Wrexham is one of the longest-running British football clubs, having been established in the 1860s and with a rich history across domestic and European competition. They've been in the National League since relegation in 2008, but there have been some signs lately that they could be heading back up.
What Happened Last Season?
There's been a buzz about Wrexham in the last couple of years, following actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buying the club, their sponsorship deal with TikTok and their inclusion in FIFA 22. Results on the park have also been improving and last season saw the Welsh team almost achieve promotion. They also signed Ollie Palmer for £300,000 in their biggest transfer since the 1980s.
In the end, they missed out on an automatic promotion spot to Stockport and entered the play-offs thanks to a last-day 3-0 defeat to Dagenham & Redbridge. The play-offs were as dramatic as always, with Wrexham losing out at the semi-final stage to Grimsby Town.
The Welsh team were at home for this crucial game and took the lead early thanks to a penalty, but the game went to extra-time and it was the former Wrexham player Luke Waterfall who eventually sealed their fate with the final goal in an incredible finish to a nine-goal thriller.
A Look Ahead to This Season
Will Wrexham go one better this season and gain promotion at last? The majority of online bookmakers have them as hot favourites. They're followed by the likes of Notts County and Chesterfield, but no one else comes close to the odds that the Welsh club are sitting at. How do the bookmakers come to this conclusion?
We can see how bookies get their odds through the Sportingtech site. This software provider uses a huge number of feeds to create the most accurate odds at all times, and this information is fed through to their betting platform, which many operators use. This approach also allows bookies to have a seamless link between online and offline odds.
What is this confidence in Wrexham being promoted based on? This BBC preview suggests that a slow start and a lack of goals were the reason for missing promotion last time, despite the club having built a squad for promotion. If they can get off to a faster start this season, they appear to be capable of leading the table.
A 2-1 home victory over Eastleigh got them off to a strong start this season, and the squad has been enhanced further during the summer, with Elliot Lee, Sam Dalby and Anthony Forde all joining up. Their attack seemed particularly strong with Lee scoring both goals on the opening day, and it would be a major surprise if Wrexham didn't finish at least in the play-off spots.
Many of the recent news headlines around Wrexham have been about off-field issues but it's time for them to get to business on the park now. Their squad should be equipped to earn promotion and after that, it's probably just a question of how far up the league structure they can climb.
