Wrexham hero Paul Mullin is starting to gather momentum at Wigan Athletic after joining the club on loan this summer.
2025 has brought two massive Wrexham departures as the club continues to make rapid progress.
Ollie Palmer joined Swindon Town on a permanent deal, but only after Paul Mullin left for Wigan Athletic.
Mullin was Wrexham’s goalscoring hero throughout the club’s rise, only to see his playing time plummet in 2025 as Phil Parkinson moved in a different direction.
Paul Mullin set to face former Wrexham teammate
Mullin’s final season with Wrexham was a difficult one, and he experienced some early ups and downs with Wigan.
Latics fans were critical of Mullin against Luton Town, but he scored against Leyton Orient last weekend.
Mullin started in Wigan’s 3-0 win over Doncaster Rovers over the weekend, and he still made a big impact in attack despite not scoring.
This weekend will see Wigan travel to take on their bitter rivals, Bolton Wanderers, which means Mullin could face one of his former Wrexham strike partners.
Bolton snapped up Sam Dalby on a free transfer over the summer as the striker left Wrexham at the end of his contract.
Dalby played 58 times with Mullin at Wrexham, racking up more than 2,000 minutes on the pitch together.
Both strikers played their part in Wrexham’s rise, though Dalby couldn’t quite match Mullin’s stardom at the STōK Cae Ras.
Dalby and Mullin both decided to move on in search of first-team football this summer, but they are now set to do battle with bragging rights on the line.
Sam Dalby’s slow start at Bolton Wanderers
Dalby excelled for Dundee United last season, bagging 15 goals in 35 games for the Scottish Premiership side.
25-year-old Dalby walked away from Wrexham despite being offered a new contract and decided to join Bolton, but he has endured a tricky start.
Dalby missed the first three games of the season through injury, and is yet to start a League One game.
Dalby has managed 93 minutes of League One action across five substitute appearances and is yet to find the net.
A goal against rivals Wigan would go down a treat this weekend, and Dalby will be hoping to take down the Latics – and former teammate Mullin – in this weekend’s derby clash.