Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has explained exactly why he dropped striker Paul Mullin to the bench against Sutton United.
This was a must-win game for Wrexham and Phil Parkinson after a run of three League Two defeats in a row.
A trip to Sutton United n a Tuesday night is never going to be a walk in the park and Wrexham had to battle for a victory.
Will Boyle’s opener put Wrexham in front but Charlie Lakin appeared to have salvaged a point for Sutton United with a second-half goal.
Wrexham’s quality shone through in the end though as Elliot Lee fired home a late winner, ending this worrying winless run.
Phil Parkinson explains Paul Mullin decision in Wrexham win
Parkinson decided to change it up for this one, leaving star striker Paul Mullin on the bench.
New signing Jack Marriott was given the nod in attack, partnering Steven Fletcher in the Wrexham front line.
Mullin hasn’t found the net since the 2-0 win over AFC Wimbledon on January 13th and Parkinson named him as a substitute on Tuesday night.
Mullin came off the bench with just about 20 minutes to play, meaning he was on the pitch to help Wrexham find the late winner.
Parkinson has now told Wrexham’s official YouTube channel that he just wanted to give Mullin a rest given the incredible workload he has taken on in recent years.
Parkinson added that Mullin is a ‘special’ player and needs to be protected as he will always put himself into the heat of the battle.
“I think with Mulls, we brought Jack in, not to replace Mulls by any stretch of the imagination but to give him a bit of a breather,” said Parkinson. “If you think over the last two and a half years, every time he’s been fit he’s played practically 90 minutes and sometimes we’ve got to keep Mulls fresh because he’s a special player for us and sometimes I think he’ll go again and he’ll get kicked from pillar to post by defenders, and I said to him today that I thought it was a day for Jack and Fletch to start and Mulls come on when the game opened up,” he added.
This was a big call from Parkinson but it paid off with Mullin helping Wrexham find the winner, making an impact off the bench late on.
Parkinson now has embarrassment of riches in attack
It’s pretty remarkable that Parkinson is able to drop a striker of Mullin’s quality and bring in Marriott, a player who has previously excelled in the Championship and League One.
Mullin and Marriott are probably the envy of many League Two sides and Parkinson can also call upon a veteran hitman in Fletcher as well as a real target man in Ollie Palmer.
Those options are incredible for this level and Parkinson may well need to chop and change his strikeforce to keep everybody happy.
Mullin will of course be looking to start against Notts County this weekend but the competition for places is fierce and Parkinson has shown he will leave Mullin out if he feels it will help Wrexham – just as it did on Tuesday night.