Ex-Portsmouth and Hull man toasts Wrexham glory and successive promotions - after heartbreak of double Fratton Park failure

Now Andy Cannon is celebrating promotion in successive seasons after leading Wrexham’s charge into the Football League.

The energetic midfielder lined-up for Phil Parkinson’s side on Saturday in their 3-1 triumph over Boreham Wood which secured the National League title.

It also represented a return to the Football League following 15 years away for the Welshmen, who have accumulated 110 points and 115 goals this season with one game remaining.

Cannon dropped out of the Championship with Hull in December to become part of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s exciting project.

Signing for Wrexham for an undisclosed fee in December, he has made 16 appearances and been a key presence in their success.

The 27-year-old also claimed the National League title last season, during a productive loan spell with Stockport County.

He featured nine times, scoring once, after arriving on loan from Hull in January 2022 for the second half of the campaign.

At the start of this season, Cannon actually started a Championship game for Hull at QPR and totalled five appearances in the league, before agreeing to drop into non-league with Wrexham.

Now he has been rewarded for that leap of faith to find himself swiftly back in the Football League.

Pompey fans will remember the hard-working midfielder from an injury-hampered two-and-a-half year stay on the south coast.

With the Blues top of League One at the start of January 2019, Kenny Jackett sought to bolster his playing squad in order to strengthen their promotion push.

Cannon was the first time arrive, joining from Rochdale for an undisclosed fee, and was soon joined by Bryn Morris, Omar Bogle, Lloyd Isgrove, James Vaughan and Viv Solomon-Otabor.

However, injury restricted him to just two outings during the second half of the campaign as Pompey eventually slipped to fourth place.

They then lost to Sunderland in the League One play-off semi-finals, without scoring a goal – and since haven’t come as close to automatic promotion.

Cannon went on to total 73 appearances and three goals, while featured as a substitute in both legs of their play-off semi-final defeat to Oxford United in July 2020.

He was later released by Danny Cowley in the summer of 2021 upon the expiry of his contract, moving to Hull, where he made 17 appearances.

Now he’s at Wrexham – and toasting yet another promotion. Although not the one Pompey wanted from him.