Hangover Part IV! Wrexham benefit from Las Vegas break but ex-Red Dragons star sets target for Ryan Reynolds, Rob Mac & Phil Parkinson to hit in 2026-27

A record-breaking rise out of the National League and into the Championship saw Wrexham rewrite the history books as they enjoyed a historic bounce through the EFL ranks. Leagues One and Two were swept through with the minimum of fuss.

More drama has been delivered for the award-winning ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series - with even the 2025-26 campaign taking things down to the wire as a play-off berth fell agonisingly out of reach on the final weekend. The plan is to go at least one better than that in 2026-27.

Pre-season performances and results have been promising, with prized scalps being picked up when facing Manchester United and Leeds - while also taking on Premier League giants Liverpool at the iconic Yankee Stadium in New York.

There has been no promotion and Las Vegas hangover to shake, with former Red Dragons star Trundle - who is among those keeping an eye on great football betting odds ahead of the new season - telling GOAL when asked if Phil Parkinson’s squad have profited from a quieter summer: “I don't think the lads would see it that way, I think they'd rather be there again!

“The rise that they've been on is unbelievable. You see that probably the football club has moved too fast on the pitch for them to work off it. They're building the new Kop now which is going to look great and the club is moving forward. Everything they've done up to now is brilliant and if you look at it, they are on course to get themselves into the Premier League. For a club like Wrexham, that would be unbelievable.”

Asked about the belief that can be taken from seeing off Uniteds from Manchester and Leeds, Trundle added: “It's nice on the confidence but I think as a player you would never really look into too much about results in pre-season.

“It would always be about performances and if you've worked on stuff, how is that going? Because as you know with pre-season games, there can be a lot of changes. But on the other hand, when you're playing against that level of players, it's still nice to come away with the wins. So, I think they'll be going into the season excited and looking forward to it.”

Wrexham’s season is due to open on Friday when facing Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup first round. From there, on August 17, their 2026-27 Championship campaign will get underway in an early derby date with Cardiff.

Tom Brady’s Birmingham will be tackled before the first month of action is completed, while another trip to South Wales will see Parkinson’s side visit Swansea on September 5. A fast start is imperative when it comes to piecing together a promotion push.

Quizzed on what success looks like for the Red Dragons, with six play-off spots up for grabs this season, Trundle said: “I definitely think they will still be looking at the play-off spots. I think you're looking at the division, the teams that have come down as well, I think it is still a strong division and I think where Wrexham are, I definitely think that they would still be targeting the play-off spots.

“But with it opening up, with the two extra spaces as well, I think it's going to go down to the wire this season. You won't know until the last game of the season, I think, to see about them play-off spots.”

Having invested heavily across recent transfer windows, in a bid to ensure that they have remained competitive throughout a meteoric ascent, spending has been reined in slightly this summer.

Minor tinkering is required, rather than a squad overhaul, with it likely that there will be more movement in and out of the Racecourse Ground before another recruitment deadline passes on September 1.