Ryan Reynolds is WRONG - it may be 'insane' that Wrexham (or Notts County) will be denied an automatic EFL spot after 100+ point seasons, but the National League's promotion system works just fine

“What makes it so special is how powerful, how special, how unique Notts County is,” Reynolds told BT Sport after the game. “They’re the real story here. What they’ve done this season: losing their CEO Jason Turner, who as I’ve grown to know and learn was utterly beloved not just in Notts but here as well.

“I have such enormous respect for everything they’ve built and everything that they’ve done and it’s just insane for me that only one goes up automatically.

“If it were different – and I think it should be – both of these clubs would be celebrating together right now. Because what they’ve done is not only created drama greater than anything you’d see in a damn movie, but just something I think people will be talking about for ages.

“The fact this much attention has come upon the National League in this way I think is incredibly special and immensely worthy of not only Wrexham but Notts County as well. What they’ve done is so special, so unique.”

Reynolds is not the only stakeholder who has questioned the National League promotion system in recent times. Boreham Wood are currently on track to secure one of the play-off spots this season and, in theory, could therefore benefit from there only being one automatic promotion spot. Even still, their chairman Danny Hunter has called for things to change.

"This season feels like no other that I’ve ever experienced in my time here in the National League," he tells GOAL. "Put simply, I never thought I’d witness two such fantastic ex-Football League teams as I have in Wrexham and Notts County, who have had such an intriguing battle royale in the manner that they have.

"They have, in my opinion, raised the profile of our competition and also gone head-to-head with each other throughout what is a memorable season for both clubs."

He adds: "With just four games left, both of these clubs have amassed more than 100 points, both have scored more than 100 goals, yet only one can be guaranteed to go up – that in truth is complete and utter madness.

"It’s honestly a travesty that we still only have one automatic promotion place at National League level and for one of those clubs, and it now looks like Notts County, they will have to face the very real chance of not going up, as they face the lottery that is the play-offs in two weeks."

In a recent exclusive interview with GOAL before the Wrexham showdown, free-scoring Notts County forward Macaulay Longstaff echoed these comments.

"I personally think there should be two automatic spots,” he said, "and I would have said that at the start of the season, but what can we do? We just have to make sure we finish at the top if we can."

Although the possibility of adding an additional promotion place from the National League has been discussed for some time, this season's unique circumstances mean the issue is getting greater coverage than ever before.

With several games left to play this term, both Wrexham and Notts County have racked up a century of points - and each team looks set to smash the previous record for most points in a single campaign (105, Crawley Town 2010-11).

It is not just the number of points that is startling. It's also the chasm that exists between themselves and the rest of the division.

At the time of writing, Notts County are 35 points ahead of seventh-placed Eastleigh - a team that could technically pip them to promotion in the play-offs. County also boast a goal difference that is 69 goals superior to Lee Bradbury's side - who both runaway leaders have done the double over in the league this season.

While the record-breaking dominance of Notts County and Wrexham may make the lottery of the play-offs seem even more unfair than usual, it is far from the first time that a really good side has ended the campaign empty-handed.

In the second-ever season that the fifth-tier of English football introduced the new-look promotion system, Hereford finished just one point shy of winners Chester City with a superior goal difference. The Bulls would go on to lose out in the play-offs to Aldershot Town, a side they finished 21 points above during the regular season.

Wrexham have even suffered heartache of this description during their fan-owned years, amassing an incredible 98 points but not getting promoted during the 2010-11 campaign. Kidderminster Harriers and Tranmere Rovers are some of the other teams that have suffered similar fates more recently.

So, what's the solution? Do away with the play-offs altogether? Surely not.

The play-offs are consistently the most electrifying games in English football. They guarantee sell-out crowds for the clubs involved, attract huge global television audiences for leagues that fans may not normally follow and also provide life-long memories for supporters - provided things go their way.

We have seen how an obsession with 'fairness' has tarnished the match-going experience in the form of VAR. There is no need to extend this further by tampering with the most entertaining aspect of the National League season.

Sport is profoundly unjust at times, and it's these heartbreaking narratives that keep us coming back for more - something Notts County star Longstaff acknowledged to GOAL recently.

“I learnt very young that life is not fair, and once you get your head around that, it’s easier to function,” he said. "The big concern for me has been having a victim’s mentality, because when you are concentrating your energy on blaming a decision, the set-up of the league, the structure of promotion, it takes away from your focus and performance."

There is another, more cynical argument to make too. If Notts County and Wrexham really are so much better than everyone else in the division, with their expensively-assembled squads and staff, surely they won't have any issues navigating two play-off games to rubber stamp their promotion?

It's easy to put a negative spin on the promotion situation, but having such a high-stakes battle for top spot has helped create one of the most memorable National League seasons ever.

It is estimated that the Racecourse Ground could have been sold out three times over for Wrexham's showdown with Notts County last week, while thousands more watched around the globe.

Interest in that particular fixture would have been nowhere near as high if both teams had already sealed promotion. So, both clubs have the current promotion rules to thank for the unprecedented interest in their teams this season.

Viewed favourably, only having one automatic route back into the Football League provides the fifth-tier with a dramatic and unique selling point that should help the division retain the interest of casual fans when Hollywood-owned Wrexham eventually move on.

It is worth thinking about how an additional National League promotion spot could affect the football pyramid as a whole too.

Although an influx of investment in clubs outside of the Football League means the drop into non-league isn't quite as cataclysmic as it once was, claims that the two divisions are one and the same are wide of the mark. Take Wrexham and County out of the picture and there is often a significant chasm in the wages on offer in League Two compared to the National League.

English football finances are a delicate ecosystem, comparable to a house of cards. Adding more movement between divisions in an already uncertain environment may have drastically negative effects on the health of football clubs, unless more money from the top of the game is filtered down.

Player wages are not the only thorny issue at play here. Semi-professionalism may be becoming increasingly rare in the National League, but there are still clubs that have not completed the transition into full-time football. Increasing the amount of ex-league sides coming into the division has the potential to squeeze these part-timers out.

There is also the tricky, though less pressing topic of artificial pitches. These are still not permitted in the Football League, with Sutton recently being forced to foot a £500,000 bill to rip theirs up after earning promotion, but they are great money spinners for some National League clubs. Again, increasing movement between divisions with differing rules is a logistical nightmare.

All of this is not to say that a third promotion spot should be tabled entirely. In an ideal world, it would be best if all five top divisions operated a uniform three-up, three-down promotion system - though this would be met with resistance from the sixth-tier, who currently enjoy four promotion spots due to regionalisation.

With the introduction of an independent football regulator and a review on how money is distributed across the pyramid imminent, it is likely that grand reform is around the corner. Boreham Wood chairman Hunter believes as much, anyway.

"We must surely now all campaign far louder and possibly more prolonged to get the extra promotion place we deserve and ensure that it is in place next season. That is now being whispered in the corridors of power, but only because of the recent government report asking for a fairer pyramid system, where the fans voices can be heard, and a far fairer financial system put in place with a government appointed independent legislator as part of the plan," he said.

"I’m not sure I’m an advocate for this government to appoint anyone with their track record, and I’m not sure I’d trust their business acumen to help run the most incredible commercial football enterprise ever seen throughout world club football - namely the Premier League, it’s executives, it’s legal teams and its clubs.

"However, if what I’m hearing is correct, then I do expect an announcement on the issue of an extra promotion place for National League teams to the EFL by the time we hold the National League’s annual AGM in June, or shortly after when the EFL hold theirs."

Before the decision is made, however, those in power should think long and hard about whether it is in the long-term interests of the game, or simply a reaction to a quite remarkable, likely one-off season.