derby County | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 53 | 68 | −15 | 48 |
| 17 | Grimsby Town | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 53 | 65 | −12 | 46 |
| 18 | Shrewsbury Town | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 37 | 57 | −20 | 46 |
| 19 | Bolton Wanderers | 42 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 39 | 61 | −22 | 46 |
| 20 | Cardiff City (R) | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 45 | 61 | −16 | 44 |
| 21 | Wrexham (R) | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 40 | 56 | −16 | 44 |
| 22 | Leyton Orient (R) | 42 | 10 | 9 | 23 | 36 | 61 | −25 | 39 |
Frustratingly, one more win could have seen Wrexham finish as high as 17th and survive another year, with them only ending up two points behind Bolton, rivals Shrewsbury, and Grimsby Town above them.
After that relegation, as we know, Wrexham continued to slide down the EFL ladder. They were relegated again in the following season, dropping to the fourth tier, before going up and down a few times over the years and ultimately ending up in the fifth tier with relegation in 2008.
Wrexham have to survive in the Championship next season at all costs
Wrexham will be back in the second tier next season, and everyone is rightly very excited as to what the future holds for the club.
Unfortunately, from a Welsh football perspective, Cardiff City have dropped out of the division, mirroring that disappointment of 1981/82, but Wrexham are well and truly waving the flag for the nation now.
Lewis Brunt has discussed Wrexham’s potential, especially with the guidance and backing of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The aim, eventually, is to make it to the Premier League, of course, but for now, stability should be the buzzword around the club.
The Championship will be a huge step up. It’s a significantly more difficult proposition than many of the Wrexham players have ever encountered, and while Phil Parkinson has experience in the Championship, he too will need to raise his game.
Obviously, it’s great that Wrexham are ambitious, but it is absolutely imperative that the Red Dragons simply aim to stay in the second tier next season. It would be disastrous to take a step backwards at this point in the project.
Fans have endured 43 years without second tier football, and while they’d all love to be in the top flight, we’re sure they can cope with a few more years in the Championship before that dream is realised.