Wrexham have been branded a “circus” by Charlton Athletic manager Nathan Jones ahead of Saturday’s showdown between the promotion-hunting League One sides.
Wrexham, owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, are bidding for their third successive promotion in English football and sit two points above Wycombe Wanderers and four above Charlton in the fight for the final automatic promotion spot, which would take them to the Championship.
With just two games remaining, fourth-placed Charlton visit the Stok Racecourse on Saturday for a crucial clash that could both seal Wrexham’s promotion — if Wycombe fail to win — or open the battle wide open.
Jones, the Welsh boss of Charlton, has upped the ante beforehand.
“All we do is take a game as it comes,” Jones said after his side beat Wycombe 4-0 on Monday. “We are not looking at the playoffs, we are not looking at Burton at home on the final game.
“We’ll finish, we’ll debrief, we’ll breathe a little bit and then we’ll move forward with Wrexham.
“It’s a bumper game, we have to go to the circus and see what we can get.”
Both teams head into the game in fine form, with Wrexham unbeaten in their last eight and Charlton their last six — picking up 16 points from a possible 18 in the process.
Wrexham could be promoted this weekend if they win and Wycombe fail to beat Leyton Orient, while Charlton need a victory as well as help on the final day to have a chance of automatic promotion. Stockport County are a point behind Charlton in fifth with extremely slim hopes of a top-two finish.
Two wins for Wrexham — against Charlton and Lincoln City — would assure their place in the Championship, which is one tier below the Premier League.
The teams that finish third, fourth, fifth and six will enter a playoff, with the winner joining champions Birmingham City and the second-place finishers in the league above.
