Recap: Wellington Phoenix upset Wrexham in pre-season friendly
Saturday, 19 July 2025
The low-down
Wellington Phoenix welcome Wrexham AFC to Sky Stadium on Saturday evening.
The match kicks off at 5pm and will be broadcast live on TVNZ+ and TV2, with live updates here on Stuff.
The Welsh club are co-owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac and have gained a worldwide following through their hit Disney+ series Welcome to Wrexham.
Wrexham are using their Down Under tour to further grow their global brand but the games against A-League opposition will also help Phil Parkinson’s team prepare for their first season back in the Championship for 43 years after three successive promotions.
Wrexham will be determined to finish their tour on a high after suffering a surprise 2-1 defeat to a youthful Sydney FC side in front of 40,000 fans at Allianz Stadium on Tuesday.
It’s unclear whether Reynolds and Mac will be making a surprise appearance but another big crowd is expected, with promoters targeting more than 25,000.
Wrexham announced the signing of Wellington-born All Whites star Liberato Cacace on Saturday but the former Phoenix player will not be in attendance.
Squads
Phoenix: Luke Brooke-Smith, Lachlan Candy, Anaru Cassidy, Fin Roa Conchie, Matt Foord, Luke Flowerdew, Dylan Gardiner, Fergus Gillion, Dan Makowem, Eamonn McCarron, Luke Mitchell, Mac Munro, Nick Murphy, Kazuki Nagasawa, Josh Oluwayemi, Lewis Partridge, Matt Sheridan, Jayden Smith, Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues, Luke Supyk, Ryan Lee, Xuan Loke, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Isaac Hughes, Hideki Ishige, Ryan Watson.
Wrexham: Harry Ashfield, Ryan Barnett, Lewis Brunt, Callum Burton, Andy Cannon, Max Cleworth, George Dobson, Callum Edwards, George Evans, Mo Faal, Ryan Hardie, Aaron James, Matty James, Elliot Lee, Ryan Longman, Jack Marriott, James McClean (captain), Jacob Mendy, Alex Moore, Eoghan O’Connell, Tom O’Connor, Arthur Okonkwo, Ollie Palmer, Max Purvis, Ollie Rathbone, Seb Revan, Jay Rodriguez, Dan Scarr, Sam Smith.
Form
Although they coughed up a one-goal lead to lose to Sydney FC midweek, Wrexham have the advantage of playing two pre-season games already.
Phil Parkinson’s side should be considerably more match hardened with their Championship opener against Southampton now a couple of weeks away.
The Phoenix will be keen to put their miserable 2024-25 A-League Men campaign behind them but the timing of the fixture doesn’t help.
They have only just returned for pre-season, will be missing some key personnel due to injury and are still three or four key signings away from completing their roster.
What they said
Giancarlo Italiano (Phoenix coach): “It would have been nice to have a couple more weeks’ preparation but the group is buzzing. We’ll have a younger team playing in the first half and the second half will essentially be the academy but it’s a great opportunity to showcase what the squad can do.”
Lukas Kelly-Heald (Phoenix defender): “It’s going to be a very cool experience. I’ve seen parts of the show and they’re a great side and have done some pretty amazing things in the UK but hopefully we can showcase some of the young talent we have here and in the A-League.”
Phil Parkinson (Wrexham coach): “Both teams are preparing for the season which lies ahead and the quality of the game is crucial because obviously after Wellington we’re on the way back and then we’re two weeks away from playing in the Championship for the first time in 43 years, which is one of the toughest leagues in world football. We’ll be going all out to put in good performances.”
Max Cleworth (Wrexham defender): “You go out on the football pitch to win the game, whether it’s pre-season or whether it’s a promotion-winning game. The goal is the same. It was disappointing [to lose to Sydney] but hopefully we’ll put that right with a better performance that will lead to a win tomorrow [Saturday].”
Players to watch
Luke Supyk (Phoenix): With new Nigerian striker Ifeanyi Eze waiting on a work visa, 19-year-old Luke Supyk could get a rare opportunity to lead the line following the departure of Kosta Barbarouses. Supyk is set to play a key role for New Zealand at the upcoming Under-20 World Cup and is one of several youngsters who will be keen to impress coach Italiano.
Elliot Lee (Wrexham): The one-time West Ham midfielder has been an instrumental figure in Wrexham’s rise up the English football pyramid. Lee joined Wrexham when they were in the National League and has been among the club’s leading scorers for the past three years. He found the back of the net eight teams in League One last season.
History
The Phoenix have claimed a couple of famous victories against touring teams in the past. They beat Boca Juniors 2-1 in Wellington in 2010 and four years later stunned Premier League club West Ham by the same scoreline at Eden Park. Andrew Durante scored in both fixtures, which is notable as he only scored four times in 273 A-League appearances for the Phoenix.