In the stands there was immense pride, a hero's reception for the Wrexham players, but on the pitch was devastation. Wrexham's Premier League dream has been put on hold, at least for another season, after a 2-2 draw against a Middlesbrough side that are still dreaming of their own return to the top flight after nine years away.
Wrexham went into this contest in sixth, ahead of Hull City on goal difference, knowing that a win by the same margin as the Tigers would be enough to book a play-off semi-final under the lights back here on Friday. Over the course of 95 excruciating and exciting minutes, Wrexham, Hull City and Derby County all swapped positions in and out of the play-offs. Wrexham were sixth for a total of seven minutes. It is Hull who still get a shot at a Hollywood ending.
'The main feeling is disappointment,' Wrexham captain Dom Hyam said. 'We've worked 10 months for today and if we'd have got one more goal we might have been in [the play-offs]. It's tough to take but we're just trying to have some perspective. The club has gone back-to-back-to-back and it's not a failure today, it's really not.'
This is the first time since 2022 that Wrexham haven't marked the end of the season with a promotion. Then it was Grimsby Town that brought an abrupt end to Wrexham's campaign with a 5-4 play-off win. This one, Phil Parkinson accepted, stings far less. But Wrexham made sure they threw plenty of punches in this fight between two Championship heavyweights.
After making a disastrous start when Danny Ward spilled a cross from the right for Tommy Conway, the game's star man, to convert four minutes in, it was easy for home fans to fear the worst. But writing scripts, ripping them up, and writing new ones is what Wrexham have shown themselves to do and Josh Windass' stunning free-kick from 30 yards breathed life back into their play-off bid.
Wrexham rallied, taking a lead in emphatic fashion when Issa Kabore broke free down the right and whipped in the best cross of the game onto the head of Sam Smith. For a few minutes at least Wrexham were on track. Then, less than two minutes later, Wrexham switched off, a reminder of just how punishing this division is, when an unmarked David Strelec turned in Matt Targett's cross.
Wrexham threw everything at it - even Ward was thrown up top for a late corner - but with Hull leading and Wrexham a goal shy of a play-off spot, they eventually ran out of road in a journey Middlesbrough hope still has plenty left to run. 'This is a great chance for us and if you do simple maths it's a 25% chance to end up in the Premier League so we are doing everything we can to take,' Boro boss Kim Hellberg said. 'It's a brilliant chance and we go into it against Southampton really looking forward to it. I think it will be some very good football.'
