Wrexham’s promotion push was seriously dented on Tuesday night but Phil Parkinson will still have real hope of a place in the Championship.
Wrexham were beaten 2-0 at Reading on Tuesday night as Phil Parkinson suffered a testing return to his former club.
Parkinson may be a hero at Reading from his playing days but he won’t be rushing back after Tuesday’s defeat with Harvey Knibbs and Lewis Wing on the scoresheet.
Much of the conversation after the game has surrounded the continued absence of goalscoring hero Paul Mullin.
Mullin has been left out of late but wasn’t even on the bench as Parkinson instead went with Modou Faal.
Parkinson praised Faal and suggested that he simply deserved a place on the bench having impressed in training – but the decision has still raised questions about Mullin’s long-term future.
Paul Mullin surprised Phil Parkinson after Wrexham move
The fear is that, after almost four years at Wrexham, Mullin will be pushed to one side and ushered out of the club.
Mullin was convinced to join Wrexham by Rob McElhenney as he dropped two divisions, leaving Cambridge United and League One for the National League.
That decision has paid off incredibly with Mullin smashing 110 goals in 172 games and making himself a Wrexham hero forever.
No matter what happens this summer, Mullin has been one of the finest signings in Wrexham history – and he even left Parkinson surprised after his arrival.
Speaking on ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ (Season 1, episode 9), Parkinson told Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds that Mullin was a truly ‘exceptional’ player.
They were discussing potential January 2022 signings and Parkinson told the Hollywood duo that Mullin surprised him because he was actually quicker than expected.
That left Parkinson to request the signing of a big target man who could do the ‘donkey work’ and allow Mullin to thrive off him.
“Mullin is an exceptional player,” said Parkinson.
“He’s probably better than we thought he was in terms of speed. He doesn’t look quick, but he’s quick.
“To get to where we want to be, it’s all about facilitating him to get chances, because he’ll take them.
“Ideally, we’d want a big, physical presence who can run, head it and do all the donkey work for Mullin to be in and around the box and put the ball in the back of the net,” he added.
Paul Mullin conversation sparked Ollie Palmer deal
That conversation saw Wrexham pull off a then-club-record deal in the January window.
In came Ollie Palmer with the giant forward arriving from AFC Wimbledon to partner Mullin.
The deal was a masterstroke; Mullin and Palmer immediately hit it off and the goals flowed for both strikers.
Even last season, Wrexham thrived with Mullin and Palmer in attack together with their partnership standing the test of time.
Mullin and Palmer will always be the heroes of the Wrexham rise from the National League but the combination appears to be coming to an end.
Neither Palmer nor Mullin have played a single minute of League One action since the end of the January transfer window.
The two strikers may well move on this summer but their contributions to Wrexham’s rise will never be forgotten by the STōK Cae Ras faithful.