MELBOURNE, Australia — Welsh soccer side Wrexham opened a three-match tour of Australia and New Zealand on Friday without their high-profile co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney making the trip Down Under.
The result was a good one, though — 3-0 over A-League side Melbourne Victory — despite missing the Hollywood actors' star power off the field.
Midfielder Tom O'Connor scored for Wrexham in the 42nd minute, with Ryan Hardie (67th) and George Evans (78th) adding goals in the second half.
Scottish striker Hardie, signed from Plymouth Argyle for the Red Dragons' long-awaited return to English football's second tier, was in place to poke home from close range after being introduced as a substitute at halftime.
Evans ended the scoring when his long-range shot squeezed under Victory substitute goalkeeper Daniel Graskoski.
The official attendance Friday was listed as 37,020 in the 53,000-seat Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. For comparison, Wrexham's Racecourse ground has a capacity of 12,600.
The Wrexham squad is using the visit to prepare for a first season in 43 years in English soccer's Championship, having just secured a third straight promotion.
Playing in Australia and New Zealand — after recent preseason tours to the United States — is part of an effort to spread Wrexham's global footprint which has been enhanced by the popular ''Welcome to Wrexham'' fly-on-the-wall TV documentary.
