One of the biggest selection headaches Phil Parkinson has heading into the trip to Birmingham City is whether to start Wrexham striker Paul Mullin.
Mullin missed the first two games of the season after undergoing spinal surgery at the end of the last campaign.
Wrexham’s talisman has since come off the bench on three occasions in the league, winning each of those games and scoring eight goals.
Mullin then made his first start of 2024/25 in Tuesday’s EFL Trophy tie against Salford City. Wrexham ran out as 2-1 winners and the 29-year-old marked the occasion with a superbly curled effort on his weaker left.
With Mullin back amongst the goals and fit to start against Birmingham City on Monday night, it leaves Phil Parkinson with a huge choice to make.
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Will Paul Mullin start for Wrexham vs Birmingham City?
Usually, there would be no issue throwing Mullin back into the starting XI for a league match.
In three years at the Racecourse Ground, he’s bagged over a century of goals and led the Reds to successive promotions.
Now, perhaps surprisingly, his selection in the side is less than guaranteed and that is because Jack Marriott has flourished in his absence, scoring three goals in five games.
Marriott scored last time out in the 3-0 drubbing of Shrewsbury Town and will be hoping to continue his run in the side against Birmingham, even with Mullin netting on Tuesday.
Speaking on the Rob Ryan Red podcast, Sky Sports journalist Simeon Gholam thinks that while Parkinson may be tempted to start Mullin, he thinks it would be ‘harsh’ to drop Marriott and would therefore continue with him alongside Ollie Palmer.
“Parky will maybe go with the team in the league,” Gholam said. “It’d be harsh to rotate your team and then not give Marriott the chance in that game and then drop in because of what someone else did in the other game.
“I mean, Paul Mullin, one way or another, he’s not a bad option to have off the bench as he is. I think he’ll be Marriott just based on the form he’s shown in the league so far.”
Jack Marriott vs Paul Mullin
The fact that Parkinson has this decision to make is a testament to the options he has at his disposal, with Marriott’s form warranting selection each week.
Once Mullin recovered from his surgery, many supporters would have expected him to make an instant return to the starting eleven.
But with Marriott on fire in front of goal and arguably playing for a new contract – current one expires in 2025 – it’s become increasingly difficult to justify dropping him.
That is why against Birmingham, Parkinson should continue to use the Liverpudlian from the bench and continue with the same front two that have brought success so far this season.