Wrexham are now just a matter of hours away from starting the Championship season with a trip to face Southampton.
August 9 has been circled on the calendar for many Wrexham fans.
That date marks the start of Wrexham’s Championship campaign after sealing three straight promotions under Phil Parkinson.
The day is almost here, and Wrexham travel to take on Southampton in a fascinating clash to start the campaign.
Wrexham are on a high after such a rapid rise in recent years, whereas Southampton were relegated from the Premier League with just 12 points to their name.
The Saints may be favourites on Saturday, but Wrexham would love to spring a surprise and secure a winning start to life in the Championship.
Phil Parkinson on conversations with Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds
Wrexham always attract plenty of interest, but that will be especially true this season.
The jump from League One to the Championship is arguably the biggest leap Wrexham have made so far.
Few are really expecting a fourth straight promotion, but there is real intrigue over how Wrexham compete at this level.
Boss Parkinson has tackled that subject while speaking to BBC Sport, suggesting that Rob McElhenney, also known as Rob Mac, and Ryan Reynolds never put pressure on him to succeed.
Parkinson claims there is never any expectation from the Hollywood duo, and the sole focus is just on improving the Wrexham squad.
Achievements are not the main goal for Wrexham, with Parkinson claiming that his conversations with McElhenney and Reynolds have simply revolved around being competitive in the Championship.
“One thing with Rob and Ryan, they’ve never put pressure on us,” said Parkinson.
“It’s about getting the squad and the template we set out in the summer, can we fill the blanks where we needed players to come in to give us a chance to be competitive in the division? They’re the conversations I have with Rob and Ryan rather than, ‘we’ve got to do this or that’. They’ve just been supportive to help us build a competitive squad,” he added.
Where the promoted League One sides finished last season
A relegation battle seems unlikely for Wrexham, even if Parkinson’s Championship record is a little unconvincing.
Parkinson has never had resources even comparable to Wrexham’s, though, and he certainly has a good thing going at the STōK Cae Ras.
Wrexham may settle for consolidation this season, and we actually saw all three promoted sides stay up in the Championship last season.
Derby County, Oxford United and Portsmouth all flirted with the bottom three at times, but ended up finishing 19th, 17th and 16th respectively.
None of those sides could spend like Wrexham, and we certainly believe that Parkinson and co can aim a little higher than merely surviving in the Championship.