Wrexham return to League One action on Saturday afternoon, facing off with Bolton Wanderers.
The Red Dragons go into the match on the back of a heartbreaking EFL Trophy exit at the hands of Peterborough United.
Wrexham were 2-0 up in the semi-final but eventually lost the tie on penalties after misses from Paul Mullin and Elliot Lee.
Phil Parkinson must now turn his attention back to the club’s main priority this season, winning promotion to the Championship.
With Wycombe Wanderers taking on Birmingham City away from home this weekend, it is a great chance for Wrexham to regain some ground in the battle for second.
Here are our predictions for when Wrexham welcome Bolton to the Racecourse Ground on Saturday.
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Ryan Longman makes a statement during Wrexham vs Bolton
Ryan Longman has had an interesting stint in Wales since moving from Hull City in the January transfer window.
Longman has shone in the EFL Trophy and after assisting three in three games for his new club, seemed certain to be a nailed-on starter going forward.
However, the 24-year-old was surprisingly left on the bench in midweek despite Wrexham needing a third goal.
Given the importance of this match in the battle for promotion, however, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Parkinson deploy Longman at left-wing-back and Ryan Barnett on the right to ensure his team have the most creativity possible – something they lacked at times against Peterborough.
Longman has yet to cement himself as a regular starter properly, but a big showing against play-off-chasing Bolton would go a long way toward helping him do that.
Paul Mullin left out for Wrexham vs Bolton
Mullin was mocked by rival fans after he missed a penalty in the aforementioned defeat to The Posh on Tuesday.
It was the striker’s first appearance for some time and only his second inclusion in a matchday squad in seven games.
Mullin made the bench against Mansfield Town but was not brought on. And after once again doing little to prove himself against Peterborough, it’s likely we will see Parkinson replace him in the matchday squad once more.
Steven Fletcher and Jack Marriott will take up two of the striker roles on the bench, while Elliot Lee or Ollie Palmer may be the third option if one is indeed selected.
Jay Rodriguez finally gets up and running
Jay Rodriguez joined from Burnley at the back end of the 2025 winter transfer window but probably hasn’t lived up to expectations yet.
He’s a Premier League and Championship-proven player, and though the forward hasn’t necessarily played badly, Rodriguez has not shown an awful lot of promise.
However, it’s worth noting that his game time was extremely sparse before moving to Wrexham. But now the Englishman has had a few games to get back up to speed, fans will hopefully see his true ability on full display versus Bolton.