Wrexham AFC: Phil Parkinson’s controversial Paul Mullin call is one he needs to stick to: View | OneFootball

Wrexham got their automatic play-off push back on track with a late win over bottom club Sutton United on Tuesday evening.

It put to an end a run of three consecutive defeats in League Two which saw them drop to fourth in the table, but they remain within touching distance of the automatic places with games in hand over the teams around them.

Phil Parkinson's gamble paid off against Sutton United

With the clock ticking down into the latter stages of the game on Tuesday evening, Wrexham found themselves in a position all too similar to them in recent weeks.

The Red Dragons had scored just twice in their last three encounters in the league, and would normally turn to their talisman Paul Mullin to smash one into the back of the net. But, the 29-year-old found himself on the bench for the trip to the VBS Community Stadium.

It was Steven Fletcher and January arrival Jack Marriott who were given the nod in south London, with both heroes from last season in Mullin and Ollie Palmer forced to watch from the bench until they were substituted on in the 72nd minute.

Sutton improved after the break following Will Boyle's opener in first-half stoppage time, but top scorer Elliott Lee popped up with five minutes to go, squeezing the ball in at the near post for his 14th goal of the season.

While it was a risk not to start Mullin from the off, it proved to be a gamble worth taking as his influence from the bench proved pivotal in creating the winning goal. A player of his experience and quality, however, will want to be featured from the beginning.

Paul Mullin's Wrexham statistics

Mullin's transfer to the Racecourse Ground raised a few eyebrows, having just enjoyed a prolific season with Cambridge United in League Two, scoring 34 goals in all competitions.

But, his move to Wrexham coincided with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's acquisition of the club back in 2020, with their new Hollywood owners tempting the 29-year-old to aid their promotion aspirations and return to the Football League.

Ben Tozer and Ollie Palmer would also join during that season, and have since become legends in north Wales.

During his three years at the club, Mullin has become a club legend, with his 38 goals last season ending Wrexham's 15-year absence from the Football League, and he boasts an impressive record of 86 goals in 117 games in all competitions.

An important decision to make ahead of Notts County reunion

This weekend will see Wrexham welcome Notts County back to the Racecourse Ground for the first time since their titanic battle in the National League.

It was on this ground almost over 10 months ago when the title swung in the favour of the Welsh side, with Ben Foster proving the hero by saving Cedwyn Scott's penalty in the dying embers of an enthralling contest.

The two sides will reunite and both come into the fixture with much-needed wins, with Stuart Maynard picking up his first win as the Magpies boss with a 3-1 win over Wrexham's Welsh rivals Newport County, while Parkinson's side ended a three-game losing streak away to Sutton United.

It gives the Wrexham manager a tough decision to make in regard to Mullin, and he may choose to keep the same team that ended their recent losing streak.