MCCLEAN SPARKS WREXHAM VICTORY AT BLACKPOOL TO BOOST PROMOTION DREAM

The Championship may have to start preparing for Hollywood. A third ­successive promotion remains firmly in Wrexham’s sights after a near-perfect day for them in League One’s tumultuous automatic promotion race. Who writes their scripts?

While their rivals Wycombe ­crumbled to a 4-0 home defeat against ­Charlton to topple out of the top two, ­Wrexham took full advantage, overpowering Blackpool with a dominant ­second‑half display capped by quickfire goals from James McClean and Oliver Rathbone. Behind the champions Birmingham, the Welsh club are two points better off than the Chairboys on 86, with ­Charlton on 82 and Stockport, who beat ­Huddersfield, on 81.

Wrexham are two wins from ­making English football history; no club has won three successive ­promotions in the top-five tiers. From non-league to the second tier in three years would be quite the journey.

No wonder the visiting supporters came in their droves up the M6 for this one. The rowdy sold-out ­contingent of 2,000 away fans roared Phil Parkinson’s side on to triumph in a contest that might have proved another tripwire after Wrexham had drawn three of their past four.

“There was a bit of negativity, I would imagine, after we didn’t win last week but the lads blocked that out,” Parkinson said. “And we’re not going to get carried away the other way because people will start ­thinking we’ve done the job now.”

Blackpool went into the game with an outside playoff chance, having lost only three times since being beaten by Wrexham on Boxing Day, but this defeat means they will almost certainly play League One football again next season. Charlton’s and Stockport’s victories assure them of top-six finishes, while Leyton Orient and Reading, who won at Cambridge and Mansfield respectively, look set to battle for the final playoff spot.

For all of Wrexham’s endeavour at Blackpool, they owe plenty to ­Charlton and that favourable result 220 miles away in Buckinghamshire. Not that Parkinson wanted to talk about favours from other clubs with ­Wrexham’s fate back in their own hands.

If the news of the Addicks ­taking a 13th-minute lead at Wycombe caused a ripple of excitement among the Wrexham fans, their emotions ranged from near-ecstasy to disbelief when McClean raided through after a deft flick from Sam Smith but was denied by a point-blank Harry Tyrer save. With the goal at McClean’s mercy, it appeared simpler to score.

Charlton got a second at Wycombe by the half-hour mark but ­Wrexham were struggling to find a way past Tyrer. George Dobson slipped in Jay Rodriguez but the veteran forward smacked his shot straight at the sprawling Blackpool keeper. Tyrer, the former Chester player, was unpopular among the travelling fans as they pondered those missed chances with the game goalless at the break.

Parkinson would not divulge whether he told Wrexham’s players of the Wycombe score at half‑time. Either way, their motivation was plain to see. McClean, sensing this could be his defining Wrexham moment, sent a towering header just over. They were getting closer.

With the away support growing a little restless, McClean thrust himself to the forefront. The 35-year-old had been taunted by the Blackpool fans for most of the game but careered off to a thrilled Wrexham section after his low effort skidded through a crowd of bodies to nestle in the corner.

It turned out to be a Wrexham double salvo. While their fans were still celebrating the first goal, ­Rathbone kept his head to calmly slot a second into the bottom corner less than three minutes later. “We are going up,” they chanted. With the advantage over Wycombe and their confidence restored, you wouldn’t bet against them.

“We can control one thing and that’s our mindset,” Parkinson said. “It’s going to be completely feet on the floor and we’re going to come out fighting to finish the season off well. It’s about performance level. If at the end of the season we haven’t got promotion but we’ve played well, I can live with that.”

Blackpool’s deflated manager, Steve Bruce, accepted “it was a big struggle against a really good side” and that defeat was costly for their playoff hopes.

2025-04-21T16:31:16Z