Wrexham hammered Charlton Athletic 3-0 to seal a historic promotion to the EFL Championship on Saturday. Ollie Rathbone and Sam Smith scored within three

Joy for James McClean and co., but mixed fortunes for Irish players in the second tier.

WREXHAM, Wales :Wrexham earned promotion for a record third straight season with a 3-0 home win over Charlton Athletic in League One on Saturday, the latest chapter in a stunning rise under the ownership of Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.Sam Smith struck twice after Ollie Rathbone opened

WREXHAM, Wales (AP) — Wrexham fans ignored the warnings. They were always going to.By the time the final whistle blew on Saturday to confirm promotion to English soccer's second tier, thousands were ready and waiting to storm the home field in celebration.Flares were lit, red smoke filled the air, Welsh flags were waved proudly and songs sung raucously.Wrexham was one step from the Premier League and nothing was going to stop this party.Charlton was beaten 3-0 to ensure Wrexham went up as the third division runner-up behind champion Birmingham, and co-owner Ryan Reynolds reflected on their third promotion in three seasons.“It just seemed like an impossible dream,” the movie star said. “We said five years ago our goal was to make it to the Premier League. There were understandably a lot of laughs, but it feels like a thing that could make it to fruition right now.”There were warnings of police action for pitch invaders before kickoff. And as the game reached its final moments, an announcement over the loudspeaker…