Wrexham looked to be heading for another away defeat on Saturday afternoon having fallen 1-0 behind at Colchester United.
John Akinde’s second-half strike had put the hosts in front and left Wrexham needing to find a route back into the game.
We could hardly blame any Wrexham fan for being a little worried after that goal, especially just days after losing at Doncaster Rovers.
If anybody was going to get Wrexham back into the game, it was going to be Paul Mullin – and sure enough, he popped up with a priceless goal, heading home Ryan Barnett’s cross.
That was Mullin’s 100th goal for Wrexham and whilst the leveller was scored by the most obvious goal threat, the winner came from one of the most unlikely of sources.
Defender Max Cleworth bagged his first ever goal for Wrexham with a header from a George Evans throw-in, securing a late 2-1 victory over in Essex.
Max Cleworth on Paul Mullin
The two goalscorers were at completely opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their goalscoring prowess.
We have come to expect goals from Mullin but Cleworth was a name few could have predicted to be on the scoresheet.
The defender has been a superb performer this season and after scoring his first goal, he paid tribute to Mullin.
Mullin hit the 100 goal mark on Saturday and, speaking to Wrexham’s official YouTube channel, Cleworth hailed his record as ‘ridiculous’.
Cleworth highlighted Mullin as a real talisman for Wrexham and admitted his joy at seeing the Wrexham hitman reach such a huge milestone.
“100 goals in just under three years is ridiculous,” said Cleworth. “He’s been a talisman for us over the last three years and someone we’ve always looked to, so for him to get another goal and get up to 100, I’m made up for him,” he added.
More to come from Mullin
Mullin has been the real superstar of this Wrexham side since his arrival from Cambridge United in 2021.
The 29-year-old has not only score plenty of goals, but we have also seen him connect with fans as a person thanks to the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ series.
Mullin absolutely deserves this milestone and there should be plenty more to come.
Wrexham have some enormous games in the coming weeks and Mullin will be relied up on for the goals to – hopefully – take the club into League One.
Mullin’s last League One campaign came back in 2019 and he will be desperate to prove his quality in the their tier if Wrexham can get there.
100 goals is quite the achievement but don’t be surprised to see Mullin now push on with 150 in his sights over the coming seasons.