Wrexham reached the third round of the EFL Cup for the first time since 1981 with a 3–2 victory over Preston North End on Tuesday evening.

It took a stoppage-time winner from Kieffer Moore to complete a dramatic comeback in England’s secondary cup competition. Lewis Dobbin gave the hosts an early lead shortly before Ryan Hardie blasted the Red Dragons level.

Liam Lindsay had Preston back in front before the halftime interval. Harry Ashfield nabbed Wrexham’s second equalizer of the night and it appeared that this all-Championship affair would be decided by a penalty shootout as the contest at Deepdale ticked past the 90th minute. Moore had other ideas.

The hulking striker, one of 10 permanent signings this summer, was in the right place just in time to gobble up Jack Walton’s dropped catch.

Wrexham have endured a testing start to life back in England’s second tier following their latest promotion. After a late opening-day collapse against Southampton and a 3–2 defeat to West Bromwich Albion, the side co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac picked up their first Championship point last weekend.

Manager Phil Parkinson saw Tuesday’s cup victory as another major staging post in his side’s development this season. “It’s about learning and we belong at this level,” he beamed post-match. “Okay, it’s a cup game, but they’re a very good Championship team. I want to see us play with that bit of swagger and accept that we belong on this stage and we have shown that tonight.”

“I’m very pleased, it’s a good night for us,” Parkinson continued. “I thought first half we got back in it quickly after they scored. I felt we lost our belief after their [second] goal. Second half we played with a real belief and I felt we deservedly won the game.

“We had a lot of control with our play and I was very pleased with how we responded from the break to the end.”

For the first time since 1981, Wrexham will be in the hat for the third round of the EFL Cup. Four decades ago, the Welsh outfit were knocked out by a vintage Tottenham Hotspur side boasting Ossie Ardiles and Glenn Hoddle. Spurs will once again be in the draw, together with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘We Belong’—Wrexham Dramatically Achieve Impressive Feat After 44-Year Wait.