It’s fair to say Wrexham were nowhere near their best when they faced off with Barnsley on New Year’s Day.
Phil Parkinson left Lewis Brunt and Elliot Lee out of the matchday squad but even with those two stars missing, fans probably didn’t expect their team to be as bad as they were at times on Wednesday.
Wrexham had the ball in the back of the net via Ollie Rathbone in the first few minutes but Ollie Palmer was offside in the buildup.
After that, the Red Dragons were woeful defensively, especially in the first 45 against Barnsley, conceding twice before 30 minutes had been played.
Eoghan O’Connell made a couple of big mistakes that cost his team, while question marks still surround Mark Howard’s ability to play at League One level.
When all was said and done, Wrexham lost to Barnsley, dealing their automatic promotion hopes a big blow.
Wrexham fans make Paul Mullin point after Barnsley
While they failed to bring the three points back to Wales, there are some positives Wrexham can take from the game.
In particular, the quality of Paul Mullin in the second 45 following the arrival of Steven Fletcher was great to see after his recent struggles.
And though he didn’t get a goal, forcing the Barnsley goalkeeper into a big save, Wrexham fans still took to social media to praise Mullin for the attitude he showed in the second half – especially after he came back onto the pitch following his nasty-looking collision with the advertising board.
“Proof, not that we needed to see it, that Mulls will run through walls to score a goal.”
A second added: “And Mullin proving me completely wrong this half,” with another writing: “Paul Mullin bleeds red, look at him pumping the crowd up.”
“Paul Mullin bleeds red, look at him pumping the crowd up,” a fourth Wrexham fan added.
Another Red Dragons supporter stated: “Love the passion from Mullin today.”
A sixth fan added in response to Max Cleworth’s goal: “Amazing 1-2 with Mulls.”
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Paul Mullin stats for Wrexham vs Barnsley
The 30-year-old had a very quiet first 45 on January 1st but was so much better once Fletcher came on at the interval.
He continues to fail to find the back of the net on a regular basis but it’s clear that he’s now getting back to his best.
| Stats | Paul Mullin vs Barnsley |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Shots on target | 1 |
| Shots off target | 3 |
| Touches | 33 |
| Key passes | 1 |
Ollie Palmer was not great against the Yorkshire side and we could now see Fletcher and Mullin lead the line when Wrexham take on Peterborough United this weekend.