FILE - Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney, center, and Ryan Reynolds, second right, celebrate at the end of the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
FILE - Wrexham players celebrate after winning the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
Wrexham opens its Down Under tour without its Hollywood owners but with a 3-0 win
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Welsh soccer side Wrexham opened a three-match tour of Australia and New Zealand on Friday without their high-profile co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney making the trip Down Under.
FILE - Wrexham co-owners Rob McElhenney, center, and Ryan Reynolds, second right, celebrate at the end of the English League One soccer match between Wrexham and Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse ground in Wrexham, Wales, April 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Welsh soccer side Wrexham opened a three-match tour of Australia and New Zealand on Friday without their high-profile co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney making the trip Down Under.
The result was a good one, though — 3-0 over A-League side Melbourne Victory — despite missing the Hollywood actors’ star power off the field.
Midfielder Tom O’Connor scored for Wrexham in the 42nd minute, with Ryan Hardie (67th) and George Evans (78th) adding goals in the second half.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
Scottish striker Hardie, signed from Plymouth Argyle for the Red Dragons’ long-awaited return to English football’s second tier, was in place to poke home from close range after being introduced as a substitute at halftime.
Evans ended the scoring when his long-range shot squeezed under Victory substitute goalkeeper Daniel Graskoski.
The official attendance Friday was listed as 37,020 in the 53,000-seat Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. For comparison, Wrexham’s Racecourse ground has a capacity of 12,600.
The Wrexham squad is using the visit to prepare for a first season in 43 years in English soccer’s Championship, having just secured a .
Playing in Australia and New Zealand — after recent preseason tours to the United States — is part of an effort to spread which has been enhanced by the popular “Welcome to Wrexham” fly-on-the-wall TV documentary.
The major reason for making the 16,000-kilometer (10,000-mile) trip to Australia? McElhenney, who recently changed his name to Rob Mac, previously said that Australia is the third-biggest audience for the “Welcome to Wrexham” series after the United States and Britain.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
“We’re not here on a holiday,” Wrexham captain James McClean, who played 103 times for Ireland, said after the team arrived. “It’s great to come and see new things, new experiences but we’re here to work, we’re here to prepare for the new season. It’s going to be the toughest challenge yet, by far.”
Wrexham plays again next Tuesday against Sydney FC in Sydney and on July 19 against the Wellington Phoenix in the New Zealand capital.
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation