Wrexham continued their three-pronged assault on trophies this season when they beat Port Vale in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday evening. There was one player that was particularly pleased with the 2-1 win.
James McClean has been gaining great reviews so far, and he was happy to grab his first goal for the club, something that has been long in the making. It has been somewhat of a surprise it has taken this long, having scored over 50 goals in his career, but then he has been playing as a full-back since arriving in the summer.
When he came on during the win against Vale, he was deployed in a more advanced role, and this led to his winning goal at The Racecourse ground.
The 34-year-old was glad to finally get that first notch in the goal column. “When you join a club you want to get off the mark as early as possible.” The Leader reported.
“It annoyed me that I hadn’t so it is a relief and it turned out to be the winner as well which is extra nice. It is nice to be able to contribute and hopefully, it is the first of many more.”
https://twitter.com/Wrexham_AFC/status/1722328132588392647
Wrexham was not having things their own way, as so often has been the case this year. But credit to their squad depth, and manager Phil Parkinson’s tactical nous, the game turned on a triple substitution with around half an hour left.
Paul Mullin was one of the three fresh players, along with McClean, and both ended up scoring. “We brought that little bit of energy and freshness off the bench. That happens in games. Up until then, it was a very tight game.
“I thought we started the second half well and for us to come on and make an impact is pleasing. When the gaffer told me I was coming on up front, I haven’t played there in quite a while. It was nice to try something different, I enjoyed it.”
The frustrating note from this is that the pair will sit out this weekend’s League Two game when Gillingham travel to Wales. Both have reached the dreaded five yellow card mark and therefore serve the required one-match ban.
“When you are playing games, you want to stay sharp. It is obviously frustrating and disappointing on my behalf that I am not available on Saturday but to get minutes against Port Vale and keep sharp is important.”
Writer’s View
So often players are left frustrated by a lack of goalscoring. With James McClean being put in a defensive role this clearly has put a dent in his good scoring record. Now though, after bagging his first, it does mean that he now becomes a more likely attacking threat for Parkinson, which can only spell bad news for League Two, and beyond, defences.
