WREXHAM'S return to the English Football League (EFL) may not have gone to plan result wise - but it was a historic day nonetheless for the community as a whole.

A 15-year wait for a comeback to the 'big time' was eagerly-anticipated by Reds fans as Saturday (August 5) approached.

A home tie against MK Dons awaited at the Stok Racecourse and optimism was high among supporters as the new season awaited.

I took a trip to Wrexham for the big day and my first port of call was to visit the new floodlights that are now in place at the Stok Racecourse and have been talked about a lot by the fans recently.

It's sad to see the old ones go of course, but the new ones looked great.

Many things are changing at the ground and around it these days, but it's all seemingly for the better.

The new floodlights will go hand-in-hand with the new Kop which will soon be ready to add space for a further 5,000 to enjoy what Wrexham has to offer on a matchday.

Once that visit was over, I took a trip down to the Fat Boar, where a tribute to Paul Mullin was unveiled on the very day I was in town.

If he didn't already have hero status before, then he much-loved scouse striker does now thanks to a fantastic mural put together by the talented Liam Stokes-Massey (You can find a picture of his work in the gallery above).

READ MORE

Sadly, Mullin himself is currently out with an injury sustained in pre-season so missed the opening match. But, a tribute like this speaks volumes about what he has already done - and will no doubt continue to do - for Wrexham.

As kick-off drew closer, I decided to take a walk around town and take in the matchday atmosphere as it built up.

Of course, the Wrexham shirt were out in force from the early morning - but I was also surprised to see just how many MK Dons fans I spotted hours before kick-off.

Credit to them too, they made the trip up to north Wales in numbers with a total of 1,115 of them making up a good portion of the 10,205 Stok Racecourse attendance on the day. 

Every pub I attended (but didn't drink in!) was absolutely heaving - from the Maesgwyn and The Turf to the Wynnstay and Wrexham Cwtch, fans gathered everywhere in anticipation.

When I arrived at the ground, it seemed that a lot of people had arrived early to try and meet some of their heroes, who - credit to them - stopped to take photos with them. 

The big news of the day came moments before kick-off as Wrexham AFC co-chairman Rob McElhenney announced via Twitter that Hugh Jackman was in attendance for the match.

There had been rumours leading up to the match that the Australian actor would be there - and so he was, along with close friend and Rob's co-chairman Ryan Reynolds.

The applause when the players walked out on to the pitch was - as always - nothing short of phenomenal. It was an incredible homecoming and 'Fearless in Devotion' is certainly something the Reds faithful are.

Unfortunately though, the result didn't go Wrexham's way. Although the co-chairmen, Hugh (and me) did witness an eight-goal thriller.

Wrexham were defeated 5-3 on the day in what was something of a wake up call. Even manager Phil Parkinson said it felt like a 'reality check' in his post-match comments.

But, whilst the defeat was painful and the weather on the day I visited Wrexham may have been grey and gloomy - the club's future at this moment in time seems anything but that.

Rob, Ryan and co have instilled new hope in fans who have seen it all down the years - and brought new Reds from around the world along for the ride with them too.

There's evidently a renewed sense of belief among supporters now - as well as that long-standing pride in their club - and things like that will, in turn, reflect on the pitch as the League Two season goes on I'm sure.

You can view a selection of pictures from Wrexham's big day in our gallery above!