Wrexham suffered a real blow on Tuesday night, losing 2-0 away at Reading with Paul Mullin left out once again.
Wrexham beat Rotherham United 1-0 on Saturday afternoon to make it three League One games without defeat – and without conceding a goal.
Phil Parkinson’s side were on a real high as the Wrexham boss returned to face his former club.
Wrexham were beaten 2-0 at Reading though with Parkinson enduring a difficult return to Berkshire.
Harvey Knibbs and Lewis Wing bagged the goals for the Royals, extending their run to nine games unbeaten.
Wrexham just never really got going and whilst there were some late chances, few would argue that this was an undeserved defeat.
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Phil Parkinson explains Modou Faal over Paul Mullin decision
Wrexham fans were disappointed come full time, but were left baffled before the game even kicked off.
Parkinson named his team and whilst the starting XI was nothing particularly surprising, but the bench was a real eyebrow-raiser.
We have become used to seeing Jack Marriott and Steven Fletcher as the strikers on the bench behind starters Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez.
Marriott missed out on Tuesday night and fans would have assumed that Paul Mullin would be named as a substitute instead.
However, Parkinson went with Modou Faal instead, leaving Mullin out of the matchday squad once again.
Mullin has been exiled of late but many have put it down to the sheer number of options at Parkinson’s disposal.
Tuesday night’s call to go with Faal instead raises question about the real reason why Mullin is out of the squad.
Speaking to The Athletic, Parkinson has attempted to clear up the situation by praising Faal’s displays in training.
Parkinson also highlighted that Faal scored in his last start against Peterborough United in the EFL Trophy, so felt that he deserved a chance against a Reading side who could be exposed on crosses.
“I felt Mo deserved his chance tonight,” said Parkinson.
“These (Reading) are vulnerable at crosses but we didn’t get enough in. I thought Mo did well when he came on. He’s also trained really well and got a goal the last time he started for us,” he added.
Paul Mullin situation an unwanted distraction
We have to take Parkinson at his word here and assume that he simply felt that Faal was the better man for this game.
The speculation will continue though, especially as both Mullin and Ollie Palmer appear to have been completely exiled.
These are two of the main characters from Wrexham’s rise, and we say characters intentionally; it isn’t just about their displays and goals on the pitch, but it’s also about who they are as people and how popular they have been since arriving at the STōK Cae Ras.
Every passing game with Mullin and Palmer nowhere near the squad only serves to intensify the questions about their exclusions.
Wrexham are going for promotion but with goals not quite flowing as freely as they were earlier this season, the continued absences of Mullin and Palmer seems strange.
This is just an unwanted distraction, a conversation that simply isn’t going away and whilst Parkinson may well have just fancied Faal on Tuesday, Mullin hasn’t kicked a ball in League One since before the January transfer deadline – and that is understandably concerning Wrexham supporters.