Wrexham’s success this season doesn’t just change things for them, it has also left their League One rivals kicking their feet in the third tier and watching on with envy.
Nobody expected Wrexham to get promotion this season. Even supercomputers predicted the Red Dragons would face relegation rather than challenge at the top of League One.
But, against the odds, Phil Parkinson’s men got it over the line and secured second spot behind Birmingham City to book their place in the Championship next season.
Wrexham’s back-to-back-to-back promotion is an EFL record, but it’s also set in motion a power dynamic shift throughout the Football League, and Bolton Wanderers are one team that has suffered as a result.
How Wrexham and Bolton Wanderers power dynamic has shifted
While Wrexham stormed to promotion from League One, Bolton Wanderers had to settle for an eighth-placed finish and ended up a huge ten points behind sixth-placed Leyton Orient in the play-off spots.
It was a disappointing campaign for the Trotters, who were tipped to be competing for promotion at the start of the season.
But, believe it or not, the fact that Wrexham have now clinched promotion to the Championship spells even more bad news for Bolton fans, at least for those whose pride is easily hurt.
That’s because now, for the first time ever in the two clubs’ histories, Wrexham will be playing in a league above Bolton Wanderers.
Until now, Bolton had always been superior to Wrexham, at least in league status. The Lancashire club have enjoyed spells in the top flight and the second tier for many years, but Wrexham’s rapid climb through the EFL has seen them not only catch Bolton, but now surpass them for the first time ever.
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Wrexham are aiming to upset plenty of teams next season
It will be a season of firsts next year for Wrexham, with the dizzying heights of the Championship bringing three new teams to Wrexham’s door for the first time ever; the Red Dragons have never played a league match against West Brom, Ipswich Town, or Middlesbrough.
We will also very likely see Max Cleworth become Phil Parkinson’s most-used player, and it will be Wrexham’s first time in the second tier in 43 long years.
But, while all of these are cause for excitement and celebration, rival fans have warned Wrexham to expect a tough season in the Championship.
Still, if we’ve learned anything about Wrexham from these last few years of unbridled success, it’s that they love proving people wrong and doing things no one has ever seen before. It’ll be a challenge next year for sure, but the Wrexham army will relish that.