Wrexham are planning for 14th campaign in non-league

Dean Keates' side emerged as promotion contenders but failed to make the most of a fantastic opportunity as the Reds missed out on a play-off place despite their destiny being in their own hands on the final day.

It means Wrexham are planning for a 14th season in non-league - but they do so with renewed hope that 2021-22 could be the year that the third oldest professional club in the world can finally return to the Football League.

Before the battle for a top-seven finish started back in October, it emerged that Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds were the “two extremely well-known individuals of high net worth” interested in becoming owners at The Racecourse.

The rest is history as the A-listers went onto complete the high profile takeover which has led to Wrexham earning publicity from all corners of the world.

Although Wrexham were unable to finish the job off when it mattered most - Keates paid the price with his job and the search for his successor is well under way - the future is bright in north Wales.

McElhenney and Reynolds' investment will be a huge boost to the Reds' chances of finally escaping non-league, and who knows where the journey will end under the actors.

There wasn't success for fans to celebrate this season but the feelgood factor is back at The Racecourse, with the takeover creating a huge buzz around the town.

All Wrexham have to do now is get it right on the pitch and it will be interesting to see who is chosen as the man to lead the club into what promises to be an exciting first full season under the megastar owners.

Despite narrowly avoiding relegation when the 2019-20 campaign was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic and the final table calculated using a Points Per Game method, hopes were high that the Reds could be battling it out at the other end of the table this season after Keates revamped the squad.

Although he still had the likes of Shaun Pearson, Rob Lainton, Luke Young and Jay Harris to call-upon, Reece Hall-Johnson, Theo Vassell, Jordan Davies, Kwame Thomas and Adi Yussuf were among the many new signings.

Wrexham kicked off their 13th season in the fifth tier with a 2-1 home win over Boreham Wood with Hall-Johnson and Young scoring the goals.

That was followed by a 1-0 defeat at Solihull before Thomas opened his Reds' account with the winner at Yeovil.

However, it all went downhill as Keates' men suffered a hat-trick of losses, including the 4-0 thrashing against Solihull in their FA Cup fourth qualifying round tie.

A goalless draw with Barnet at the end of October steadied the ship but Wrexham registered three successive wins to move into a play-off position.

Elliott Durrell scored the winner at Hartlepool, Young struck in another 1-0 victory against Aldershot with Thomas (2), Yussuf and Harris the marksmen in a fantastic 4-0 win over high-flying Sutton.

Yussuf rescued a point in a 1-1 draw with Bromley and the unbeaten November earned Keates and Young the National League manager and player of the month awards for November.

The curse struck as December began with back-to-back defeats against Altrincham and Torquay before Wrexham came from two-nil down to beat Weymouth 3-2 thanks to Adi Yussuf, Theo Vassell and Hall-Johnson with Pearson making his first appearance of the season after undergoing surgery.

But an FA Trophy exit to lower league Leamington meant Wrexham were left to focus on trying to mount a promotion challenge, although the Reds looked miles off a top-seven side after ending 2020 with a 2-0 defeat to Stockport.

Wrexham's first game of the new year ended in a 3-1 win over Dover but the result was later expunged due to the Whites refusing to play any more matches due to the row over funding to help clubs survive the pandemic.

Chesterfield scored a last gasp winner to condemn Wrexham to a 2-1 defeat but the Reds then embarked on a six-game unbeaten run to move into the top seven.

The spell began with a 0-0 home draw with Halifax before Jamie Reckord and Yussuf, in his last game before leaving for Chesterfield, secured a 2-0 win at King's Lynn at the end of January.

There should have been more points following draws with Dagenham, who fought back from 2-0 down to level, and Eastleigh in February but Thomas bagged a brace in the 2-1 success over Altrincham on the night the takeover was finally completed.

Dior Angus, a transfer window signing, and Young sealed a 2-0 win against Woking before a 3-0 defeat at Aldershot ended the unbeaten spell.

However, it was merely a small setback as Wrexham then went seven games without defeat which stretched throughout March.

Sandwiched in between 0-0 draws with high-flying Hartlepool and Sutton was a 4-1 victory against Wealdstone courtesy of top scorer Thomas (2), Angus and Young.

Successive 2-0 victories against Barnet and Weymouth kept the good run going and after drawing 2-2 against Eastleigh, Davies netted his first goal of the season in the 3-0 success over Bromley with Angus getting a brace.

Wrexham were up to fifth but there was a huge blow ahead of their first game in April as Thomas ruptured an Achilles in training and missed the rest of the campaign.

The striker was watching from the stands as his team-mates lost 1-0 at Notts County and further defeats to promotion rivals Torquay (1-0) and Stockport (3-0) followed.

But there was a positive reaction to the hat-trick of reversals as Wrexham thrashed Halifax 4-0 with Davies bagging a hat-trick and Angus also on target.

There was another 4-0 away win at Woking four days later thanks to Young, Hall-Johnson, Davies and Gold Omotayo - one of the free agent strikers brought in by Keates to compensate for the loss of Thomas - before a goalless draw with Chesterfield.

Young netted twice to sink Solihull Moors 2-1 at the start of May and Wrexham remained in the promotion mix after coming back from two-nil down to draw 2-2 with Maidenhead, Davies and Angus getting the goals.

Pearson, who had recently returned from another lay-off, got his first of the season in the 3-0 success over Yeovil where the in-form Davies and Young also found the net, the latter now becoming the Reds' leading scorer.

Wrexham showed yet again they were the comeback kings with Jordan Ponticelli and Hall-Johnson (2) on target in a 3-2 win at Boreham Wood after trailing 2-0.

The seven game unbeaten run ended with a 1-0 defeat to Notts County but Wrexham triumphed 5-3 against King's Lynn in their final home game.

Young, Davies, Omotayo (2) and Ponticelli scored to ensure sixth placed Wrexham's destiny was in their own hands heading to Dagenham on the final day.

Five teams were battling it out for two play-offs spot but Wrexham produced a poor performance, Ponticelli's late equaliser in a 1-1 draw not enough to extend the season as results elsewhere meant Wrexham needed to win.

After finishing eighth and one point away from the play-offs, Wrexham came up short when in mattered most after putting themselves bang in contention.

It's going to be an exciting summer at The Racecourse and the start of the 2020-21 season can't come quick enough!