Former Wrexham midfielder Waynne Phillips has revealed his bewilderment at the recent absence of talisman Paul Mullin from matchday action.
The 30-year-old has written himself into club folklore since joining from Cambridge United in 2021. He has played a huge role in the Red Dragons’ recent successes, scoring 38 goals during the 2022/23 campaign as they secured the National League title.
Mullin followed that up last season with 24 goals in 38 League Two outings as he helped his team secure a second successive promotion. However, he has found life in League One tougher and has hit the back of the net just five times in all competitions thus far.
Wrexham are once again challenging in the upper reaches of the table as they set their sights on a place in the Championship. They had appeared to be locked in a three-way battle to secure automatic promotion alongside Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers, but recent form has seen them lose ground.
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against Leyton Orient now means they are five points off Wycombe in second, whilst fourth-placed Stockport County now sit just one point behind them.
Mullin Absence ‘Crazy’
In an effort to keep pace with the top two, Wrexham made waves in the recent transfer window by bringing in Reading striker Sam Smith and former England international Jay Rodriguez. Their arrival has seen Mullin drop out of the last two matchday squads, despite scoring in his last league outing against Stevenage.
Despite the wealth of attacking talent, ex-Wrexham star Phillips believes it is crazy that a player who has bagged over 100 goals for the club is not under consideration. Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, he said:
“For me there’s something not right – to not have Paul Mullin in and around the squad seems a little bit crazy.
“But Phil Parkinson is the manager. He has done particularly well for Wrexham over the last two or three seasons and you have to accept that he is the man who picks the side.”
Writer’s View
There’s no doubt that Paul Mullin has been a huge asset to Wrexham over the years, but there was always going to be a time when that fairytale came to an end. Parkinson clearly felt that he needed to upgrade his attacking options in order to get over the finishing line this season, which means that there will be players that are disappointed. Mullin is one of them, as is the likes of Ollie Palmer. However, Rodrigiuez for example is in the twilight years of his career and can’t be expected to play every game. There could be one more chapter in Mullin’s story yet.
