Nachrichten
Wrexham kicked off the ‘Wrex Coast Tour’ with an impressive performance, drawing 1-1 against Premier League side Bournemouth in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Wrexham’s first two pre-season games have been in very different surroundings.
Phil Parkinson’s side beat non-league side Hanley Town 5-1 in an almost perfect win, aside from Elliot Lee’s knock.
From Stoke-on-Trent to California, Wrexham then took on Bournemouth at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbera.
Non-league to Premier League is the trajectory Wrexham want in the Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds era, but it’s also the progression of Wrexham’s pre-season games this summer.
There was no 5-1 win this time around but Wrexham still managed to pick up a 1-1 draw against a Premier League side with Bournemouth battling back from behind.
Andoni Iraola on Wrexham rise
This wasn’t a fringe Bournemouth side; there were a number of Premier League regulars involved.
MORE WREXHAM STORIES
Philip Billing, Antoine Semenyo, Chris Mepham and Adam Smith all started the game.
Lewis Cook, Romain Faivre, Dango Ouattara, Marcus Tavernier, Marcos Senesi and Max Aarons came off the bench at half time too, so Wrexham were given a real test.
Yes, it’s only a friendly, but Wrexham can be proud of a strong display against Premier League opposition.
The dream is to join Bournemouth in the Premier League one day; it may not be for a little while, but Wrexham are on the right path.
The club’s rise with McElhenney and Reynolds at the helm has been captivating and Cherries boss Andoni Iraola has even paid attention.
Speaking on Bournemouth’s official X account, Iraola feels that the stories of Bournemouth and Wrexham are both ‘nice’, having risen up through the leagues.
Iraola admitted that the idea of Bournemouth against Wrexham in California was probably ‘very difficult to imagine’ 10 years ago, but it just goes to show how well both clubs are doing on and off the pitch.
The Spaniard added that he knows the Wrexham story and has been impressed with the club’s rise, even if he hasn’t seen the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series.
“Yeah, I think they are nice stories, I think, no?” said Iraola. “Football is evolving and, as you said, probably 10 years ago, it was something very difficult to imagine, a game like this one. I think there are two clubs that are growing, that are doing well on the pitch and also off the pitch.”
“I follow a little bit of Wrexham, I haven’t seen the documentary that everybody talks about but more or less, I know the story and it looks like they are doing really well,” he added.
Next up for Wrexham
That draw against Bournemouth was a very nice start to this North American tour for Wrexham.
Chelsea are next up for Phil Parkinson’s side as Wrexham face the Blues at Levi’s Stadium, the home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, on Thursday morning.
Few will really expect a result against Chelsea but you just never know, and this will provide another great test for Wrexham ahead of the League One campaign.
The final game of this tour takes place early on Sunday morning as Wrexham take on the Vancouver Whitecaps.
This will be a real homecoming for Ryan Reynolds; Vancouver-born and the inspiration behind the final game of the trip.
Wrexham will then head home but have one more friendly before the season starts, welcoming Fleetwood Town to the STōK Cae Ras just week before the League One season begins.
It will then be time for Wycombe Wanderers to make the trip to the STōK Cae Ras for the season opener and all eyes will be on Wrexham once again as the club’s story prepares for another chapter.
Related Topics