Wrexham played Melbourne Victory in their opening pre-season friendly on Friday, and it was a debut for Ryan Hardie too.
Wrexham beat Melbourne Victory 3-0 on Friday. Goals came from Thomas O’Connor, Ryan Hardie and George Evans as Phil Parkinson’s side made a steady start to their summer preparations.
Parkinson named two sides for the game, changing his entire XI at the break. Hardie came on and so too did Wrexham’s second summer signing Danny Ward, with Hardie not taking long to open his account with the club.
He tapped in from close range and showcased real poacher qualities in that moment, which Parkinson and indeed the Wrexham fans will want to see plenty more of when Wrexham go into the 2025/6 Championship campaign.
Hardie’s debut ended prematurely though, with the 28-year-old coming off five minutes before full-time after taking a knock to the head.
Ryan Hardie shares message with Wrexham fans after debut vs Melbourne Victory
Wrexham are on their pre-season tour of Australia for a week more. They play games against Sydney FC and then New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix before returning to Wales, where we can expect Parkinson to organise a few more friendly games before the season opener against Southampton on August 9th.
And Hardie could yet hit the ground running in the Championship. He scored 12 and 10 goals in the last two Championship seasons with Plymouth Argyle respectively and having opened his account with Wrexham, he’ll take a lot of confidence into the next games too.
Posting on X after making his debut, the Scot had this message for fans: “What a feeling making my debut and grabbing a goal for this club.”
Who are Wrexham going to sign next after Danny Ward?
Wrexham fans are divided over the Ward signing, though Parkinson looks set to make some more impressive captures in the remainder of the summer transfer window, which closes on September 1st.
Armed with a £25million summer transfer budget at Wrexham, the club could yet spend £5million of that on Lewis O’Brien.
Recent reports have revealed how Wrexham have agreed a £5million fee for O’Brien at Nottingham Forest, but the player’s wages remains an obstacle and whether a deal for him to arrive at the Racecourse goes through remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Parkinson says he’s in talks with potential new signings despite being on the other side of the world, and we could even see the club announce one or two new signings whilst they’re still in Australia.
The Dragons next play Sydney FC on July 15th.