Big Paul Mullin decision at Wrexham AFC is one of Phil Parkinson’s best | OneFootball

The impact of Paul Mullin's benching has had on Wrexham AFC

Being a successful football manager requires you to make difficult decisions about your team selections, even if they are unpopular among the fan base.

Phil Parkinson knows this well, having been in management for over 20 years and, as with any coach, his player choices have at times been heavily scrutinised by supporters and the public, even with all he’s achieved at Wrexham. Arguably, one of the hardest decisions he’s ever made in his coaching career came this season by leaving their goal machine from seasons past Paul Mullin out of the squad.

Not even including a player of Mullin’s pedigree on the bench for League One fixtures when you’re in a heated battle for promotion was an incredibly bold move by the native of Chorley, but one that many of the Wrexham faithful did not agree with. At the same time, Parkinson’s risky move has them on the cusp of a historic third successive EFL promotion.

With great risk comes great reward, and regardless of how they’ve got it done, Wrexham have remained consistent and managed to stay near the top of the table all season, partly because of Parkinson’s choice to drop Mullin.

Paul Mullin’s legendary status at Wrexham

While it’s been quite some time since we’ve seen Super Paul suit up for Wrexham in a League One fixture, his contributions to this club have been immense.

In his first three seasons at Wrexham AFC, the man from Litherland, when healthy, could virtually do no wrong. Over that span, he scored more goals than many Wrexham players had in their entire lifetime as a footballer, and he’s earned his place among the club legends. Not only did he score frequently for this club over the past three campaigns, but he’s netted timely goals that have enabled Wrexham to climb up the EFL pyramid.

While one would be quick to point to his injury that kept him out in the early portion of this season as the reason for his decline, Mullin simply hasn’t looked like the same player we saw in League Two and the National League for Wrexham this season. Of all his goals scored for the club, only three have come in League One, and he’s only netted six career goals at this level in 46 appearances.

Even with his struggles, Mullin’s contributions haven’t been forgotten. Wayne Phillips, a member of the famed Wrexham side that upset Arsenal in the 1992 FA Cup, recently told the BBC: “He’s right up there with the best I played with and the best I’ve watched in my 30 years with the club.”

Indeed, according to Wrexham AFC Archives, only six players have scored more goals for this club than Mullin’s 110 across all competitions.

Wrexham form without Mullin

Mullin hasn’t been available for selection in a league fixture for the Red Dragons since their 2-1 win over Mansfield Town in February. He’s not played for them domestically since January, scoring a goal in their 3-2 loss at home to Stevenage.

Since that defeat, Parkinson’s men have lost just two league fixtures while dropping points on only six occasions. They’ve only scored 62 League One goals in 44 games, the same amount as Mullin had combined in his previous two domestic campaigns.

The best move Parkinson’s ever made

In each of the previous three domestic seasons, Wrexham’s worst campaign in terms of goals scored was 89 in League Two in 2023-24. In League One this season, they’ve scored the joint-fewest goals among sides currently in the top half of the table. We aren’t seeing the offensive juggernaut we’re used to out of Wrexham, but few people would’ve imagined they’d be two wins away from going up to the Championship.

Many will point to the numbers mentioned below as to why Mullin should be in the squad, but although dropping him hasn’t made them a better scoring team, it has made them a better overall side.

Parkinson has put the onus on his other players to step up minus Super Paul, and most of them have delivered. It’s been quality over quantity this season for Wrexham, even though Mullin had both in abundance in the past. The Red Dragons have had to make the most of their scoring chances, and while often their opportunities are few and far between, collectively, this group is as strong as we’ve ever seen.

In the 2024-25 League One campaign, 13 different players have found the back of the net for Wrexham, with Sam Smith the only one in double digits (16), though most of his came with Reading.

Five players have scored six or more times in League One for them this season, with super sub Steven Fletcher leading the way with eight. They’ve got contributions from everyone from central defender Max Cleworth (seven goals) to midfield workhorses like Ollie Rathbone (seven goals) and James McClean. Countless Wrexham players have contributed to their success, a handful of whom have scored match-winners, while the backline is as solid as we’ve ever seen in the Parkinson era, with a mere 34 goals conceded.

Mullin scored over a quarter of this team’s goals in league play in the previous two campaigns. This season, they’ve spread their wealth around, and the Red Dragons have still been winning consistently. No one would ever criticise Mullin for not being a team player, but dropping him has created more unity, as these guys have had to be much sharper to continuously pull out narrow victories. In each of the past two seasons, Mullin was the clear choice for this team’s Player of the Year. This season you could make that case for at least three, maybe four, players, such as Cleworth, Fletcher, Arthur Okonkwo and perhaps earlier in the campaign, Ryan Barnett.

Given the level of competition, it was no big surprise to see Wrexham earn consecutive promotions, but we all knew League One was going to be much tougher, and they needed a total team effort to remain near the top of the table. It’s a credit to this group for being in their position and to Parkinson for having the guts to do what few managers in his shoes would probably do.

As unappealing as dropping Mullin was, Parkinson knew he had to adapt to the higher level of competition, and that bold move has paid off handsomely.