Explained: Why Paul Mullin earned Wrexham recall as Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney favourite sees goalless run extended to six games

After missing the start of the 2023-24 campaign through injury, 29-year-old frontman Mullin has not been as prolific this season as he was through his first two at SToK Racecourse. He still has 12 goals to his name, but the last of those came on January 13.

Mullin has gone six games without finding the target, and was dropped to the bench for a meeting with Sutton United. He was back leading the line against County and celebrated a vital 1-0 victory over old adversaries with his now customary fist pumps to those in the crowd.

Parkinson is a big fan of the many qualities that Mullin offers to his side and said of pairing his most reliable source of end product with former Scotland international Steven Fletcher – who scored the only goal of the game against County: “When it comes to him [Fletcher] he’s such a threat. I’m pleased for him but more importantly Fletch and Mulls work for the team really well. When you play a team that has such technical ability it’s that five yards of work and detail of when to press and both Fletch and Mulls have the nous of how to do that. Any defensive performance starts from the front, but all in all it was a day where everyone had to do their job. There had to be a concentrated and focused approach and when the moments came we got the goal.”

After suffering four successive defeats in all competitions, Wrexham have responded with back-to-back wins. That six-point haul has lifted them back into the League Two automatic promotion places, with the plan being to give Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney more cause for celebration.