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Sensational Last-Minute Turnaround Takes Wrexham One Step Closer to Premier League

Phil Parkinson’s men mounted another improbable comeback to get back to winning ways.
Amanda Langell|
Wrexham climbed into the top six after Saturday’s turnaround.
Wrexham climbed into the top six after Saturday’s turnaround. | IMAGO/Pro Sports Images

Wrexham rallied from behind to secure a 3–2 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, and now they suddenly find themselves in the Championship playoff spots.

The Red Dragons were coming off two disappointing results at the STōK Cae Ras—a defeat to Norwich City and a draw with Leicester City—before they made the trip to Loftus Road, where QPR looked the better team for 89 minutes.

The hosts had a 2–1 lead and only needed to see out the game in stoppage time to send Wrexham home with zero points. Yet QPR fullback Amadou Mbengue picked up his second yellow card in the 90th minute, leaving his team down to 10 men for the four minutes of added time.

With a renewed sense of confidence and urgency, Phil Parkinson’s men surged forward in search of an equaliser, one Josh Windass buried in the 93rd minute. The goal sent the travelling supporters into a frenzy, but the visitors were not done yet.

Only seconds remained in the game when Ollie Rathbone decided to try his luck from 25 yards out. The midfielder sent a rocket into the top left corner to snatch all three points from QPR.

The improbable victory not only snapped the club’s three-game winless streak, but it also took Wrexham from ninth to sixth in the Championship standings. Suddenly, the Red Dragons found themselves in the playoff spots for the first time since their return to the second tier.

Wrexham’s Premier League Dreams Slowly Taking Shape

At this time last year, the thought of Wrexham playing in the English top flight, alongside the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City, was nothing more than a distant dream—a dream many deemed nearly impossible.

Yet if there’s anything the Red Dragons have proven since Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac purchased the club in 2020, it’s that the impossible somehow always becomes possible. After all, six years ago the Welsh outfit was stuck in the National League and now it’s in the Championship playoff spots.

No team has ever secured four consecutive promotions in England’s top five football divisions, but Parkinson’s men are up for the challenge. Although any hopes of securing an automatic bid to the Premier League are slim, the oldest club in Wales is still within striking distance of booking a place at Wembley Stadium in May.

Before they can start dreaming of playoff glory, though, the Red Dragons need to put their heads down and continue stringing together results in the Championship. The difference between sixth place and 12th place is currently just four points, and a skid could snuff out the team’s biggest dreams before they even have a chance of making them a reality.

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Amanda Langell
AMANDA LANGELL

Amanda Langell is a Sports Illustrated FC freelance writer and editor. Born and raised in New York City, her first loves were the Yankees, the Rangers and Broadway before Real Madrid took over her life. Had it not been for her brother’s obsession with Cristiano Ronaldo, she would have never lived through so many magical Champions League nights 3,600 miles away from the Bernabéu. When she’s not consumed by Spanish and European soccer, she’s traveling, reading or losing her voice at a concert.

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