Latest news with #OllieRathbone
Leader Live
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Who Wrexham AFC will tackle in the Championship this season
ONE TO WATCH: Jay Stansfield's goals fired the Blues to the Championship title LAST TIME OUT: January 23 1 (Ollie Rathbone) Birmingham City 1 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Andy Marriott; John Roberts; Bryan Hughes; Steve Fox INS: Alfons Sampsted (Twente £1.7m); Taylor Gardner-Hickman (Bristol City £1.5m); Kyogo Furuhashi (Rennes undisclosed); Kanya Fujimoto (Gil Vicente); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce); Demarai Gray (Al-Ettifaq); Phil Neumann (Hannover free); Tommy Doyle (Wolves loan); James Beadle (Brighton loan); Eiran Cashin (Brighton loan) OUTS: Romelle Donovan (Brentford £3m); Alfie May (Huddersfield £1.2m); Ayumu Yokoyama (Genk undisclosed); Emmanuel Longelo (Motherwell undisclosed); Brandon Khela (Peterborough undisclosed); Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Blackpool loan); Myung-jae Lee (Daejeon Hana free); Grant Hanley (Hibs free) LEADER PREDICTION: 4th BLACKBURN ROVERS ONE TO WATCH: Midfielder Sondre Tronstad makes things tick in the Rovers engine room LAST TIME OUT: January 29 4 Reds 1 (Andy Cannon) FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Mike Salmon; Paul Comstive; David Gregory; Matt Derbyshire INS: Sidnei Taveres (Moreirense £2m); Ryan Alebiosu (KV Kortrijk £500,000); Dion de Neve (KV Kortrijk undisclosed); Lewis Miller (Hibs undisclosed); Sean McLoughlin (Hull City undisclosed) OUTS: Joe Rankin-Costello (Charlton undisclosed); Callum Brittain (Middlesbrough undisclosed); Danny Batth (Derby free); Andreas Weimann (Derby free); Tyrhys Dolan (Espanyol free); Dilan Markanday (Chesterfield free); Jordan Eastham (Ashton United free); Connor O'Riordan (Doncaster Rovers loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 11th BRISTOL CITY ONE TO WATCH: Adam Randell should be an instant hit at Ashton Gate LAST TIME OUT: April 16 1 Reds 0 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Mike Hooper; George Showell; Matty James; Dele Adebola INS: Adam Randell (Plymouth £750,000); Yu Hirakawa (Machida Zelvia undisclosed); Joe Lumley (Southampton free); Emil Riis Jakobsen (Preston free); Radek Vitek (Manchester United loan) OUTS: Taylor Gardner-Hickman (Birmingham £1.5m); Marcus McGuane (Huddersfield loan); Kal Naismith (Luton free); Ayman Benarous (Plymouth free); Nahki Wells (Luton free); Taine Anderson (Cheltenham loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 7th CHARLTON ATHLETIC ONE TO WATCH: New recruit Charlie Kelman was outstanding for Leyton Orient last season LAST TIME OUT: April 26 3 (Sam Smith 2; Ollie Rathbone) Addicks 0 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Chris Maxwell; Eoghan O'Connell; George Dobson; Elliot Lee INS: Charlie Kelman (Queen's Park Rangers £3.5m); Isaac Olaofe (Stockport undisclosed); Reece Burke (Luton undisclosed); Joe Rankin-Costello (Blackburn undisclosed); Thomas Kaminski (Luton undisclosed); Rob Apter (Blackpool undisclosed); Harvey Knibbs (Reading undisclosed); Amari'i Bell (Luton free); Sonny Carey (Blackpool free) OUTS: Thierry Small (Preston free); Dean Bouzanis (Brisbane Roar free); Aaron Henry (Boreham Wood free); Nathan Asiimwe (Wimbledon loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 19th COVENTRY CITY ONE TO WATCH: Haji Wright is a real dangerman with goals and assists LAST TIME OUT: January 7 Blues 3 Reds 4 (Sam Dalby, Elliot Lee, Tom O'Connor, Paul Mullin) FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Chris Dunn; Stephen Wright; Les Cartwright; Andy Morrell INS: Kaine Kesler-Hayden (Aston Villa undisclosed); Miguel Angel Brau (Granada free); Carl Rushworth (Brighton loan) OUTS: Luis Binks (Brondby undisclosed); Jamie Paterson (Plymouth free); Jack Burroughs (Northampton free); Fabio Tavares (Burton free); Ryan Howley (Bristol Rovers free) LEADER PREDICTION: Runners-up DERBY COUNTY ONE TO WATCH: Carlton Morris has come in from Luton and will be an asset up front LAST TIME OUT: January 6 3 Reds 1 (Lee McEvilly) FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Ronnie Sinclair; Martyn Chalk; Jack Marriott; Kayden Jackson INS: Patrick Agyemang (Charlotte FC £6m); Carlton Morris (Luton undisclosed); Danny Batth (Blackburn free); Rhian Brewster (Sheffield Utd free) Andreas Weimann (Blackburn free); Richard O'Donnell (Blackpool free); Owen Beck (Liverpool loan); David Ozoh (Crystal Palace loan) OUTS: Sonny Bradley (Lincoln City free); Tom Barkhuizen (Barrow free); Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (MK Dons free); Conor Washington (Matlock free); Tyrese Fornah (Northampton free); Daniel Cox (Walsall loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 17th HULL CITY ONE TO WATCH: Abu Camara is the player who makes The Tigers tick LAST TIME OUT: February 19 2 Reds 1 (Hector Sam) FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Callum Burton; Andy Holt; Andy Cannon; Craig Faulconbridge INS: Gustavo Puerta (Bayer Leverkusen £3m); Reda Laalaoui (Fath Union Sport undisclosed); Dillon Phillips (Rotherham free); Semi Ajayi (West Brom free); Enis Destan (Trabzonspor free); Akin Famewo (Sheffield Wed free); Joel Ndala (Manchester City loan); John Lundstram (Trabzonspor loan) OUTS: Steve Alzate (Atlanta £1.7m); Xavier Simons (Bolton undisclosed); Andy Smith (Gillingham undisclosed); Anthony Racioppi (Sion undisclosed); Marvin Mehlem (Arminia Bielefeld undisclosed); Sean McLoughlin (Blackburn undisclosed); Alfie Jones (Middlesbrough undisclosed); Nordin Amrabat (Wydad free); Joao Pedro (San Luis free); Dogukan Sinij (Antalyaspor free); Brandon Fleming (Derry free); Callum Jones (Dundee free); Thimothee Lo-Tutala (Doncaster loan); Jake Leake (Oldham loan); Matty Jacob (Reading loan); Mason Burstow (Bolton loan); LEADER PREDICTION: 20th IPSWICH TOWN ONE TO WATCH: Omari Hutchinson loves to run at defenders and he'll be key for Kieran McKenna's side LAST TIME OUT: January 7 2 (Kieron Durkan, Gary Bennett) Tractor Boys 1 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Mike Salmon; Carlos Edwards; Tony Humes; Jon Walters INS: Azor Matusiwa (Rennes £10m); David Button (Reading free); Ashley Young (Everton free); Cedric Kipre (Reims loan) OUTS: Liam Delap (Chelsea £30); Massimo Luongo (Millwall free); Cameron Burgess (Swansea free); Marcus Harness (Huddersfield free); Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley free); Sam Morsy (Kuwait SC free) LEADER PREDICTION: Champions LEICESTER CITY ONE TO WATCH: Bilal El Khannouss will be a threat down the wing LAST TIME OUT: April 20 0 Foxes 0 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Danny Ward; Lewis Brunt; Brian Carey; Kevin Russell INS: Asmir Begovic (Everton free) OUTS: Connor Coady (Wrexham £2m); Daniel Iversen (Preston free); Danny Ward (Wrexham free); Brad Young (Bristol Rovers free) LEADER PREDICTION: 5th MIDDLESBROUGH ONE TO WATCH: Morgan Whittaker scored goals at Plymouth and all eyes will be on him up north LAST TIME OUT: December 11 2 (Robin Gibson, Darren Ferguson) Boro 1 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Roly Ugolini; Neil Taylor; Davis Keillor-Dunn; Billy Ashcroft INS: Alfie Jones (Hull City undisclosed); Abdoulaye Kante (Troyes undisclosed); Callum Brittain (Blackburn undisclosed) OUTS: Josh Coburn (Millwall £5m); Zach Hemming (Chesterfield undisclosed); Anfernee Dijksteel (Kocaelispor free) LEADER PREDICTION: 15th MILLWALL ONE TO WATCH: Alfie Doughty has come in from Luton and should prove a great addition. LAST TIME OUT: April 28 1 (Craig Faulconbridge) Lions 1 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Bert Goode; Chris Armstrong; John Lyons; Bobby Shinton INS: Josh Coburn (Middlesbrough £5m); Zak Sturge (Chelsea undisclosed); Alfie Doughty (Luton undisclosed); Max Crocombe (free); Massimo Luongo (Ipswich free); Steven Nenda (Fulham loan) OUTS: Zian Flemming (Burnley £7m); George Honeyman (Blackpool free); Aaron Connolly (Leyton Orient free); Murray Wallace (Huddersfield free); George Saville (Luton free); Liam Roberts (Mansfield free) LEADER PREDICTION: 13th NORWICH CITY ONE TO WATCH: Forking out £5m for him, Papa Amadou Diallo could be The Canaries main man LAST TIME OUT: February 6 4 Reds 0 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Kevin Keelan; Ron Barnes; Jim Whitley; Chris Llewellyn INS: Mathias Kvistgaarden (Brondby £6.9m); Papa Amadou Diallo (Metz £5m); Mirko Topic (Famalicao £2.7m); Jacob Wright (Manchester City £2.3m); Daniel Grimshaw (Plymouth undisclosed); Jakov Medic (Ajax undisclosed); Vladan Kovacevic (Sporting Lisbon undisclosed); Jovon Makama (Lincoln City undisclosed); Harry Darling (Swansea free); Louie Moulden (Crystal Palace free); Jeffrey Schlupp (Crystal Palace) OUTS: Borja Sainz (Porto £14.3m); Jonathan Rowe (Marseille £14m); Lewis Shipley (Barrow undisclosed); Jacob Lungi Sorensen (Brann free); Vicente Reyes (Peterborough loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 6th OXFORD UNITED ONE TO WATCH: Welshman Mark Harris will always give 110 per cent. LAST TIME OUT: December 9 1 (Joe Clarke) The Us 2 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Mark Creighton; Dave Fogg; Anthony Forde; Mick Vinter INS: Brian De Keersmaecker (Heracles undisclosed); Brodie Spencer (Huddersfield undisclosed); Will Lankshear (Tottenham loan); Nik Prelec (Cagliari loan); Luke Harris (Fulham loan) OUTS: Idris El Mizouni (Leyton Orient undisclosed); Ruben Rodrigues (Vitoria undisclosed); Josh McEachran (Bristol Rovers free); Will Goodwin (Colchester loan); Stuart Findlay (Hearts loan); Jordan Thorniley (Northampton loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 21st PORTSMOUTH ONE TO WATCH: Colby Bishop will get goals and Pompey will need them LAST TIME OUT: October 7 2 Reds 0 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Kevin Dearden; Ashley Westwood; Barry Horne; Glen Little INS: Mark Kosznovsky MTK Budapest £1.3m); Adrian Segecic (Sydney undisclosed); Luke Le Roux (Varnamo undisclosed); John Swift (West Brom free); Florian Bianchini (Swansea loan) OUTS: Christian Saydee (Wigan undisclosed); Ryley Towler (Lincoln City undisclosed); Paddy Lane (Reading undisclosed); Kusini Yengi (Aberdeen free); Cohen Bramall (Luton free); Anthony Scully (Shrewsbury free); Tom Lowery (Kilmarnock free); Toby Steward (St Johnstone loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 23rd PRESTON NORTH END ONE TO WATCH: Daniel Jebbison has come in on loan from Bournemouth to boost their strikeforce LAST TIME OUT: March 25 End 1 Reds 0 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Craig Morgan; George McGowan; Gary Bennett; Louis Moult INS: Odel Offiah (Brighton undisclosed); Jack Walton (Luton undisclosed); Andrija Vukcevic (Juarez free); Michael Smith (Sheffield Wed free); Daniel Iversen (Leicester free); Jordan Thompson (Stoke City free); Pol Valentin (Sheffield Wed free); Thierry Small (Charlton free); Daniel Jebbison (Bournemouth loan) OUTS: Jack Whatmough (Huddersfield undisclosed); Layton Stewart (Thun free); Emil Riis (Bristol City free); Freddie Woodman (Liverpool free); Ryan Ledson (Huddersfield free); Kian Best (Chelsea free); Kian Taylor (Morton free); Ched Evans (Fleetwood free); Kaedyn Kamara (Cork City loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 22nd QUEEN'S PARK RANGERS ONE TO WATCH: Ilias Chair loves to put his foot on the ball and create LAST TIME OUT: March 16 2 Reds 0 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Anthony Williams; John Curtis; Karl Connolly; Gareth Taylor INS: Karamoko Dembele Brest £2.5m); Rumarn Burrell (Burton £1m); Kealey