Paul Mullin’s struggle for AFC Wrexham form continues

Local TV Sport

Paul Mullin has long been the face of Wrexham’s rise, but this season has been a struggle for the star striker. After firing the club to back-to-back promotions, his usual goal-scoring touch has deserted him, with injuries and a lack of sharpness hampering his impact. If Mullin can rediscover his best form, he could still play a decisive role, but for now, his struggles highlight how much Wrexham have evolved beyond their talisman.

Transcript

00:00Rich, looking at Wrexham and specifically Paul Mullen on his Wrexham time, over 25 goals

00:08in each of his first three seasons since joining. He was absolutely electric, so much experience

00:14as well before he came to Wrexham. It seemed like he was just the perfect fit when he did

00:18come into this new project. What do you make as a fan of seeing him and seeing his progress

00:24over the last few seasons, how good he's been and how he really stood out when neutrals

00:29started to get a hold of this Wrexham story? Paul Mullen really was the centre in terms

00:34of the playing side of things. He was what you associated with AFC Wrexham.

00:39Yes, he's still very much the poster boy of what's happened since the takeover. I think

00:45if you speak to any regular fan, they'll say that they know him. You've become the Paul

00:50Mullen team, almost how Tottenham used to be, the Harry Kane team. He's been the catalyst.

00:57He's so often been the talisman, the match winner, the player who's played the best in

01:00the big games, and he's always come good. That's the tricky position we're in now because

01:05you can't have sentiment in this game, particularly not if you're trying to progress up the divisions.

01:11For Paul Mullen, he still is capable of the sublime. He's scored Wrexham's best goal this

01:16season by far and away. He's got five goals, I think, in all competitions, but he's missed

01:22two pre-seasons in a row and it's really taken its toll. It was this time last year that

01:26he really hit top form again. He'd missed the previous pre-season due to his burst lungs

01:32against Manchester United. He came back into the fray. There was a penalty against Forest

01:35Green and he started scoring goals for fun. This season, it's not really happened. He

01:39had his lower back surgery last summer, missed the start of the campaign again. Jack Marriott

01:44started scoring goals and it just feels like it's coming to an end, really, which is so

01:51sad to say, really, because Paul Mullen reached the 100-goal mark fairly quickly. We were

01:55looking to see how high he might go. Could he have the chance of ever becoming Wrexham's

02:00best ever goal scorer?

02:01Patreon asked about it a lot, but it's an absolute mute point now. No one discusses

02:06it whatsoever. Wrexham signed two new strikers in January. Paul Mullen's fallen further down

02:11the pecking order. He's not been involved in any of the last five matches. Wrexham said

02:16that was down to an injury, but there's only so much that you maybe believe. He's still

02:21been at the ground. He still is eager to play football, but you just don't really

02:26see when he'll be given the opportunity to do so. The stakes are so high now between

02:30now and the end of the season. I just don't see a situation where Paul Mullen starts playing

02:35regular games for Wrexham again. And then regardless of what happens between now and

02:39the end of the season, if he's already not playing games in League One, at best he could

02:44have a pre-season and maybe be good enough in League One next season. But if Wrexham

02:48were to get promoted to the championship, you'd have to say that Paul Mullen wouldn't

02:52be a part of that project because he's not been the focal point this season in League

02:57One.

Category

Transcript

Recommended