Wrexham said goodbye to Mark Howard at the end of last season, and the goalkeeper has now found himself a new club.
Wrexham clinched a third straight promotion back in April, beating Charlton Athletic to secure a passage into the Championship.
Phil Parkinson is used to the joy of promotions, but also the pain of allowing players to leave the club.
Rob McElhenney finds the situation ‘tragic’, with each promotion bringing a new refresh of the squad and some painful exits.
Paul Mullin’s move to Wigan Athletic was a difficult one to swallow for many supporters, while Steven Fletcher’s exit was a surprise.
Parkinson has also made big changes to his goalkeeping department, with Danny Ward returning to Wrexham on a free transfer.
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Mark Howard signs for Salford City
Three goalkeepers were let go over the summer, with Brad Foster, Liam Hall and veteran Mark Howard all released at the end of their contracts.
Foster has joined Ross County, while Hall has just missed out on joining Rotherham United after a recent trial with the League One club.
Howard is now back in the game, having signed for League Two side Salford City on Tuesday.
Salford have not disclosed the length of Howard’s contract, but have pounced to sign him on a free transfer.
This is actually a return for Howard, as he joined Salford on loan from Blackpool back in 2019.
Howard wanted the chance to challenge for first-team football, and Salford will now hand him that opportunity after seeing Jamie Jones leave over the summer.
Salford have recently been taken over by a group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville, so they will look for Howard to make a big impact on their rise – just as he did with Wrexham.
Mark Howard on Salford City move
Speaking on Salford’s official website, Howard has admitted that he is ‘obviously delighted’ to complete a return to the club.
Howard feels that the move to Salford is ‘exciting’, believing that it’s the ‘perfect fit’ for him right now.
Howard even drew comparisons to Wrexham, believing that Salford are trying to build a similar project to the one he was a part of at the STōK Cae Ras.
The 38-year-old branded Wrexham’s achievements ‘amazing’, and believes his experience with the Red Dragons can aid Salford.
“I am obviously delighted to come back, it is something that I have been talking about over the last week and the possibility of coming back, and I am just delighted to get it done now,” said Howard.
“This move is the perfect fit for me right now, it is exciting. Obviously, I have been at a club that has done amazing things these last few years, and to come on board at Salford with what they are trying to achieve, trying to get out of this league, I think it suits both parties really well.
“What the club are trying to do off the pitch and on the pitch is similar to the model that Wrexham have, and there are some comparisons there, so I am excited to come and try to help the club push on now as much as possible,” he added.
Wrexham fans will certainly keep an eye on Howard’s progress from afar and will be looking to see if he can add another promotion to his CV.