Adamson (Macarthur undisclosed); Kwame Poku (Peterborough undisclosed); Amadou Mbengue (Reading free) OUTS: Charlie Kelman (Charlton £3.5m); Kenneth Paal (Antalyaspor free); Nathan Shepperd (The New Saints free); Lucas Andersen (free); Morgan Fox (Wigan free); Hevertton Santos (Gil Vicente loan); Murphy Cooper (Barnsley loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 12th SHEFFIELD UNITED ONE TO WATCH: Centre forward Tom Cannon will be a Blades' focal point LAST TIME OUT: August 13 4 Reds 2 (Will Boyle, Seb Revan) FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Mark Howard; Mike Lake, Steve Charles, Matty Done INS: Ehije Ukaki (Botev Plovdiv undisclosed); Mihail Polendakov (Septemvri Sofia undisclosed); Djibril Soumare (Braga loan); Louie Barry (Aston Villa loan); Tyler Bindon (Nottingham Forest loan) OUTS: Vinicius Souza (Wolfsburg £13m); Anel Ahmedhodzic (Feyenoord £6.9m); Kieffer Moore (Wrexham undisclosed); Rhian Brewster (Derby free) LEADER PREDICTION: 9th SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY ONE TO WATCH: Barry Bannon will need to be his inspirational self to keep The Owls up. LAST TIME OUT: August 23 1 Reds 4 (Neil Roberts, Chris Llewellyn, Matty Done, Mark Jones) FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Shwan Jalal; Mark Wilson; Jack Marriott; Steven Fletcher INS: None OUTS: Djeidi Gassama (Rangers £2m); Anthony Musaba (Samsunspor undisclosed); Josh Windass (Wrexham free); Pol Valentin (Preston free); Mallik Wilks (Pendikspor free); Michael Ihiekwe (Blackpool free); Callum Paterson (MK Dons free); Michael Smith (Preston free); Akim Famewo (Hull free) LEADER PREDICTION: 24th SOUTHAMPTON ONE TO WATCH: Ben Brereton-Diaz may be key now he's back from loan spell LAST TIME OUT: September 5 0 Saints 3 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Tom O'Connor; Jimmy Case; Matt Crowell; Brett Ormerod INS: Damion Downs (Cologne £6.9m); Joshua Quarshie (Hoffenheim £3.5m) OUTS: Kamaldeen Sulemana (Atalanta £18m); Adli Mohamed (Al-Nasr undisclosed); Jan Bednarek (Porto £7.5m); Samuel Amo-Ameyaw (Strasbourg £7m); Paul Onuachu (Trabzonspor undisclosed); Joe Lumley (Bristol City free); Kyle Walker-Peters (West Ham free); Juan Larios (Deportivo Leonesa loan); Ollie Wright (Accrington loan); Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 3rd STOKE CITY ONE TO WATCH: Welsh winger Sorba Thomas will cause teams danger LAST TIME OUT: January 4 3 Reds 1 (Mark Carrington) FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Dan Bachmann; James McClean; Joe Allen; Mickey Thomas INS: Maksym Talovierov (Plymouth £1.7m); Sorba Thomas (Huddersfield undisclosed); Niall Ennis (Blackpool undisclosed); Robert Bozenik (Boavista undisclosed); Aaron Cresswell (West Ham free); Divin Mubama (Manchester City loan) OUTS: Wouter Burger (Hoffenheim £4m); Souleymane Sidibe (PSV undisclosed); Jordan Thompson (Preston free); Lynden Gooch (Huddersfield free); Nikola Jovic (Radomlje loan); Emre Tezgel (Crewe loan); Tommy Simkin (Leyton Orient loan); Nathan Lowe (Stockport loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 16th SWANSEA CITY ONE TO WATCH: Liam Cullen will again be the man Swans' fans pin their hopes on LAST TIME OUT: March 29 1 (Simon Spender) Swans 2 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Dai Davies; Dennis Lawrence; Lee Trundle; Steve Watkin INS: Zeidane Inoussa (Hacken £5m); Bobby Wales (Kilmarnock £300,000); Ethan Galbraith (Leyton Orient undisclosed); Cameron Burgess (Ipswich free); Ricardo Santos (Bolton free) OUTS: Mykola Kuharevich (Slovan Bratislava undisclosed); Jerry Yates (Luton undisclosed); Harry Darling (Norwich free); Ben Hughes (Cambridge United free); Nathan Tjoe-A-On (Willem free); Nathan Broome (Bolton free); Ben Lloyd (Newport loan); Florian Bianchini (Portsmouth loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 14th WATFORD ONE TO