Wrexham owner Reynolds reacts to title near-miss - "We'll do it the hard way"

Wrexham's Hollywood owners have sent a spurring message to the squad after narrowly missing out on automatic promotion to the Football League.

A-list pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took the Welsh club over in February 2021. Since then they have invested heavily in the squad and also the local community, creating strong bonds as they aim to push the club through the leagues.

They entered Sunday's final game of the season knowing only a win over Dagenham and Redbridge combined with a loss for leaders Stockport would see them leapfrog the Hatters into top spot.

But sadly for Wrexham they were soundly beaten 3-0 by the Daggers, whilst Stockport sealed a 2-0 win over FC Halifax to clinch the title. Reynolds took to Twitter post-match, writing: "What a season for @Wrexham_AFC. We're gonna have to do this the hard way. Our supporters are second to none and a big part of our success. I want to congratulate @StockportCounty on their promotion. Played their guts out all year."

Reynolds' co-owner McElhenney also posted a message, writing: "Guess we wanna do it the hard way. We've had an incredible season so far. Let's dust off and go finish it!"

Today's results mean Wrexham finished second and will now enter the National League play-offs. They will play a home semi-final against either Notts County or Grimsby on Saturday, May 28. If they win that they will participate in the play-off final at West Ham's London Stadium on June 5.

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson said: "It was a tough day for us. We weren't at our best and I thought Dagenham played well.

"Stockport's second goal filtering around the place knocked the wind out of our sails in the second half. As much as you don't want that to happen, it is understandable as well. But we're ready to finish the season in style. Today wasn't our day but we've got some really big games coming up now."

Whilst it was disappointment for the Welsh side, it was jubilation for Stockport who have sealed an EFL return after 11 years away.

Their boss Dave Challinor told the BBC : "We dream and we'll move on quickly and look forward to next season. It's been a brilliant day for everyone in the ground. For every supporter who turned up and supported us, I can only thank them. They've played their part in what has been a great season for us.

"Adversity when you're getting closer to the line affects people in different ways. Sometimes decisions don't go your way. You play a game that's full of variables that you can't control. It's never easy getting across the line. We got to a position where we were fortunate to lose a game, which I didn't want to do by any stretch."