This season, Wrexham’s manager has made many cuts and changes, but Saturday’s victory should act as a vital reminder.
In addition to increasing their chances of earning automatic promotion from League Two, it also signalled star scorer Paul Mullin’s timely comeback to form.
During the team’s preseason tour of the USA, the Red Dragons’ talisman suffered four broken ribs and a collapsed lung. Since then, the season has been challenging for him.
But when Crewe lost to Morecambe, his first-half hat-trick moved his team up to third place in the standings and increased his individual goal total to 15 goals.
It comes after the striker, who had gone eight games without a goal, started from the bench on a few occasions in recent weeks as he tried to regain form.
Mullin vital for Wrexham’s continued success
Rob McElhenney, co-owner of Wrexham, was all praise for Mullin after making the trip from the US to witness the Accrington match firsthand.
“The more games this man plays for this club, the bigger the club will continue to get,” the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star said in a press conference.
This season, Wrexham’s manager has made the decision to often chop and rearrange his team, but Saturday’s showing ought to serve as a reminder of why some players ought to be lock for a starting spot.
Although it seemed sense to give Mullin a break given his preseason injury, the unavoidable fact is that Parkinson’s team has appeared far less dangerous offensively without him.
He scored his first and third goals against Accrington thanks to poacher’s finishes on crosses from Elliott Lee and Ryan Barnett, which gave him the opportunity to steal in for close-range headers.
But his second goal brought back memories of one of the spectacular finishes that saw Wrexham defeat Boreham Wood and advance from the National League at the end of the previous campaign.
as Mullin received the ball from James McClean about thirty yards from goal, he still had plenty of work ahead of him, but the custodian had no chance as he finished well beyond Radek Vitek from outside the box.
Palmer’s physical prowess unlocks Mullin’s potential
Ollie Palmer was a constant up front with Mullin during the previous season’s championship-winning campaign, scoring 16 goals in the process.
Due to a combination of injuries and heightened competition from players like Steven Fletcher, Sam Dalby, and, more lately, Jack Marriott, he has had a much difficult time finding playing time this season.
In recent weeks, there have been increasing demands for the striker to return to the starting lineup. Many Wrexham supporters believe that Mullin’s physical qualities are what best enable him to reach his maximum potential.
In the end, Parkinson gave in to Accrington, and his team’s performance was evident as they progressed.
Parkinson must resist temptation to make changes
Midfielder Elliott Lee, who has also been having form issues lately, was one of the other notable performances. He scored with a superb finish near the conclusion of the first half.
center-back Max Cleworth, who is 21 years old, appears like a promising future potential after putting up yet another mature performance at the back.
James McClean, an international for Gambia, excelled after being moved into midfield, and Jacob Mendy replaced him as left wing-back.
Wrexham supporters are now hopeful that Parkinson has identified the magic combination to halt a slide that saw them gain just eight points from seven games in February.
Considering the current state of the club’s injury list, the starting lineup against Accrington would seem to be the best one he had at his disposal.
If the manager is going to continue pushing for an automatic promotion, he would be well advised to stick with that starting eleven going ahead.
