Huge wages, a manager who beat Jose Mourinho and the best fans around: How Hollywood-owned Wrexham won the National League title

It is worth remembering that this squad will have been hurting after a heartbreaking end to the 2021-22 season.

As painstakingly documented in the immensely-popular 'Welcome to Wrexham' documentary series, the Red Dragons suffered Wembley heartbreak at the hands of Bromley in the FA Trophy final, before falling short in the National League play-off semi-finals against Grimsby Town a few weeks later.

It would have been easy to let this double-whammy harm their confidence this season, but Wrexham have done nothing of the sort, instead playing with a swagger and confidence of champions right from the first whistle.

Of course, the caveat with the story of Wrexham's rise is always the significant sums that have been invested in both players and infrastructure since their Hollywood owners' arrival.

There was further evidence of this in the summer transfer window, when the pull of Reynolds and McElhenney allowed the club to attract some high-calibre players.

The headline arrival was Elliot Lee, a stalwart of the Football League before he rocked up at the Racecourse Ground. Upon arrival, Lee, who was given a three-year contract - an uncommon occurrence in the fifth-tier - admitted he had EFL interest too, but opted to join Wrexham instead.

He's enjoyed a strong season since then, establishing himself as the perfect foil for fellow attackers, Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer, with his selfless link-up play, as well as chipping in with plenty of goals of his own.

Lee wasn't the only high-profile summer addition either. Mark Howard, a Football League veteran, kept goal ably before the arrival of a certain matchday vlogger for the run-in - more on that later.

Fellow summer arrivals Jordan Tunnicliffe, Anthony Forde and Sam Dalby have all played their part in Wrexham's success this season, too.

It's not cheesy, it's true - Wrexham's feverous home and away support has been vital in getting them over the line this season.

Since the takeover, the neglected town has been completely galvanised, and the Racecourse Ground has been bouncing all year long as a result.

Right from their first league game, when a late brace from Lee earned them a tone-setting 2-1 victory over Eastleigh, the vociferous atmosphere has pulled the ball towards the net for Wrexham.

They've travelled well, too, with away supporters being rewarded with heroic late showings at Woking, Altrincham and Maidstone.

Speaking exclusively to GOAL back in March, star striker Mullin said: "Ultimately we play for the fans that come into the stadium every week. The owners at every club are obviously important because they bankroll the club and they keep the club going, they have really high hopes for Wrexham, but we play for our families first and foremost and then the fans secondly and the owners are part of what comes after that."

The connection between fans, ownership and team has been pivotal to Wrexham's rise and the club must keep this in tact if their romp up the divisions is to continue.

Once the new Kop stand is completed too, the stadium will be able to better satisfy the ever-growing demand for tickets.

The Red Dragons haven't just been backed by their local fans this season, though. The release of the docuseries has transformed the club into a global cultural phenomenon, and there's barely a corner of the world that hasn't been infected with Wrexham-fever over the past few months.

This is evidenced by their incredible increase in social media following. Across Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, Wrexham now boasts a combined two million followers, and supporters' clubs have also been popping up in various countries.

This unprecedented level of support for a fifth-tier side has helped create the unstoppable wave of momentum that the club has ridden back into League Two.

No player has made a bigger impact on Wrexham's season than Mullin.

After an outstanding first season at the club, following his headline-grabbing decision to reject Cambridge United and instead drop out of the Football League, Mullin has been even better this campaign - with his outstanding displays having led to him being tipped for a surprise Wales call-up.

His mighty goal haul has included three National League hat-tricks and six braces. Mullin capped off a fine season by having a decisive impact in his side's de-facto promotion showdown with Notts County, scoring once and assisting twice to essentially clinch the title for his side.

Naturally, Mullin has been linked with clubs further up the pyramid, but he is worshipped in Wrexham and has already proved that he can thrive in League Two, finishing as top scorer for Cambridge as they earned promotion in 2021.

Can he repeat the trick next campaign? It seems pretty likely.

At the halfway point of the season it was already clear that it was going to be a two-team shootout for the sole National League promotion spot, with Notts County the only side coming close to matching Wrexham's incredible pace.

The Robins did what they needed to in the winter months, reinforcing their already bulging squad with several smart additions that have gone on to play significant roles.

Eoghan O'Connell arrived on transfer deadline day from Charlton Athletic, with the move being announced with a hilarious video exchange involving Reynolds and McElhenney. The Irishman immediately slotted straight into the side, netting on his debut - the aforementioned, dramatic away victory over Altrincham.

Combative midfielder Andy Cannon, brought in from Hull City, has been a mainstay of the first team in the second part of the season too, as has Ryan Barnett, poached from National League side Solihull Moors.

Even when the January transfer window closed, Wrexham's pursuit of the perfect, promotion-winning squad did not cease.

In March, the co-owners made headlines when they tempted Premier League stalwart turned YouTube star Ben Foster out of retirement. The transfer summed up Wrexham aptly. Not only was Foster clearly far too good for the division, he also offered commercial benefits due to the popularity of his matchday vlogs.

This wasn't a cynical marketing ploy, though. Foster's arrival has played a huge role in his side going up this season, with the former Manchester United, Watford and West Brom man making a vital penalty save in second-half stoppage time to earn Wrexham a priceless three points against Notts County.

The stop pretty much confirmed their promotion, and Foster might even be tempted to stay for one more season now.

Wrexham have the funds to get pretty much any lower-league manager they desire. And who wouldn't want to be part of this project?

However, unlike some of the big-money foreign owners higher up the pyramid, Reynolds and McElhenney kept faith with Phil Parkinson after the club fell short at the end of the 2021-22 campaign, and the co-owners have been rewarded handsomely this around.

Parkinson's pedigree is clear - he once bested Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in the FA Cup and reached the League Cup final during his time as Bradford City boss - and that has shined through at key moments during this testing campaign.

His ability to manage the squad through extreme fixture congestion has been particularly impressive. Even as Wrexham progressed through the rounds of the FA Cup, their National League form scarcely suffered. A dramatic third-round victory over second-tier Coventry City came slap bang in the middle of a run of seven straight wins in all competitions - a period of exemplary squad management from Parkinson.

It may have taken one season longer than many expected, but Wrexham's experienced manager has now got them up. He knows how to get out of League Two as well, taking Bradford up through the play-offs in 2013.