Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson is on the verge of becoming the first manager in history to guide a team to three successive promotions in the English Football League.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney appointed Parkinson in the summer of 2021 with the aim of taking Wrexham back into the football league.
Fast forward to 2025 and the Red Dragons have promotion from League One in their own hands despite Wycombe piling on the pressure following a 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town.
Reynolds and McElhenney praised Parkinson following his 1000 game milestone back in January and the experienced Wrexham manager has shown that to achieve that sort on longevity in football, ruthless decisions have to be made.
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Phil Parkinson made ruthless decision on Ben Tozer and Luke Young
Ben Tozer and Luke Young forged fantastic careers at the Racecourse Ground and will forever be remembered with great fondness by Wrexham fans.
They were two players loved by manager Parkinson however, at the end of the previous campaign the decision was made that the duo could no longer continue on the journey with the club.
Captain Tozer had made an incredible 131 appearances for the Red Dragons, whilst Young amassed even more matches in North Wales with 246 appearances.
Yet, there was no room for sentiment from Parkinson as he parted ways with both at the end of their contracts and moved Wrexham into League One with the likes of Lewis Brunt and Ollie Rathbone as replacements.
Football evolves constantly and with a club such as Wrexham rising rapidly through the divisions, there are going to be tough decisions and conversations along the way – Parkinson is not afraid to have them.
Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer could follow Tozer and Young’s Wrexham path
Parkinson used Young to send a message to his Wrexham squad players about how they conduct themselves when out of favour and goal scoring heroes Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer could be set for the exit door.
Both strikers have struggled for game time since the arrivals of Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez and it would appear Parkinson has made his latest ruthless decision on the duo.
| Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer Wrexham careers | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Paul Mullin | 165 | 105 | 12 |
| Ollie Palmer | 149 | 42 | 6 |
Should Mullin and Palmer make an exit from the Red Dragons this summer they will leave with the highest of esteem from everyone involved with the club and go on to have a massive impact at their next adventure.
However, Parkinson knows when the time is right to move on and evolve in football, and unfortunately for the Wrexham strike duo, that time may be coming this summer.