WREXHAM, Wales — Ryan Reynolds said Wrexham are targeting the Premier League after the Hollywood-owned club secured a historic third successive promotion to claim a place in the EFL Championship.

A 3-0 win against promotion rivals Charlton Athletic at STōK Cae Ras on Saturday sealed second-place in League One and ensured that Phil Parkinson’s team will join runaway leaders Birmingham City in the second tier next season.

But after watching Wrexham become the first team in English football history, dating back to 1888, to achieve three consecutive promotions, co-owner Reynolds said that the club is charting a course for the Premier League.

“Our goal is to make it to the Premier League,” Reynolds said. “It just seemed like an impossible dream [when buying the club in February 2021], but as storytellers, you look as much as you can at the macro view of history.

“I would not be here, you can go all the way back from the Gresford [coal mine] Disaster to [club legend] Mickey Thomas, who is a huge point of aspiration for this club and the goal was to reach that feeling — and it is a feeling.”

Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney, who bought the club for $2.5 million in 2021 and turned it into a household name around the world, were part of a full house of nearly 13,000 fans packed into the club’s historic stadium to celebrate.

McElhenney said that the club will put plans for next season on hold — but only for a few hours.

“That’s for tomorrow,” McElhenney said when asked about the Championship. “Today is just for enjoying the moment. We can leave it until 12:01!

“Ryan and I have the easiest job in the world. We just sit back and watch this incredible football team and incredible staff.”

Charlton had gone into the game as one of only two teams, alongside Wycombe Wanderers, who could deny Wrexham the second spot in the division.

But with Wycombe losing 1-0 away to Leyton Orient earlier in the day, Wrexham knew that a win in their final home game of the season would clinch the final automatic promotion berth.

Reynolds had earlier posed for selfies with fans outside and served drinks behind the bar in a marquee set up outside the nearby Turf pub, which has earned world renown from the docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham.”

Fans erupted in cheers after the final whistle of Wycombe’s loss, which was shown on a big screen.

Two goals in the space of three minutes in the first half from Ollie Rathbone and Sam Smith set Wrexham on the way to victory. Then £2 million-record-signing ($2.7 million) Smith scored a third at 81 minutes to secure the all-important win.

The final whistle sparked mayhem as thousands of fans poured onto the pitch carrying banners saying “Back to back to back” and hoisting grinning players on their shoulders amid clouds of red smoke.

Wrexham manager Parkinson, who was hired in 2021 after already achieving three promotions in the EFL with Colchester, Bradford and Bolton, has overseen the team’s rapid rise from the National League to the Championship.

But while Parkinson said Wrexham are ready to meet the challenge head-on next season, he has warned that the Championship is as tough as any league in the world.

“We will take the Championship full-on, just as we have done in recent years,” Parkinson said. “We are going into one of the most competitive leagues in world football and it is going to be a huge challenge.

“We will sit back, recruit the right players and try to get the squad as strong as possible. And then enjoy the ride.

“But you can’t take this achievement away from us. It is amazing how we have done it.

“Getting over the line in football is hard to do, so to be able to maintain that standard in such a high-profile game is a testament to everybody.

“I want to savor the moment. The division’s been strong this year but all of our players have stepped up and adapted so well, the mentality in the group was so strong.

“We focused tonight and when the third goal went in it was just a perfect moment.”

Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.