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Ethancrossley regaining football league status came true. It was a campaign of true dominance, and although matched by Notts County the whole way through, the Welsh side ended their 15-year EFL drought and won the National Leaguetitle.

Records were broken along the way, the main one being the most points ever in not only a National League season, but any season in the top five divisions of English football, with The Red Dragons accumulating a whopping111points.

It seemed inevitable that this would be the season, and the squad they assembled was leaps and bounds above the competition. If promotion didn’thappen,itwouldhave

Having owners like Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney certainly has its perks. Wages, as everyone knows, are lucrative, sponsorship deals with big companies (such as TikTok and United Airlines) are far easier to come by, and instead of having a Welsh fanbase, the club now has supporters worldwide due to both the popularity of the owners and also the Disney+ documentary. Of course, at League Two and National League level, it catapults the club above those who surround them, and has allowed them to make the signings they have.

But the most important thing is the football and the results, becausethat’swhatthefans

Wrexham’s pre-season has been different to any other club in their league. For starters, they’ve been playing in the United States, meaning they haven’t had a game at The Racecourse Ground. But more importantly, the opposition they’ve been facing is unlike anything they’ll be facing over the next nine months.

Their first game was against Chelsea, which saw the likes of Raheem Sterling, Christopher Nkunku, Conor Gallagher, Ben Chilwell and more all get a run out for The Blues. Wrexham also gave the entirety of their bench a run out, and the match finished 5-0 to the Premier League outfit.

Next was a game against LA Galaxy II, which saw Wrexham come away as triumphant winners with a 4-0 victory, after a goalless first half. The club competes in the third tier of the soccer league system, a league made up entirely of affiliates of MLS clubs, meaning it’s safe to say that it was quite the contrast to the game they’d played justafewdaysbefore.

Then back to Premier League opposition they went, this time facing Manchester United. However, this Manchester United team wasn’t one that you’d see feature in the top flight, with the side being made up entirely of youngsters (plus Jonny Evans). The majority of the players that featured will likely feature for the youth teams, or be sent out on loan tolowerleagueclubs.

The main talking point of this game was the injury to Paul Mullin, who suffered a punctured lung after a nasty collision with United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop. However, Wrexham did end upwinningthegame3-1.

Their final game saw them move back to playing MLS affiliate opposition, this time against Philadelphia Union II. Unlike the Galaxy game, it didn’t end in victory, and finished a 1-1 draw, which cappedofftheirpre-season touroftheUSA.

So, two wins, a draw and a defeat. Not bad going for Phil Parkinson and his side. But the question is, have these games actually been good preparation for the team? Of course, any football is going to be, to an extent, good preparation. After all, players can do all the training in the world, but gametime is what you need to get up to match fitness.

However, playing the teams they have, in particular Chelsea and Manchester United, wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the owners. Is it all just a popularity thing? Have they actually thought about whether it’s going to get them used to the teams they’ll be facing all campaign?

Take Stockport, for example. They're a team in League Two, and will also be looking to challenge at the top of the table after playoff heartbreak last season. Their pre-season saw them face Lincoln, Altrincham, Chester, Blackburn and Preston. That’s two Championship teams, a League One team, a National League team and a National Leaguenorthteam.

Playing English teams, in a mixture of league’s around them in the pyramid, and importantly having games in front of home fans. Yes Wrexham played a couple of English teams, but while Premier League opposition is a good test,isitreallytherighttest? Even the youngsters at these top level clubs will have been taught every little detail of a far more elegant style of football, something that teams further down the pyramid simply won’t play. Yes, the Wrexham players will already be used to the higher physical presence, but has the opposition they’ve played properly prepared them for that in terms of the upcoming season?

Striker Ollie Palmer was quoted saying: “Promotion is definitely happening. We’re definitely getting promoted next season.” He has a right to say this, with the team being the bookies favorites to win League Two, but it still takesa lot ofconfidenceto be quoted saying this, especially ifitdoesn’thappen.

While it’s not opposition directly in their league, most would still class this as far betterpreparation.

Only time will tell in terms of whether the preparation was positive, and it wouldn’t be a shock if they were to earn back-to-back promotions. But it’s certainly going to be tough, competitive, and another excellent season of football.