Barry Bannan reacts to Josh Windass' emotional Wrexham AFC message | OneFootball

Barry Bannan has reacted to a message shared by his former Sheffield Wednesday teammate Josh Windass as Wrexham failed to finish in the play-offs

Wrexham star Josh Windass has shared an emotional message after the Red Dragons fell short of the Championship play-off spots.

Phil Parkinson's side drew 2-2 with Middlesbrough on Saturday, and dropped out of the top six as Hull City successfully defeated Norwich City 2-1.

The Red Dragons fell 1-0 down thanks to Tommy Conway's goal, but Windass and Sam Smith scored to hand the North Wales outfit a 2-1 lead.

However, before the half-time whistle was sounded, David Strelec equalised for Boro to ensure that Wrexham earned just one point from their final game of the season, and subsequently finished seventh.

Barry Bannan responds as Josh Windass reveals extent of Wrexham disappointment

Barry Bannan and Windass were Sheffield Wednesday teammates as recently as last season, but the latter left the South Yorkshire club in favour of Wrexham in the summer transfer window, as then Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri had repeatedly failed to pay staff and player wages on time.

Bannan stayed at Hillsborough Stadium until the winter transfer window, when he joined Millwall, who are now battling to win promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

Windass has been a star attacker for Wrexham this season, scoring 16 goals and producing five assists in 41 Championship appearances.

Despite the 32-year-old's best efforts, the Red Dragons have failed to finish in the top six, meaning they can no longer clinch successive promotions from the National League all the way to the Premier League.

Following that setback, Windass wrote on Instagram: "Worst I’ve ever felt in football. Going to sting for a while. See you next year. The group of lads I have played with this year, incredible group of fellas."

Bannan was an influential figure for Millwall in their 2-0 victory over Oxford United on Saturday, pulling the strings from midfield and taking plenty of corners.

Despite their 2-0 triumph over Matt Bloomfield's side, the Lions finished one point behind second-place Ipswich Town, meaning they will have to navigate the play-offs to book their spot in next season's Premier League.

Alex Neil's men travel to Hull for the first leg of their play-off semi-final on Friday and will hope to build on the positive momentum they gained from their win against Oxford.

Wrexham could be better served in the long run by failed promotion bid

Wrexham have produced one of the most talked about narratives in English football in recent seasons by clinching successive promotions from the National League to the Championship.

The unwavering ambition of Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney meant that the Red Dragons didn't want to stop there, though, and were eyeing a place in next season's Premier League.

However, the top flight is often an incredibly tough division for any side who wins promotion from the Championship, let alone a club who were plying their trade in non-league as recently as 2023.

As demonstrated by Windass' social media post, the Wrexham players are heartbroken right now.

However, having more time to strengthen themselves in the Championship before potentially earning promotion to the Premier League in the future could prove to be a blessing in disguise.