Rob McElhenney showed a touch of class as the Wrexham co-owner sent his congratulations to Oldham Athletic following their promotion.

If any fanbase understands the enormity of winning promotion out of the National League, it’s Wrexham.

Ask most Wrexham supporters and they will tell you that winning promotion from the National League in 2023 meant more than the following promotions from League Two and League One.

Wrexham being a Championship club is simply incredible and something that few could have expected even five years ago.

Yet it was the sheer joy – and a slice of relief – at finally getting out of the National League which meant the most.

Wrexham had been stuck in the National League for 15 years and winning promotion just a year after play-off heartbreak to Grimsby Town meant everything to this fanbase.

Oldham Athletic owner on Rob McElhenney message

Sunday saw Oldham Athletic enjoy that euphoric moment themselves, as they clinched promotion to League Two.

Micky Mellon’s side beat Southend United 3-2 at Wembley Stadium, coming from 1-0 and 2-1 down to claim the victory.

Oldham were not in the National League for nearly as long as Wrexham were, but this moment still means so much to the Latics.

Rob McElhenney sent a message to Frank Rothwell late on Sunday, congratulating the Oldham owner on promotion.

Rothwell had previously suggested that he didn’t even know who McElhenney or Ryan Reynolds were before their Wrexham takeover.

McElhenney showed there are no hard feelings as he congratulated the Oldham owner on a fine achievement.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Rothwell has admitted that he didn’t even know about McElhenney’s message before being told on Monday.

Rothwell recalled how he didn’t know who McElhenney was, but remembered being shown a TikTok of the Wrexham co-owner laying down the gauntlet to him.

Rothwell also remembers Wrexham fans mocking him after beating Oldham in the FA Cup back in 2022, which upset him at the time.

“I don’t do social media, I don’t read anything but I didn’t know that,” said Rothwell.

“Well done, Rob, I appreciate that! Do you know, I’ve never seen him. I’ve never seen any of his films, I didn’t know him – I thought he was a butcher! I didn’t realise he was a film star.

“Do you know what happened when I said that, I said ‘who is this… what’s he called? Rob McElhenney, what does he do?’ And he put on TikTok, he says ‘Frank, you don’t know who we are Frank, but we know who you are, and we are going to give you a whooping’.

“Anyway, we played them on the Saturday a few days later, and we’re 3-0 down. 10,000 Wrexham fans are chanting ‘Frankie, Frankie, what’s the score?’ Now that upset me, that, I was really, really upset – it hurt my feelings,” he added.

Oldham Athletic will hope to follow Wrexham’s lead

Wrexham’s three straight promotions are completely unprecedented, and it will be difficult for any club to match that feat – especially without the backing of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

Oldham would surely love to kick on and get back to League One in the near future, though, having spent so many years at that level.

The Latics spent 21 consecutive seasons in League One before relegation in 2018, only to then go down again just four years later.

Oldham became the first club to go from the Premier League to non-league and will now hope that Sunday’s promotion will set them on a charge back towards the top.

That won’t be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but Rothwell’s passion shines through and McElhenney will be watching their progress from afar.

Read more on;https://www.sportupdates.co.uk