Wrexham 3-5 MK Dons: Pictures & talking points as Red Dragons lose on EFL return

Wrexham kicked off their return to the English Football League with a thrilling 5-3 defeat to Milton Keynes Dons.

The Red Dragons are among the favourites to win promotion from League Two this season, following on from their National League triumph last term.

But they were undone by recently relegated MK Dons on a miserable afternoon at the Racecourse Ground.

Here were the main talking points from Wales.

MK Dons ran riot / Malcolm Couzens/GettyImages

You don’t get many eight-goal thrillers where only one player scored more than once, do you?

The first of the afternoon saw Wrexham’s Eoghan O’Connell head into his own net from a deep Ethan Robson corner. Just moments later, MK Dons had a second through Mohamed Eisa, who managed to wriggle his way past several defenders and fire home.

On the stroke of half-time Jacob Mendy pulled one back for the hosts, but that was as close as they truly came to pegging their visitors back.

Just after the interval, Jonathan Leko hammered in a thunderous strike to restore MK Dons’ four-goal advantage. Leko grabbed his brace midway through the half.

The final 15 minutes saw three further goals, with Wrexham’s Jordan Davies and Anthony Forde finding the net wither side of a Daniel Harvie finish for MK Dons.

Hugh Jackman upstaged

The crossovers keep getting weirder / Matthew Ashton – AMA/GettyImages

Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have invited some star names down to Wales in recent years, with Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman the latest celebrity to rock up to the Racecourse Ground.

Unfortunately for Jackman, he couldn’t celebrate his first visit to the stadium with a win, instead watching Wrexham get toyed with by MK Dons.

🗣️ “He’s an enormous talent and huge addition to the team”

Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are ‘super excited’ after the signing of James McClean ✍️ pic.twitter.com/rxext19CfO

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 5, 2023

Earlier this week, Wrexham completed one of the most seismic signings across the EFL all summer, confirming the arrival of Republic of Ireland winger James McClean.

Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the match, co-owner Reynolds sang the praises of the veteran winger.

“I spoke with James, as did Rob. We’re super excited,” he said.

“Not just because he is an enormous talent and a huge addition to the team. He is a leader.

“He is one of those guys where you speak to him and you are immediately filled with confidence and you understand that he understands what’s ahead of him and the job he needs to do.

“He’s going to be amazing in the locker room, I think. He brings a ton of experience. He’s like a lot of the players in our locker room.

“There is a humility to them, they work extremely hard, they all take this deadly seriously and James is no different.

“I can’t wait to have him here. He’s going to be amazing.”

Notts County also humiliated on EFL return

A warm welcome back into the Football League for Wrexham and Notts County 😮 pic.twitter.com/qKKBG4IChV

— The92Bible (@The92Bible) August 5, 2023

Wrexham and Notts County pushed each other to the limit in last season’s National League title race, with the Magpies eventually earning promotion in dramatic fashion via the play-offs.

Both sides have been tipped to secure consecutive promotions due to the quality in their respective squads, but just like Wrexham, County also conceded five goals on their first match back in League Two.

They were hammered 5-1 away at Sutton United, who had been tipped to battle relegation this year. Oof.