Paul Mullin warned Wrexham recall is no guarantee of regular starts – with transfer business of Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney delivering fierce competition for striking berths

Shrewd recruitment business by Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney means that Phil Parkinson has fierce competition for places in just about every area of his squad. That is particularly true in the striking department.

Mullin has fired Wrexham to back-to-back promotions, passing 100 goals for the club along the way, but underwent surgery at the start of the summer and is having to earn his place all over again. The 29-year-old made his first League One start of the 2024-25 campaign in a 2-1 victory over Crawley at StoK Racecourse.

Mullin took Jack Marriott’s place for that contest, despite the latter scoring three goals this season, and Parkinson has said of that selection call: “We went with Mulls, but Jack has been brilliant. He knows that. We don’t have a, ‘This is our starting XI’ situation going on. I just felt a bit of freshness up the top of the pitch would be important. Paul needs the minutes. You have to think of how much training the lads did in pre-season and the games we have had. Jack will be ready when called upon again. It is not a case of, ‘Mulls, you’re ahead of Jack’. Or vice-versa. Those two are such important players for us.”

Mullin has only found the target once this season, in the Football League Trophy, but will be hoping to retain his place for a trip to Leyton Orient next weekend – with Parkinson’s side still top of the table by virtue of their superior goal difference over Birmingham, who have played a game less.