Wrexham are preparing for three pre-season fixtures on their United States tour and one of those is against Bournemouth, who they last played in 2005.
Last season, Wrexham returned to League One for the first time in 19 years following a second-place finish in League Two.
Phil Parkinson has since been extremely busy this summer, assembling a squad ready for the challenge and landing some impressive signings.
Arthur Okonkwo, Lewis Brunt, George Dobson, Callum Burton and Sebastian Revan have all arrived at the Racecourse Ground, and will feature on their pre-season tour of the United States.
First up for Parkinson’s men is a test against Premier League outfit Bournemouth on Friday. It’s been 19 years since they last played the Cherries, in a fixture that went a long way to confirming Wrexham’s relegation to the fourth tier.
Bournemouth ran out 2-1 winners in that clash in April 2005 as goals from Steve Purches and Wade Elliott secured the three points.
But who featured in Wrexham’s lineup on that day? Let’s take a look…
Wrexham’s starting XI the last time they played Bournemouth in 2005
Ben Foster
Ben Foster started in goal for Wrexham on loan from Stoke City. The talented shot-stopper appeared 21 times in that spell before becoming a Premier League regular and England international. Foster returned to Wrexham in 2023 and produced that memorable penalty save against Notts County. That was his biggest moment before retiring last August.
Scott Green
At the age of 35, Scott Green was coming to the end of his career when he lined up for Wrexham against Bournemouth. The right-back previously enjoyed a seven-year stint at Bolton Wanderers, making 257 appearances before moving on to Wigan Athletic. Green featured for Wrexham on 12 occasions in the 2004/05 campaign and is currently managing Pallo-Iirot in Finland.
Craig Morgan
A towering centre-back and former Wales international, appearing for his country 23 times, Craig Morgan started his successful career in the game at Wrexham. He made 62 appearances for the Reds before becoming an EFL stalwart, turning out for the likes of Rotherham, Preston and Wigan Athletic. Morgan has been retired since 2019.
Steve Roberts
Steve Roberts, much like Morgan, is another product of the Wrexham youth system, who made more appearances for the Welsh side (127) than any other club. This was largely down to him retiring early as the talented centre-back hung up his boots in 2009 at the age of 29 following spells at Doncaster Rovers and Walsall.
Shaun Pejic
Pejic came up in the Wrexham ranks and racked up just shy of 200 first-team appearances for the club before heading on to York City, Vancouver Whitecaps, Crystal Palace Baltimore, Barrow and Bangor City. In the early stages of his career, Pejic played for the Wales under-21 side and has taken an interesting step since hanging up his boots, becoming a gameplay producer for EA Sports and most recently, Playground Games.
Carlos Edwards
Carlos Edwards emerged as a huge fan favourite at the Racecourse Ground during his five-year stay at the club between 2000 and 2005. The former Trinidad & Tobago international, who racked up 92 appearances for his country, surpassed over a century of matches for Wrexham, featuring 136 times in all competitions. Now aged 45 and remarkably still playing for non-league side Hadleigh United, Edwards can look back on his career with fond memories, having played for the likes of Sunderland, Luton and Ipswich.
Andy Holt
Andy Holt arrived at Wrexham in 2004 following spells at Oldham Athletic, Hull City, Barnsley and Shrewsbury Town. Holt featured 96 times for the Reds, scoring 10 times and was a popular figure in Wales. He left the club in 2006 to join Northampton and rose to cult hero status, staying there for six years up until retiring in 2012.
Matt Crowell
Wrexham signed midfielder Matt Crowell in 2004 after he was involved in an ugly transfer saga between Swansea City and Southampton, as the Saints plucked him from the Welsh side, only for the Swans to appeal it. Although he never made an appearance for Southampton, he did play more than 100 times for Wrexham and went on to have an intriguing career, turning out for the likes of Northwich Victoria, Altrincham, Central Coast Mariners, Farnborough, Port Talbot Town, CD Ourense.
Mark Jones
Another player who rose through the Wrexham ranks was Mark Jones, who racked up more than 100 first-team appearances for the Reds before leaving for Rochdale in 2008. Jones was a spritely attacking midfielder, scoring 34 and assisting eight during his time at the club. He’s now retired at the age of 39.
Chris Llewellyn
A product of the Norwich City academy, midfielder Llewellyn made over 150 appearances for the Canaries prior to joining Wrexham in 2003. The Merthyr Tydfil-born ace turned out more than 90 times for Wrexham but left the club after relegation, moving to Hartlepool United. However, his spell away only lasted a year as he returned once more in 2006 before signing for Grimsby Town.
Juan Ugarte
Spaniard Ugarte went on a journey across what was a shortened career, beginning in the Basque country and playing for the likes of Real Sociedad, Eibar, Real Union and Barakaldo before catching the eye with Dorchester Town. It was that spell that prompted Wrexham to sign him in 2004, becoming a hero at the Racecourse Ground by plundering 16 goals in 30 appearances in 2004/05. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for Ugarte, who was forced into an early retirement at the age of 27 due to injuries.