Freezing Paul Mullin out at Wrexham ‘loopy’ says star as ‘one thing’s not proper’
Wrexham striker Paul Mullin has been left out of the squad for the last two games, with the decision to axe him branded as “crazy” by a former player of the club
Wrexham’s prolific goalscorer Paul Mullin’s exclusion from the first-team squad has been slammed as “crazy”.
The striker has been a hero for the North Wales outfit since his arrival in summer 2021, banging in 110 goals in 171 games. Mullin’s sizzling form has been pivotal in Wrexham‘s successive promotions from the National League to League One.
Yet, this season in the third tier has been challenging for him following back surgery last summer, with only three league goals to his name. Mullin was notably absent from the squad for Wrexham’s 2-1 loss at home to Leyton Orient on Tuesday night, despite being a fan favourite and adored by co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
He also missed out on a spot on the bench for the previous Saturday’s 2-0 victory at Northampton Town. His omission comes after the club brought in strikers Jay Rodriguez and Sam Smith late in the January transfer window.
Ex-Wrexham midfielder Waynne Phillips has now cast doubt over the decision to leave Mullin out, while still supporting manager Phil Parkinson’s overall decisions. Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, the pundit said: “For me there’s something not right – to not have Paul Mullin in and around the squad seems a little bit crazy.
“But Phil Parkinson is the manager. He has done particularly well for Wrexham over the last two or three seasons and you have to accept that he is the man who picks the side.”
Wrexham’s co-owner Reynolds has showered Mullin with praise left, right, and centre in recent years. He was absolutely blown away by the striker’s autobiography, My Wrexham Story, hailing it as “the best book I’ve ever read”, before saying: “This guy is a hero.”
Not stopping there, the Hollywood star even handed the footballer a cheeky cameo in the smash-hit flick Deadpool and Wolverine last year. Mullin turned up on screen as ‘Welshpool’ – a nod to Reynolds’ very own Deadpool character, but with a Welsh twist.
The Red Dragons’ form has been a bit hot and cold of late in the league, but they’ve eased some of that pain by smashing their way into the Vertu Trophy semi-finals where they face Peterborough United next. Despite dreams of a Wembley final against Birmingham City, Phillips thinks they need to retain their focus on promotion to the Championship.
Phillips said: “There have been a couple of wins which have taken them into the semi-final of the EFL Trophy, but automatic promotion is what they are after and they cannot afford to have this bad run at this stage in the season.”
He added: “The last thing Wrexham want going into the last 10 games is to be under big pressure. There are 15 games to go, a lot of points to play for, but they need to pull themselves out of the form they are in at the moment.”
