WREXHAM could play one friendly at The Racecourse before the 2018-19 National League season kicks-off.

The Reds’ 11th campaign at this level starts on Saturday August 4 and the club hope to play a final pre-season game at home the previous weekend.

Legendary Welsh rock band the Stereophonics return to the stadium for a concert on Saturday June 2, after which time the pitch will be relaid. Sam Ricketts, who has been appointed the new Wrexham manager, would love to play a home friendly before the league gets underway.

“It is just whether we can do it or not,” said Ricketts. “Everyone at the club wants to do it and hopefully the last friendly before the first game of the season will be a home game, which would be great.

“It would be great for me, great for the new players and great for the fans to meet all the new players before the first game of the season so that is what we are trying to do and hopefully it can come off.”

Wrexham did not play a home friendly last pre-season because of concerts and Ricketts appreciates that the events bring in much needed revenue and raise the profile of the town.

“We need the concert here and it is fantastic for Wrexham for the Stereophonics to come and play here,” said Ricketts.

“We could probably do with two or three other bands coming to do it, to be honest with you, the coffers would get bigger which would be nice. It is a really good event, really good for the club and really good for Wrexham itself to have a world famous band coming to play here.”

If Wrexham are able to use The Racecourse then Ricketts would be torn between facing a big team - former club Wolves was put to him - or the kind of side that the Reds will come up against in the National League.

“Who do you want to play in that last game?” said Ricketts. “Do I want to play a Wolves who are going to come here and be fantastic or play a team which is going to be similar to what we will play against the week after?

“The fans would love to see Wrexham take on one of the big sides and I appreciate that.

“As players and managers we want to test ourselves them as well, but at the same time we are preparing for what is our ultimate challenge which is promotion.

“It is a thin-line which we work our way along and do what is best for everyone.”

But Ricketts insists Wrexham’s pre-season programme will feature teams who will be competitive and more of the standard that the Reds will come up against from August onwards. I want to play games that we are going to come up against,” said Ricketts. “I don’t want to play against a team that is going to keep the ball against us and we are just going to run around for 90 minutes because we are not going to face that when the season starts.

“I want to play games which are competitive where teams will really want to beat us because we need that mentality that everyone wants to beat us, so we need to turn up, fight, and earn the right to play, and try and get all our messages across. You need problems in pre-season. If you win four or five nil every pre-season game then you have not really got anything to work on with the players.

“You want competitive games and you want to solve problems before the season starts.”

Wrexham will head to Portugal for a pre-season tour to Villamoura in the Algarve, Portugal, in July.

“The fans really bought into it last year and I think they have bought into it even more this year,” added Ricketts.

“It is a short trip but it will be really good. A chance for all the players to get away, do a bit of training and get together.

“Everybody has got a bond here, it is just continuing that and getting everyone back in the mindset ready for the new season.”