Wrexham are back in the UK following their first ever pre-season tour down under.
Michael Williamson was thanked by fans for bringing the Wrexham squad to Australia and New Zealand as the club’s fanbase continues to grow at a rapid pace.
Wrexham broke new commercial sales records in Australia with all club merchandise sold out before they departed for Wellington.
On the pitch, the tour was a mixed bag for Phil Parkinson’s side with defeat against Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix. However, Shaun Harvey has revealed something that could give the Red Dragons a competitive edge come the season opener at Southampton.
Shaun Harvey praises training facilities on Wrexham’s pre-season tour
Speaking to former goalkeeper Ben Foster on the latest episode of the ‘Fozcast’, Harvey has revealed that the ‘magnificent’ training facilities down under meant the Wrexham squad wanted to spend longer on the training pitch.
With the Championship campaign just around the corner, it is vital the players are getting into peak physical condition ahead of what will be the club’s toughest season yet under the new owners.
Harvey stated: “The facilities have been absolutely magnificent. Anything that encourages players to want to spend more time on the training ground, in the gym, or even just preparing as a group.
“The sort of visibility and facility just brings a whole group together.”
Wrexham learned a lot from the tour and Parkinson would have taken many positives home – the performances of Harry Ashfield being one of the standouts.
Something as simple as good training facilities means that the players may have pushed themselves that little bit further this pre-season and every marginal gain is going to matter when it comes to life in the second tier.
What will Wrexham do before the Championship opener against Southampton
Wrexham now have just under three weeks to prepare for the trip to St Mary’s Stadium and Parkinson is planning more friendlies.
The Red Dragons will travel to Dutch side Groningen on August 2nd but there is hope that the club can arrange one or two more matches behind closed doors.
New arrivals will also be a huge focus in the coming weeks with the club having already secured George Thomason and Liberato Cacace after concluding their tour.
Josh Windass has passed a medical at Wrexham and is expected to sign a three-year deal in North Wales to add some serious attacking firepower to the squad.
Departures will also be on the cards as the likes of Ollie Palmer and George Evans look set for the exit door at the club.