Ollie Palmer completed his Wrexham departure in August, and he has already made a real impact at Swindon Town.
Eoghan O’Connell’s Wrexham exit on Thursday really tugged on the heartstrings of many Wrexham fans.
The Irish defender had his contract ripped up by mutual consent, meaning Wrexham’s promotion-winning side from 2023 is being picked apart.
Ryan Barnett, Andy Cannon and Elliot Lee are the only three players still in the current Wrexham squad from the starting XI in the promotion-clinching win over Boreham Wood in 2023.
Ollie Palmer was on the bench that day, but came on to play his part as Wrexham finally sealed promotion out of the National League.
Palmer recently joined Swindon Town, and his exit was another emotional one as Wrexham said goodbye to a true fan favourite.
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Swindon Town boss on Ollie Palmer
Palmer’s partnership with Paul Mullin will live long in the memory for Wrexham fans, and seeing both leave in the same transfer window demonstrated the seas of change.
The giant striker made his Swindon debut as a substitute against Crewe Alexandra, before Palmer bagged his first goal against Reading on Tuesday night.
Palmer is still settling in at Swindon and was back on the bench for a 3-1 win over Barrow on Saturday afternoon.
Boss Ian Holloway has praised Palmer, but has now sent a warning to his squad about how they play with the former Wrexham star.
Speaking on Swindon’s official YouTube channel, Holloway noted that he doesn’t just want Swindon players to simply launch the ball in the air to Palmer.
Holloway feels that Palmer is ‘much better’ than just being a big centre-forward, and urged his squad to play around Palmer with sharp, quick passing rather than going direct to him at all times.
“It’s a challenge for all of us, and how quickly can we settle into the group because whatever happened last year, I’ve told you and I will tell everybody, I feel I failed because I had a target of getting in the playoffs,” said Holloway.
“So, what we have to do is dig in and get some early results, which we’re trying to do, and and the lads have responded well to learning what each other’s skills are, learning their skill sets, working out what we need to do as a team, working out where we’re going to play, because we’ve got a slightly different style now.
“But what I will say is I’m not allowing them to just hit it at Ollie Palmer because he’s much better than that. So is Harry Smith. But that was a get-out-of-jail ticket we had last year. So, we got to learn to play and pass and move, and we need to do it sharper, quicker,” he added.
Ollie Palmer could be crucial to Swindon Town’s promotion hopes
Wrexham fans can certainly back up Holloway’s comments, with Palmer’s link-up play proving vital during his time at the STōK Cae Ras.
Palmer’s huge frame means crosses and long balls are always likely to come his way, but he is also a smart forward who can certainly contribute on the deck.
Holloway seems to understand Palmer well, and the former Wrexham man could be part of another promotion campaign.
Palmer won three straight promotions with Wrexham, and Swindon now sit second in League Two, bagging 15 points in seven games.
It’s early days and Swindon have a long way to go yet, but Palmer’s experience in promotion campaigns may just give Holloway hope of major success this season.