Wrexham hit Rovers for six to seal promotion

Wrexham sealed promotion to League One with a rampant display that left Forest Green Rovers on the cusp of relegation.

Ryan Barnett and Jack Marriott struck after the break to round off the win.

The stylish victory, coupled with defeats for MK Dons and Barrow, sees Phil Parkinson’s team book a return to English football’s third tier for the first time since 2004.

It is a second successive promotion after last season’s National League title win.

Supporters raced on to the Stok Racecourse at the final whistle to celebrate another memorable chapter in the club owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

With five wins in their last eight games, manager Parkinson said ahead of the match that Wrexham’s “destiny” was in their own hands.

Guaranteed a place in the play-offs after Tuesday’s impressive 4-1 win over Crawley Town, Wrexham knew that five points from their final three games would secure automatic promotion from League Two.

But they went into Saturday’s game knowing a win over Forest Green and dropped points for rivals MK Dons and Barrow would see the Dragons seal promotion by the end of the afternoon.

Forest Green arrived at the Stok Racecourse having lost four of their last five games to leave them three points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table.

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Wrexham, unchanged from the midweek win, made a bright purposeful start and although they controlled the opening quarter of an hour, the home side only had a couple of half-chances to show for it.

But there was no denying the hosts for much longer and following a Tom O’Connor corner which wasn’t cleared, Mullin had a shot blocked before the ball eventually fell for Lee at the far post to poke in from close range.

Mullin fired a shot from distance wide of the post but Wrexham’s top scorer soon doubled the lead.

Lee found James McClean out wide and the Republic of Ireland international’s cross found Mullin unmarked at the far post to net his 24th goal of the season.

The Dragons’ superiority continued and Eoghan O’Connell’s shot from the edge of the area took a deflection off the unfortunate Inniss before trickling over the goalline for the third.

Mullin, League Two’s player of the month for March, wrapped up an impressive first half when after O’Connor’s corner was not cleared, saw his shot take a deflection to wrong-foot keeper Vincente Reyes.

Forest Green made very little inroads into Wrexham’s half during the opening 45 minutes and can be fortunate not to have gone in further behind at the interval.

The home side’s domination continued after the break, with Barnett’s fierce volley from the impressive McClean’s pinpoint cross from the byeline.

Lee’s curling shot flashed past the post, while at the other end, substitute Dominic Thompson’s effort sailed harmlessly over the crossbar and summed up Forest Green’s afternoon.

Another McClean cross into the area resulted in a sixth goal with substitute Marriott scoring.

Wrexham had done what they had to do and with news that both MK Dons and Barrow had lost sweeping through the Racecourse, the supporters began celebrating a second promotion in two years.

For Forest Green their fate will be sealed if Colchester United beat Grimsby Town on Tuesday.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said:

“Immensely proud of the lads today. If you look at the Tuesday performance and today, when it mattered most we put in two of our best performances of the season.

“Some of the football was of a very high standard today.

“Realistically the game should have be over at half-time but it was just about keeping our focus and seeing the game through.

“It’s nice to do it in convincing style, with a really good performance.”

Forest Green manager Steve Cotterill told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:

“That sums up our season in 90 minutes that does. Fundamentally, as I’ve said to the players, that dressing room hasn’t functioned properly all season.

“First half, the goals and how they came about, nothing we haven’t spoken about already in training. Routine defending. I hope it hurts them as much as it hurts me.

“It’s a strange game how football works. I remember a few years ago going and beating Phil Parkinson’s Bradford team 6-0 away from home. You get to know what t feels like.”