PHIL PARKINSON hopes Wrexham "reap the benefits" of the schedule on this year's pre-season tour to North America when the new League One campaign kicks off.

The Reds have secured back-to-back promotions for the first time in the club’s history and are preparing for a first season in the third tier since 2004-05 by going on the Wrex Coast Tour.

When they return to North Wales, Wrexham have a fortnight until the opening league match of the season at home to Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday August 10.

That is in stark contrast to 12 months ago when Wrexham prepared for a first season back in the Football League following a 15-year exile by heading to the States to play four matches, including high-profile games against Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United, on both the East and West coast.

The Reds only returned to the UK just a week before the League Two campaign got underway and Parkinson admitted that had an impact on performances as his side made a slow start.

There is far less travelling this time around with longer until the competitive action starts, allowing Parkinson to arrange a final friendly against Fleetwood Town at The Racecourse on August 3, and he says lessons have been learnt from the first trip across the pond.

"We are pleased with the schedule, there is a lot less travelling involved this year because we are on the West coast for the whole trip and we come back two weeks before the season starts which enables us to get that jetlag out of the lads," said the Reds' boss.

"With the structure of it, we have learned from the tour last year and hopefully we reap the benefits of that.

"When we get back from the tour, Fleetwood is good game for us and I was very pleased with that.

"That slots in nicely but there is a lot of work to be done between now and them.

"When you look at our league fixtures, they are really exciting fixtures and we will be ready."