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Wrexham are back on the way home to Wales after their tour to Australia and New Zealand - but Jack Marriott won't join them just yet. The Red Dragons wrapped up a trio of pre-season fixtures in the southern hemisphere with a 1-0 defeat to Wellington Phoenix. That follows a 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory and a 2-1 loss to Sydney FC. And while the tour will have served it's purpose, readying the team for their first Championship season since 1982, it has left them short in the striking department. Ollie Rathbone picked up an ankle injury in the Sydney defeat but the most troubling might be the issue picked up by Marriott. The 30-year-old is likely to be stuck Down Under for a few more weeks after a bout of appendicitis. This resulted in him having his appendix removed and after going under the knife he must now rest for a few weeks. That precludes him from flying home with the rest of Phil Parkinson's squad. Wrexham manager Parkinson said: “Jack is in hospital, he has had his appendix out this morning so we are a bit short in terms of our strikers department since we have been over here. "Hopefully the operation has gone well but it looks like he is going to have to stay over here longer because he won't be able to fly back. "Over the course of a trip like this, you expect a couple of injuries but I’m obviously disappointed with those two. "Particularly Ollie because we know once Jack has got the operation done, it won't be long before he's back. ” It's a remarkable repeat of the same situation Wrexham found themselves in this time last year, when it was Paul Mullin who was forced to stay behind in the United States of America. The striker was left with a punctured lung and four fractured ribs after a collision with reserve Manchester United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop during a pre-season friendly. He was not able to return to Wales until after the team had kicked off their League One season, which in part led to the club hero having a reduced role in Parkinson's team for the entire campaign. Now it's Marriott who is now in a race against time to be fit for Wrexham's campaign opener with Southampton on August 9. It may also see them dip into the transfer market having loaned out fan favourite Paul Mullin to Wigan, while losing Steven Fletcher and Sam Dalby. Reports suggest Josh Windass is set to hold talks with the club about joining them. He confirmed earlier in the week he would be leaving Championship rival Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls are in financial difficulty and and Windass, 31, has quit the club by mutual agreement after the club failed to pay wages on time. He could be the club's fourth signing of the summer having landed Ryan Hardie from Plymouth, Danny Ward, and most recent acquistion, Liberato Cacace, who arrives for a club-record £2. 16million. “Looking from the outside, what they are creating here is something I want to be part of, ” Cacace said upon his arrival. “The family they have here: it’s a tight-knit club and that enticed me. ” The 24-year-old left-back joins from Empoli and Parkinson is excited about the transfer. “Libby is a player we have looked at, ” he said. “I have spoken to Libby and love his character and personality. He is a player who will fit in with the culture we have created at Wrexham. ” © 2025 talk SPORT Limited

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