After finishing second in League Two, behind Stockport County, Wrexham was promoted to League One, and they have already started preparing for life in Tier Three.
Phil Parkinson acknowledged that some of the club’s heroes of promotion might be let go this summer because to the necessity to change Wrexham on the pitch.
The Red Dragons’ decisive victory over Forest Green Rovers earlier this month earned them a spot in League One for the upcoming season as well as back-to-back promotions. A 2-1 triumph over Stockport champions on Saturday afternoon verified the runners-up position.
This accomplishment represents the first consecutive promotion in the 160-year history of the club, and it is a noteworthy one since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney of Hollywood took over as co-owners three years ago.
And it was a festive Saturday afternoon at the Racecourse Ground. However, the seismic shift from tier four to tier three and Wrexham’s ability to compete against clubs that can equal them financially have been the main talking points surrounding promotion.
The first step will need to be restructuring his team, according to boss Parkinson, who has a long history in League One having advanced to the play-offs twice and achieved promotion twice.
He stated, “Obviously improve the squad,” following the game. “Everything becomes better as you move up the divisions: preparation, quality, and athleticism.
A number of familiar faces, including goalkeepers Mark Howard and Rob Lainton, defenders Callum McFadzean, Ben Tozer, Aaron Hayden, and Jordan Tunnicliffe, utility men James McClean and Luke Young, the squad’s longest-serving player, are out of contract come summer. Parkinson emphasised the importance of players, even if their on-pitch minutes have been limited, in this season’s promotion triumph.
“There’s the possibility of players moving on and that is the hard part of any manager’s job but we also know that we’ve got to evolve as a club and we’ll try and do that,” he said. “But as I just said to the lads in the dressing room that one of the key elements to our success this season has been the dressing room and the lads out of the team. “You know, Ben Tozer, who hasn’t played a lot recently, Luke Young hasn’t played, the professionalism has been outstanding. Outstanding, he’s driven the group on. Stockport will be in the same situation. “I’m sure decisions have got to be made and we’ll just do them fairly and honestly.”
Wrexham’s co-owners have not been coy in their long-term plan of reaching the Premier League, with Reynolds admitting that a 10-year plan was more or less in place. And while many are predicting League One to prove a more exacting challenge for the Hollywood-owned club, their most recent accounts suggest that a competitive season could be on the horizon.
Wrexham’s most recent accounts for the year ending in June 2023 revealed that the club’s wage bill had increased from £4.05million to £6.91million, while the average wage bill in League One in 2022 was £6.8million.
Wrexham’s uncanny ability to generate revenue will benefit the club as they bid to compete in their new territory, as this season’s generation has reached beyond £20million courtesy of major brand sponsorships, their TV documentary and merchandise.
Parkinson admitted that finding new talent and conversations around transfers have already begun with director Shaun Harvey and executive director Humphrey Ker. And the manager expects to even battle it out with the day’s opponents and promotion rivals Stockport for signatures this summer.
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