Phil Parkinson has been sent a warning to Wrexham striker Jack Marriott, who has failed to take his opportunity to shine in pre-season.
Wrexham striker Jack Marriott has endured a torrid time at the club since arriving on transfer deadline day in February.
The 29-year-old has spent most of his time warming the bench and last term, only three of his 17 appearances in League Two were starts.
With Paul Mullin scoring goals for fun and either Steven Fletcher or Ollie Palmer preferred to partner him, Marriott was restricted to opportunities from the bench.
Understandably, a lack of game time meant he struggled to impress however, with Mullin recovering from his injury, the Englishman has played regular minutes in pre-season.
Although he scored in the draw against Chelsea on their Wrex Coast Tour, Marriott still doesn’t look like a striker who can fire double figures in League One.
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Wrexham have ‘not seen enough’ from Jack Marriott
For Marriott – who was forced to play understudy to Mullin – this was an opportunity to prove he could successfully fill his boots.
But according to journalist Rich Fay, the former Derby County striker hasn’t done enough to impress despite playing with a ‘point to prove’ every time he steps on the pitch.
Speaking on the Rob Ryan Red podcast, Fay said: “Pre-season form doesn’t matter too much and we don’t want to be negative too much but with Marriott, we seem to mention him every week about how he’s got this point to prove but it carries on being that way.
“We’ve still not seen enough of him have we going into the season. Are you comfortable with him starting against Wycombe or do you think he has to be from the bench?”
Nathan Salt then responded to that claim by outlining his concerns for Wrexham’s current strikers, as he doesn’t believe outside of Mullin, any of Parkinson’s other options will hit double figures for goals in League One.
“He had three really good chances I thought [against Fleetwood],” Salt added. “The one where I think it was a back heel from Dalby and he spins in the area and flashes it wide, it would have been a great finish.
“Then he had those two one-on-ones where you never felt he was going to score, the second one he just drags it horribly wide. You don’t want to pick on players too much but strikers get all the praise when it goes well right, so if they score one goal and you win 1-0, they get all the credit for the match winning performance.
“And whilst there’s an expectation that Mullin will be back sooner rather than later, I just don’t have faith in any striker outside of Mullin will get you 10+ goals.”
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Wrexham need a proven League One striker
Wrexham have spent most of this transfer window locking down their defence but now Parkinson has acknowledged the need to strengthen up top.
To put it simply, the Reds must arm Mullin with adequate support, as while the likes of Palmer, Fletcher and Marriott are competent at this level, neither can fire the goals required to mount a playoff push.
Last season, Fletcher and Palmer were joint-third in the scoring charts with eight in all competitions, whereas Mullin scored 26 and Elliot Lee plundered 16 from midfield.
For Wrexham to challenge the division’s big hitters, including Birmingham, Bolton and Huddersfield, they need to sign a striker who can score at least 15 goals.
They have been linked to Luton Town’s John McAtee, who scored 12 on loan at Barnsley last term, while loan moves for Bailey Cadamarteri, Will Lankshear and Kieron Bowie have also been touted.
Like last summer when they were close to signing Luke Armstrong on deadline day, Wrexham fans may have to be patient however, it’s clear Parkinson wants to bolster his forward line before the window slams shut.