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Ryan Reynolds and Wrexham will face bitter rivals Cardiff City and Swansea City in the Championship next season after falling short of Premier League qualification. Wrexham, co-owned by Hollywood stars Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, were pipped to a play-off spot on Saturday after being overtaken by promotion rivals Hull City on a dramatic final day of the Championship campaign.

Phil Parkinson's men began the day inside the top six on goal difference and needed a win to ensure a place in the play-offs. However, a thrilling yet ultimately gut-wrenching 2-2 draw at home against Middlesbrough, together with Hull's 2-1 victory over Norwich City, saw the Red Dragons ultimately miss out by two points. Beyond the crushing disappointment of failing to secure promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the club's history, Wrexham also took a financial hit. Had the Welsh side clinched promotion through the play-offs, they would have unlocked a financial windfall worth at least £100million in their first season alone.

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That figure would be driven primarily by the Premier League's global broadcasting deals, with clubs receiving huge central distributions simply for participating in the division. Over a three-year period, taking into account parachute payments if they were to suffer relegation, the total value of promotion was widely estimated at £170m or more, with commercial revenue, sponsorship and global visibility driving that figure even higher.

The disappointment will be heightened by the feeling that Norwich were denied a late penalty in their match against Hull, which could have proved the difference between Wrexham qualifying and not. The Canaries' last-gasp appeals were dismissed despite many fans describing it as a "stonewall" spot kick decision and a "robbery".

One fan vented: "Wrexham have just been absolutely robbed by the ref in the Hull game. Stonewall penalty not given in the last minute and then no extra added time after the ref took over a minute sorting stuff out at the corner that followed. Harsh." Another commented: "Well done Hull! Officials lost that for us today. Offside goal and stonewall penalty at the end but oh well!"

Another season in the Championship will set the stage for a bitter reunion with Cardiff City in the second tier next term. Cardiff secured promotion to the Championship by finishing comfortably in second place in League One on 91 points. The two historic rivals missed out on playing in the same division this season after Cardiff were relegated last year, just as Wrexham earned their third consecutive promotion. They did cross paths earlier this season, however, in the Carabao Cup fourth round - their first competitive meeting in over 21 years.

Wrexham suffered a defeat at the Racecourse Ground on the occasion, losing 2-1 to miss out on a spot in the quarter-finals after Will Fish's winner for the Bluebirds. Wrexham were even booed at half-time after a sluggish display, and Reynolds will be eager to settle the score next season to claim bragging rights when the two clubs enjoy their first league clash since 2002.

The Red Dragons will also lock horns with fellow Welsh side Swansea City once again, after they sealed an 11th-place Championship finish with a 3-1 win over Charlton Athletic on the final day of the season. It means next season's Championship will see a straight shootout for Wales' best team after Wrexham finished above their rivals for the first time in 25 years.