Wrexham conclude their pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand with a game in the latter country, against Wellington Phoenix.
Wrexham Down Under has so far offered mixed results on the pitch: the Dragons beat Melbourne Victory 3-0 in the pre-season opener, but then Wrexham lost 2-1 against Sydney FC in the next game.
But off the pitch, it seems to have been a hit. There were concerns about the ticket sales for Wrexham Down Under but for the game against Sydney, more than 40,000 fans showed up, selling out the Allianz Stadium.
The attendance for Wrexham’s game against Melbourne Victory also surpassed the 30,000 mark, and there’s expected to be a strong turnout when the Dragons play Wellington Phoenix on Saturday.
But Phil Parkinson will surely want a response from his players after the defeat in Sydney. His side boast much more quality than teams in the A-League but injuries, especially in the attacking department, aren’t helping Wrexham’s cause right now.
Wellington Phoenix goalkeeper says he’s played Wrexham star Arthur Okonkwo before
Speaking to the press ahead of Saturday’s game, Wellington goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi was asked whether or not he’s played any of the Wrexham players before. The 24-year-old was born in London and spent nine years with the Spurs youth academy, though he never made an appearance for the club.
Oluwayemi spent time at Portsmouth between 2022 and 2024 making nine total appearances for the club. He moved to Finland with Lahti in 2024 and then to Wellington later in the year.
When asked whether he knows any of the Wrexham squad, he revealed how he played former Arsenal youngster, and Wrexham no.1 Arthur Okonkwo at youth level in the North London derby, saying: “A couple familiar faces. The goalkeeper was through the youth: he was at Arsenal and we was at Tottenham. So, a few faces that I’ve played against, none that I’ve played with, but it’ll be good to see some some faces.”
Why didn’t Arthur Okonkwo play against Sydney FC?
Wrexham have a few injury concerns right now, but so far Parkinson hasn’t been all that clear in revealing who’s injured and for how long.
Sam Smith for example; he missed the Melbourne game and then the Sydney game too, before Parkinson gave a brief injury update on Smith, simply suggesting he’s a bit behind the other players.
And whether Okonkwo has an injury or not remains to be seen. He may well have been rested against Sydney FC with a view to starting him in every other pre-season game since he’s the no.1, allowing Danny Ward and Callum Burton to get some minutes against Sydney.
Expect more clarity on the former Gunners youngster when Wrexham play against Wellington Phoenix on Saturday.