WATCH: Georgian Giorgi Chakvetadze could hit the heights for the Hornets LAST TIME OUT: April 11 1 Reds 0 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Ben Foster; Tommy Anderson; Cameron Green; Sam Dalby INS: Nestory Irankunda (FC Bayern £3m); Vivaldo Semedo (Udinese undisclosed); Othmane Maamma (Montpellier undisclosed); Hector Kyprianou (Peterborough free); Marc Bola (Samsunspor free); Nathan Baxter (Bolton free); James Abankwah (Udinese loan); Luca Kjerrumgaard (Udinese loan) OUTS: Mileta Rajovic (Legia Warsaw £2.6m); Francisco Sierralta (Auxerre £1.5m); Ryan Porteous (LAFC undisclosed); Antonio Tikvic (PR Munster undisclosed); Jorge Hurtado (Millonarios loan); Myles Roberts (Walsall loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 18th WEST BROMWICH ALB ONE TO WATCH: Karlan Grant could be Baggies' go-to-man LAST TIME OUT: January 3 5 (Frank White 2, Cyril Jones, Billy Graham, Gordon Bremner) Baggies 5 FAB FOUR WHO PLAYED FOR BOTH: Andy Dibble; Shaun Cunnington; Ian Edwards; Mo Faal INS: Nat Phillips (Liverpool undisclosed); Aune Heggebo (Brann undisclosed); George Campbell (Montreal undisclosed) OUTS: John Swift (Portsmouth free); Semi Ajayi (Hull free); Ted Cann (Rotherham free) LEADER PREDICTION: 8th WREXHAM ONE TO WATCH: Latest signing Kieffer Moore will be pushing to be top scorer INS: Conor Coady (Leicester City £2m); Liberato Cacace (Empoli undisclosed); Kieffer Moore (Sheffield United undisclosed); George Thomason (Bolton undisclosed); Lewis O'Brien (Nottingham Forest undisclosed); Ryan Hardie (Plymouth undisclosed); Josh Windass (Sheffield Wednesday free); Danny Ward (Leicester City free) OUTS: Will Boyle (Shrewsbury undisclosed); Luke McNicholas (Forest Green undisclosed); Luke Bolton (Mansfield undisclosed); Mark Howard (Salford free); Josh Adam (Budejovice free); Sam Dalby (Bolton free); Brad Foster (Ross County free); Paul Mullin (Wigan loan); Jake Bickerstaff (Cheltenham loan) LEADER PREDICTION: 10th
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Wrexham star rushed to hospital in Sydney after suffering worrying injury as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's men slide to defeat
A Wrexham midfielder was rushed to a local hospital in Australia after the Championship side's second match on their pre-season tour. The Dragons, who finished second in League One last season to earn promotion, were beaten 2-1 by A-League side Sydney FC on Tuesday morning. Wrexham opened the scoring when Corey Holman turned James McClean's wicked delivery into his own net, but his blushes were spared by Alexandar Popovic and James Lacey, who turned the game around for the home side. If the result was not bad enough for the Hollywood-owned club, key midfielder Ollie Rathbone was forced off through injury just before half-time. The 28-year-old landed awkwardly on his left ankle and could be seen on the floor in major discomfort, before managing to hobble off the pitch, aided by medical staff. And now Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has confirmed that Rathbone has been taken to hospital in order to undergo an X-ray to assess the extent of the damage. Rathbone was a key part of Parkinson's squad as they secured promotion last season, featuring a total of 41 times in League One. While he is known for his ability to break up play in the middle of the park, due to his remarkable work rate, the midfielder also pitched in at the top of the pitch, scoring eight goals and providing two assists last term. Wrexham will start their Championship season on the road at Southampton in just over three weeks' time, and Parkinson will have his fingers crossed that Rathbone has not done any significant damage that will rule him out of that fixture. The Welsh side will now travel to New Zealand for the final match of their pre-season tour, where they will face Wellington Phoenix at the Sky Stadium.
