Wrexham are back in action in the EFL Trophy tonight, with a home tie against Bolton Wanderers in the quarter-finals.
After missing out on FA Cup progress, Wrexham will be chomping at the bit to get back on the pitch and take another step in their pursuit of silverware this season.
Some may say the EFL Trophy is a distraction for Wrexham in terms of their League One promotion push, but with Wembley now in their sights, the prospect of lifting the cup is a tantalising one for Phil Parkinson’s men.
Bolton will be well up for the game, too, of course, and the end result will likely come down to Parkinson’s team selection, with a lot of options available to him.
So, will he play it straight and stick to the same team that trounced Port Vale in the last round, or mix things up with a surprise recall for one of his most out-of-form players?
- READ MORE: How to watch Wrexham vs Bolton Wanderers as Phil Parkinson’s side target EFL Trophy semi-final slot
This could be the perfect game to give Ollie Palmer a chance
We’ve taken a look at a predicted Wrexham lineup versus Bolton already, and while we do think Parkinson will keep faith in some of those fringe players, one interesting call will be who starts up front.
Ollie Palmer has been out-of-sorts all season and his goal returns have drastically diminished compared to previous campaigns. Indeed, the veteran was expected to leave the club in January, and fans were confused by the decision to keep him.
So, if Parkinson is to make that decision worthwhile, he will need to play Palmer into form, and fast. There can be no better time to do that than throwing him into this cup tie against a highly-physical Bolton side, the perfect opponents for the gritty, bustling Palmer.
Partnering him with the more athletic and dynamic Mo Faal could well be the key to getting the best out of Palmer on the night, with his teammate doing the majority of the running, while Palmer provides the perfect foil as Wrexham’s target man.
It’s a game which — though Wrexham obviously want to win — carries slightly less pressure for the Red Dragons, with league duty the higher priority. If there’s anything Palmer needs right now, it’s for that weight of expectation to be lifted.
Is Ollie Palmer at the bottom of Wrexham pecking order?
Right now, Parkinson has seven first-team strikers to choose from, plus the emerging talent of Wrexham academy ace, Harry Ashfield.
With the new signings of Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez, Palmer is fighting for his life at Wrexham, and may not be around much longer. He has the worst minutes-per-goal ratio of anyone in the squad, with a goal every 649 minutes, which is frankly not good enough for a number nine.
There is no doubt that Smith, the club’s record transfer, is the number one forward in the squad now and will be the one that Parkinson looks to as the main man for the rest of this season and beyond.
| Player | Games | Minutes | Goals | Mins per goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Fletcher | 25 | 711 | 6 | 118 |
| Ollie Palmer | 31 | 1,947 | 3 | 649 |
| Paul Mullin | 31 | 1,442 | 5 | 288 |
| Jack Marriott | 15 | 755 | 5 | 151 |
| Sam Smith | 27 | 2,337 | 11 | 212 |
| Jay Rodriguez | 23 | 991 | 2 | 495 |
| Mo Faal | 14 | 3 | 584 | 194 |
| Harry Ashfield | 4 | 1 | 160 | 160 |
Rodriguez was more of a luxury signing. A big name, granted, but not someone who is going to make a difference long-term at Wrexham.
While Steven Fletcher has delivered for Wrexham this season, he surely cannot have long left in the game, and like Rodriguez, is not a player Parkinson will have in his long-term plans.
Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer find themselves in similar positions. They are players who can still make a difference on their day, but appear to be on the decline now, and perhaps it is only sentiment saving their Wrexham careers at this point.
Still, Palmer could change all that tonight, if he is given the nod against Bolton.