Wrexham play their first match in the second tier for more than 40 years on Saturday, when they visit freshly relegated Southampton in a lunchtime Championship clash.
The Hollywood-backed Red Dragons were relegated from the old Division Two in 1982 and would go on to spend 15 seasons in non-league before the arrival of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who bought the club in 2020 and backed by a team of Disney+ cameras, oversaw a remarkable transformation both on and off the pitch.
The clubs three consecutive promotions up to the Championship is unprecedented and much of the pre-season hype this summer has been about whether or not they are capable of completing their rise to the top table and winning promotion to the Premier League.
David Prutton on Wrexhams rise
According to former Southampton and Leeds United midfielder David Prutton, who fronts Sky Sports EFL coverage, the Welsh side are in for a whole new challenge this season.
Wrexhams ambition is admirable - it has been inspiring because of what they have achieved and what they still think theyre capable of achieving, he tells FourFourTwo.
Now they are up against teams with aspirations to get into the Premier League. Phil Parkinson knows the Championship, he will be pragmatic and hell make them defensively solid.
Under Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, as well as CEO Shaun Harvey, theyve been extremely savvy, but I would say with the greatest respect that its fanciful to think about getting promoted again this season.
Theyll be a wonderful addition to the Championship, though.
Following their opening weekend clash against Saints, Wrexham host West Brom and then crisis-hit Sheffield Wednesday, before seeing August out with a trip to Millwall.
This summer has seen Parkinsons side make a number of eye-catching signings, including a swoop for proven Championship goalscorer Kieffer Moore, who joined for a reported �2million from Sheffield United.
Midfielder Lewis OBrien has joined from Nottingham Forest, while the club have also added experienced defender Conor Coady from 2023/24 Championship winners Leicester City, plus attacking midfielder Josh Windass from Sheffield Wednesday.
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