Daily Mirror
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Wrexham ace taken to hospital after hobbling off in agony in bitter blow for Ryan Reynolds
A Wrexham star was forced off with an injury during the club's pre-season friendly defeat against A-League side Sydney FC and was later taken to hospital for scans Wrexham have suffered a significant setback after one of their key players was taken to hospital for scans following a pre-season friendly. The Red Dragons are currently in Australia, gearing up for their first season in the Championship in 43 years. Midfielder Ollie Rathbone sustained an ankle injury during the first half of Wrexham's 2-1 loss to Sydney FC on Tuesday morning. The 28-year-old looked to be in severe pain as he was assisted off the pitch by club medics. Manager Phil Parkinson confirmed post-match that he had been taken to the hospital for an X-ray. The former Sunderland and Bolton boss told the club's media team the incident had left Rathbone's teammates worried about him. He said: "We're really hoping for him and it's a very quiet dress room in there, because we have concern about Ollie. It didn't look that bad an incident when it happened, but it swelled up instantly in the dressing room, and Kev (Mulholland, club physio) has gone with him to hospital. We've just got to keep our fingers crossed." Rathbone was crowned Wrexham's Player of the Season last term and even drew comparisons to Lionel Messi from a teammate as he helped them secure automatic promotion from League One. He netted eight goals in 41 league appearances after transferring from Rotherham United last August for a then-club-record fee, believed to be around £500,000. While the severity of his injury is currently unknown, any time out for Rathbone would be a major blow for the club owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as they prepare for life in the second tier. Wrexham kick off their campaign away at Southampton on August 9 after the Saints were relegated from the Premier League in April. Rathbone expressed his excitement about participating in the North Wales side's Down Under tour before the team set off last week. "This is what is special about being part of this club," the ex-Manchester United academy player told The Leader. "Not just being part of the community and working with the staff and the players but to get this type of opportunity. "There are not many clubs, especially in the Football League, that get an opportunity like this so I am incredibly grateful. The furthest I have been in pre-season is Tenerife and Croatia. I am really excited to go out there and experience it. "It is pinch yourself stuff, it is incredible to get the chance to do this. As a player, that is why it is so great to be here at this moment in time. It is a club that is really on the up and you get to experience really special things." Wrexham initially took the lead in their friendly against Sydney when one of the A-League side's players inadvertently redirected a James McClean free kick into his own goal. Alexandar Popovic levelled the score for the hosts shortly before the break. Sydney sealed their comeback in the second half with a brilliant effort from youngster Joe Lacey, who struck from just outside the penalty area. The match at Allianz Stadium drew a crowd exceeding 40,000 spectators. The outcome was a far cry from Wrexham's first game against Melbourne Victory last week, where they secured a comfortable 3-0 win. Wrexham wrap up their tour with a final game in New Zealand against Wellington Phoenix on Saturday.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Rathbone taken to hospital with ankle injury
Ollie Rathbone has been taken to hospital to undergo an X-ray after sustaining an ankle injury during Wrexham's 2-1 pre-season loss to Sydney midfielder was withdrawn late on in the first-half at the Allianz Stadium after suffering the ankle the match in Sydney, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson confirmed Rathbone had gone to hospital to receive further tests on the joined Wrexham from Rotherham United last summer and was a pivotal figure in helping the club secure promotion from League One into the 28-year-old netted eight times in 41 league appearances during the 2024-25 campaign and was named Wrexham's Player of the Season.
The Sun
15-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Wrexham star Ollie Rathbone taken to hospital after suffering worrying injury in pre-season friendly
OLLIE RATHBONE was taken to the hospital after Wrexham's pre-season defeat to Sydney FC. The Dragons are preparing for their first season in the Championship Down Under. 1 Phil Parkinson's troops suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Aussie side, which was compounded by a nasty-looking first-half ankle injury to Rathbone. The 28-year-old injured his left ankle following an awkward landing just before the half-time interval. Rathbone was able to hobble off the pitch after receiving treatment from Wrexham's physio. But he later had to be transported to the hospital to have it further assessed. Rathbone's hospital trip was revealed by Dragons boss Phil Parkinson shortly after the final whistle. Parkinson will no dout now be sweating on the fitness of the prolific midfielder. Rathbone played a significant role in Wrexham's promotion from League One last season. He scored eight goals and provided two assists in 41 league appearances last season. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
