While Liverpool were deservedly clinching their 20th top flight title last weekend, just 40km down the road across the Welsh border a less heralded club were making their own piece of history.
Following their 3-0 victory at the Racecourse Ground over promotion rivals Charlton Athletic, Wrexham became the first club in English Football League history to claim three successive promotions. In just three seasons the Red Dragons have climbed from the fifth-tier National League to second-tier Championship.
Some background is necessary. When Wrexham were relegated from League Two in 2008, they dropped out of the Football League for the first time in 87 years. By 2011 the club was in a desperate financial situation and the Wrexham Supporters Trust took charge. Ten years later the Trust gave its approval for what became known as the Hollywood takeover. It turned out to be an astute decision.
It was just over four years ago that the Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took control of the club which was then in 14th place in the National League. Some sceptics dismissed it as a publicity stunt and thought the new American owners would lose interest. But that has not been the case. Club director at the time Spencer Harris enthused about the takeover: "They could easily have bought a club several rungs higher, but I think they are interested in the journey. It's very encouraging."
They were helped of course by the performances on the field with inspirational manager Phil Parkinson at the helm. Wrexham just missed out on promotion in Parkinson's first season, losing to Grimsby in the playoffs. But the following season they ran away with the National League and returned to the Football League after a 15-year absence.
Last season they were runners-up in League Two and now they have done it again. Birmingham City comfortably took the League One title breaking the record for the number of points in a season (108) with the chance of three more against relegated Cambridge United today.
The Championship will of course be a much stiffer test for the Red Dragons. It will be their first time in tier two since the 1981-82 season.
There has been some smart marketing to raise the club's profile in the US. The Welcome to Wrexham documentary series has struck a chord with the American public which seems to have adopted this once obscure club from North Wales. It resulted in a high profile pre-season tour of California, something unheard for a third-tier team.
Wrexham have spent most of their time in the bottom two divisions of the Football League. Their best period came in 1978 when they won the old Third Division and went on to play four seasons in Division Two.
Despite their lowly status, being regular winners of the Welsh Cup in the old days means their trophy cabinet is not exactly bare. It also meant that they have made a lot more excursions into European football than a club of their ranking would normally merit. When Reynolds and McElhenney took over they said the ultimate aim was to make the Premier League, which raised a few eyebrows. But after this season's success reaching the top flight doesn't sound quite so fanciful.
As Reynolds observed last weekend: "It's starting to feel like a tangible thing that could actually come to fruition."
Following their 3-0 victory at the Racecourse Ground over promotion rivals Charlton Athletic, Wrexham became the first club in English Football League history to claim three successive promotions. In just three seasons the Red Dragons have climbed from the fifth-tier National League to second-tier Championship.
Some background is necessary. When Wrexham were relegated from League Two in 2008, they dropped out of the Football League for the first time in 87 years. By 2011 the club was in a desperate financial situation and the Wrexham Supporters Trust took charge. Ten years later the Trust gave its approval for what became known as the Hollywood takeover. It turned out to be an astute decision.
It was just over four years ago that the Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took control of the club which was then in 14th place in the National League. Some sceptics dismissed it as a publicity stunt and thought the new American owners would lose interest. But that has not been the case. Club director at the time Spencer Harris enthused about the takeover: "They could easily have bought a club several rungs higher, but I think they are interested in the journey. It's very encouraging."
They were helped of course by the performances on the field with inspirational manager Phil Parkinson at the helm. Wrexham just missed out on promotion in Parkinson's first season, losing to Grimsby in the playoffs. But the following season they ran away with the National League and returned to the Football League after a 15-year absence.
Last season they were runners-up in League Two and now they have done it again. Birmingham City comfortably took the League One title breaking the record for the number of points in a season (108) with the chance of three more against relegated Cambridge United today.
The Championship will of course be a much stiffer test for the Red Dragons. It will be their first time in tier two since the 1981-82 season.
There has been some smart marketing to raise the club's profile in the US. The Welcome to Wrexham documentary series has struck a chord with the American public which seems to have adopted this once obscure club from North Wales. It resulted in a high profile pre-season tour of California, something unheard for a third-tier team.
Wrexham have spent most of their time in the bottom two divisions of the Football League. Their best period came in 1978 when they won the old Third Division and went on to play four seasons in Division Two.
Despite their lowly status, being regular winners of the Welsh Cup in the old days means their trophy cabinet is not exactly bare. It also meant that they have made a lot more excursions into European football than a club of their ranking would normally merit. When Reynolds and McElhenney took over they said the ultimate aim was to make the Premier League, which raised a few eyebrows. But after this season's success reaching the top flight doesn't sound quite so fanciful.
As Reynolds observed last weekend: "It's starting to feel like a tangible thing that could actually come to fruition."
