Wrexham - aim has always been the Premier League

Ryan Reynolds broke the £1m barrier to bring goalscorer Sam Smith to Wrexham Ryan Reynolds was not budging from his line nor from the pitch as the latest instalment of Wrexham promotion celebrations carried on long after the final whistle sounded on their 3-0 win over Charlton. For now, for Reynolds, for Wrexham, the Championship will do just fine. It is a level the club have not experienced in more than four decades, their highest standing in their 161 Years. Even for a club that is fast becoming used to success and the surreal, this is different. Escaping non-league after 15 years was a moment of relief. Going again from League Two was probably not a surprise. An unprecedented third? Who said trilogies never prove popular. As Barry Horne, the former Wales and Wrexham captain put it: "I didn't expect this – and anybody who did is lying." And yet, the Stok Cae Ras seemed set for this from the moment Reynolds and co-chairman Rob McElhenney entered the ground almost five hours before their decider with a London side still harbouring their own promotion ambitions. As the A-listers watched rivals Wycombe Wanderers lose in their early kick-off from a private box, there were few in the ground to see Reynolds emerge in celebration as the sounds from the nearby Turf pub confirmed a pivotal goal in Wrexham's favour long before they had kicked a ball. "The door's been opened for us, now we have to step through it," was manager Phil Parkinson's dressing room message to his players as it dawned on supporters and players that a win would now confirm a historic back-to-back-to-back promotion. Phil Parkinson has been Wrexham manager since July 2021 If Wrexham and all the spotlight can be considered a circus -as Charlton boss Nathan Jones had put it before the game- then Parkinson has been the ringmaster. Persuaded to drop down into non-league during a long trans-Atlantic telephone call from Rob McElhenney, he has been the calm, controlling hand amid the chaos. As he spoke on the pitch to reporters after the game, he was interrupted by that same co-owner. The emotion escalated quickly from a hug, to a kiss, to "I love you" from the Always Sunny creator. But Parkinson has always done well to deal with the emotion. Striding out to complete pre-match media duties, there was a glint and a grin from the 57-year-old who has dealt with the Hollywood hoopla and determinedly delivered three times over. This is where he comes alive. Evolving the side from the one of past glories – sometimes ruthlessly with past heroes such as Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer sidelined – it was fitting that two players he deemed valuable enough to break the club transfer record for, proved decisive. Ollie Rathbone and Sam Smith's goals set up the annual pitch invasion as Wrexham swept aside Charlton to "football in the circus," chants from supporters, some of whom sported jesters hats. No-one is laughing at Wrexham now. There were smiles, though, just about visible behind the pyrotechnic fog rising off the sea of bodies that had invaded the pitch for the third successive year. Some fans did not make it down to the pitch itself, although long before the final whistle they were leaving seats to seek out friends. The regular sell-out crowds - with Wrexham interest now being spoken about with a global accent – means familiar faces for regulars may be a few rows away. Protocol of not moving along aisles as the game goes on was done away with, to share a moment that many never thought they would see. A sold-out attendance of 12,774 watched Wrexham seal promotion but there are plans to make the Stok Cae Ras much bigger When the pitch invaders eventually moved back to the stands to allow for the presentation, what was eventually left was a touch of past, present and future on a day of history. As players paid tribute to supporters, one stand at a time, soaking in the moment was Geraint Parry. The club's secretary for decades, he had been there as supporters queued up to offer life savings just to ensure the club could complete a season. Then he clutched hope - now he clutched a bottle of EFL champagne. He chuckled at the disbelief of how things have worked out. At one point Wrexham were struggling to capture local imagination, now he is dealing with worldwide attention. Nearby was Gareth Owen, a midfielder from the last time Wrexham stood above Cardiff and Swansea in the football pyramid. Having suffered a devastating stroke two years ago - but having made remarkable progress - he smiled watching on at Reynolds and film star wife Blake Lively revel in the success of a north Wales club, marking the moment with private selfies. He shook his head, not at the celebrities, but at what has been achieved and what could yet be possible at his club. How far both he and Wrexham have come should be celebrated. Mickey Thomas (centre) started and ended his much-travelled career at Wrexham And then there was Mickey Thomas, a player best known for that goal against Arsenal, but also part of the team that last won promotion to this level in 1978. "I'm not sure I can believe it," said Wrexham hero Thomas, who admits his time working with former club Manchester United sees people stop him and ask questions, not of events at Old Trafford but at the Cae Ras. He had not watched the earlier Wycombe game, instead making one of his regular visits to see Liverpool legend Joey Jones – or "Sir Joey" as Mickey calls him - his best friend since they were 15-year-old apprentices at Wrexham. Jones, who turned 70 last year, is not well enough to attend games at the ground where he served loyally as a player, assistant manager and finder of valuable talent few others had an eye for. "But this will make him feel better," said Thomas. You could picture Jones shaking his fist from his bedside just as many shake their heads at what is being accomplished. And at what may be to come. The diggers stand primed to begin work on a new Kop stand. The planning meetings for the next season have long been under way. And, sharing the giddy celebrations, were relatively new investors from New York's Allyn family, as excited about what the future holds as they were about the day. Their financial backing coupled with the Hollywood profile really suggests that anything is possible. But that is for tomorrow. As Reynolds and McElhenney finally made their way off the pitch, the aim will always be the Premier League. But, for now, promotion to the Championship will do just fine.