Wrexham opens its Down Under tour with a win but without Hollywood owners

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Wrexham opened a three-match tour of Australia and New Zealand on Friday in the absence of Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The result was a good one, though, 3-0 over A-League side Melbourne Victory.

Midfielder Tom O’Connor, Ryan Hardie and George Evans scored for the Welsh club.

Scottish striker Hardie, signed from Plymouth Argyle, was in place to poke home from close range after being introduced as a substitute at halftime. Evans’ long-range shot squeezed under Victory substitute goalkeeper Daniel Graskoski.

Hardie came off with a few minutes remaining after a collision with a Melbourne player but Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said it was a precautionary move.

”He just got a bang and went a bit dizzy, and with four minutes to go there’s no need to take a risk with him,” Parkinson said. “We’re equally delighted for him to get a goal and that’s what he’s all about — movement in the opposition penalty box.”

The official attendance was 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 third straight promotion.

Playing in Australia and New Zealand — after recent preseason tours to the United States — is part of an effort to spread Wrexham’s global footprint 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 Australia was the third biggest audience for the “Welcome to Wrexham” series after the U.S. and Britain.

“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.”

Wrexham plays again on Tuesday against Sydney FC in Sydney, and on July 19 against the Wellington Phoenix in the New Zealand capital.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer