Wrexham are preparing for life in League One having spent just the one season in League Two, locking horns with Tranmere Rovers in the process.
There was always going to be a target on Wrexham’s back after promotion from the National League.
Not everybody loves the story of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds taking over at Wrexham and turning the club into a household name.
That is just the nature of football; there are rival supporters out there who would love to see Wrexham fail.
Those people have been left pretty disappointed though with Wrexham securing back-to-back promotions from the National League to League One.
Everybody wanted to beat Wrexham last season and some managed to achieve that goal – and certainly enjoyed themselves in the process.
Paul Mullin on Tranmere Rovers celebrations
Wrexham’s promotion to League One sparked a renewal of the rivalry with Tranmere Rovers.
Regular opponents from the 1920’s through to the end of the 1980’s, games between Wrexham and Tranmere haven’t been so common in recent times.
The two sides didn’t meet at all in the 1990’s and the last Football League meeting was way back in January 2005.
We did see some clashes in the National League following Tranmere’s relegation in 2015, but this past season really saw the rivalry kick back into gear.
It’s a rivalry some people may not be too aware of but Wrexham and Tranmere – just about 45 minutes apart – don’t particularly like each other.
Wrexham ended up winning at Prenton Park but then lost 1-0 at the STōK Cae Ras as Tranmere fans and players celebrated wildly.
Derby day wins are always a big deal and Tranmere will have felt, in that moment, that they had seriously dented Wrexham’s promotion hopes.
Wrexham still went up but Tranmere’s celebrations after that victory caused some uproar.
James McClean took particular offence to Tranmere’s Jean Belehouan celebrating, joking that Rovers had won the ‘we beat Wrexham cup’.
Striker Paul Mullin has now offered his thoughts on the latest episode of Welcome to Wrexham.
Speaking on Disney Plus, Mullin suggested that Tranmere’s celebrations were ‘quite mental’ because they were celebrating wildly despite being in the bottom half of the table.
Mullin added that Tranmere’s celebrations just encapsulated how much it meant for certain teams to beat Wrexham.
“I think after the game, they decided to celebrate like they’d won the league when I think they were in about 17th in the league, which is quite mental,” said Mullin. “They had a little discussions and it was all done, but it also shows what it means to teams like that to beat us,” he added.
It will likely be a similar story in League One.
Sure, there are bigger clubs in League One but many clubs – especially Shrewsbury Town – will be looking to bring Wrexham crashing down to earth.
This is a phenomenon most Wrexham players are now used to, with everybody looking for a victory against the ‘Hollywood club’ – and no doubt ready for big celebrations if they manage it next season.