Wrexham door closing on Paul Mullin? ‘Can’t keep everyone involved’ admission as 110-goal striker is restricted to same spectator role as Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney

Mullin has been a talismanic presence at SToK Racecourse since becoming one of the first marquee signings for Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. He is a three-time Player of the Year in North Wales and a man with 110 goals to his name.

The 30-year-old frontman has, however, found a step up into League One tough. Struggles for form and fitness have limited his game time and led to a surprising tumble down the pecking order being taken. Mullin has been left out of matchday squads entirely in recent weeks.

That is due to the level of competition that he now faces, with transfer records being broken when acquiring Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez in January, and Mullin has not figured in a third tier fixture since January 28 – taking in just one substitute EFL Trophy appearance since then.

Parkinson is not ruling Mullin out of his plans, in another promotion bid, but has told The Athletic of the selection headaches that he now faces: “We’ve got a lot of strikers. It’s difficult. We can’t keep everyone involved. But we will keep assessing things, looking at training all the time and picking a team, and the bench, accordingly.”

Any hope Mullin has of earning a recall would appear to rest on his attitude and application behind the scenes. If he can convince Parkinson of his worth – with Ollie Palmer another Wrexham stalwart that is struggling for minutes – then another important contribution could be made as the Red Dragons take aim at Championship football in 2025-26.