Wrexham's Premier League dream is over for now. So what happens next?

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It meant a disappointing end to what has otherwise been a hugely encouraging campaign for a club that three years ago this week were facing Torquay United in the National League. Achieving Wrexham’s highest league finish — the previous best was 15th in the old Second Division, set in 1978-79 — is not to be sniffed at. Nor is being crowned Wales’ top team for the first time in a quarter of a century, especially when it is factored in that, just before Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac’s takeover in 2020, there had been a very real danger of Wrexham dropping into the sixth tier, where Merthyr Town are currently flying the flag for the country. “Look at the teams who would have loved to be in our position today,” says Parkinson, who, like his players, was afforded a standing ovation by a sold-out Racecourse Ground at the final whistle. “Birmingham are one of those. They dominated League One. Norwich also had nothing to play for, when at the start of the season everyone was talking about them as top two. “There are lots of sides who have been in this division for many years and we surpassed them. We just couldn’t take that last step, though it wasn’t for the want of trying.” After 105 years of English Football League existence, Anfield, Old Trafford and all those other Premier League cathedrals will remain strictly off-limits, barring the odd cup tie. Make no mistake, though, next season will be all about finally adding those great venues to Wrexham’s league roster, such is the determination of Reynolds and Mac to take their place at the top table of English football. “Losing to Grimsby felt a lot harder than this,” adds Parkinson, referring to the 2022 play-off defeat that paved the way for those record-breaking three consecutive promotions. “What it did do, though, was make us more determined. I remember Rob and Ryan saying to me instantly after the game on the pitch, ‘Phil, let’s make this squad so strong next year that we have the depth we need’. “That’s what we did. We kept the core of the players who took us so close that year and improved. We will be looking to do that this summer.” Building on an encouraging first season at this level in 43 years is now the plan. With that in mind, one of Parkinson’s former chairmen during a career that boasts six promotions believes the Welsh club has got the right man at the helm. Julian Rhodes was Bradford’s joint chairman during Parkinson’s hugely successful stint at the helm between 2011 and 2016. It meant he saw at close quarters what makes the 58-year-old tick. “Phil never rests,” he tells The Athletic. “He’s always striving to be better, even over the summer. The moment we were safe or could no longer make the play-offs, Phil was already building for next season. “He’s relentless like that and totally dedicated. He’s clearly not changed, either. I remember seeing Phil at our place a couple of years ago against Salford. Wrexham were also in League Two and due to play us both soon after. “It was a horrible winter Tuesday night, the rain was blowing into the seats behind the press box, where Phil was sitting, huddled up in his coat. I remember thinking, ‘It would have been so easy for Phil to delegate this scouting mission to someone else or just follow it on TV’. But that’s him.” As well as Wrexham performed to take their pursuit of the play-offs to the final day, there’s still plenty to do if they are to become one of the top teams at this level. They certainly can’t be as open defensively as this term — only bottom club Sheffield Wednesday (44) conceded more goals on home soil than the 37 shipped by Wrexham — while upgrades will be needed in key areas. There also needs to be more control in the centre of the pitch. “There was one summer when Phil went away on holiday at the same time as I did with my family,” recalls Rhodes, who, along with co-owner Mark Lawn, sold Bradford in 2016. “I was in Jersey and Phil was somewhere like Portugal. He was calling me all the time, saying he wanted this player or to say that player was available. My phone bill was astronomical. “I remember saying to him a couple of times, ‘Aren’t you supposed to be on holiday, Phil?’. He’d stop for a second, say, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah…’, and then just start talking about transfer targets again! “There was one year when he went to Florida. He’d call me in the morning and I’d be thinking, ‘I’m sure it’s about 5am where he is’. But that’s Phil, he just doesn’t rest.” Wrexham’s transfer dealings will be key to building on this season’s seventh-place finish. There certainly doesn’t need to be the wholesale changes of a year ago when 13 new faces arrived at great expense to help bridge the considerable gap between the second and third tiers. But those key areas do need strengthening, especially with Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers likely to be strong next season, along with whoever else drops out of the Premier League. “This group will be stronger as a unit for this experience,” adds Parkinson. “We know where we’d like to strengthen and what we need to improve on. We will do that and make this squad as strong as we possibly can to mount a challenge next year.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms