The points were won by a moment straight out of Hollywood’s top drawer. Unfortunately for Wrexham, though, for once the script went against them.
For it was Stockport County’s Louie Barry – a man running his own personal Goal of the Season contest - who produced the solitary moment of real class to win Saturday’s faux derby. The strike would doubtless have gained a nod of approval from the hooded Cole Palmer, watching on from the Edgeley Park Directors’ box.
Palmer would also have noticed Wrexham’s lack of teeth up front. 90-odd minutes of toil brought them one shot on target, a couple of corners and just 11 touches in the Stockport penalty area.
Louie Barry doing Louie Barry things 😍 pic.twitter.com/c92sRHPTprNovember 16, 2024
A glance at the table suggests defeat for Wrexham was no disaster. Stockport are a more than decent side – remember, they pipped Phil Parkinson’s team to the League Two title last season – and Wrexham remain a more than healthy third, nicely placed for a run at a third straight promotion. They are frugal defensively and are the league’s joint-sixth-highest scorers. But a misfiring frontline is beginning to furrow the brows of a few supporters, and, away from prying eyes (if there is such a thing for Wrexham), it will concern Parkinson, too.
Half of Wrexham’s 22 league goals came in their opening five games, with just 11 coming in their last 10 outings. Four of those came in a victory over Northampton Town.
In eight matches away from the STōK Cae Ras, Wrexham they have mustered just six strikes, with Saturday being the fourth blank drawn on the road already.
So, what has happened?
For the past four seasons, Wrexham’s strikers have largely been operating below their ability level. But all good things must level out, and the New Year will require a decision as to whether to stick or twist.
What of their current options? Well Wrexham are hardly short of strikers.
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Wrexham have plenty of options up front
First, there is Paul Mullin, goalscorer extraordinaire. He arrived when the club were in the National League back in 2021, having just topped the League Two scoring charts. Dropping down a division was not a natural next step, but he has woven himself into Wrexham’s history. Mullin’s current tally stands at 89 goals in 135 league matches, while all-told he has 105 for the club.
But this season Mullin has just one league strike and found himself benched on Saturday – a move that would have been unthinkable for most of his Wrexham career but was largely met with a nod by supporters. In mitigation, Mullin had back surgery in the summer and started slowly last season before finishing with 14 in 13. Write him off at your peril. “One moment away from getting himself going,” is how Parkinson described Mullin’s current predicament to reporters at the weekend.
Jack Marriot started the campaign with five goals in ten games but will be missing until at least 2025 having suffered a freak broken fibula during an October training session. It may be that he is not fully fit until the season’s final throes.
Ollie Palmer is another to have joined while Wrexham were a non-league outfit, and recently signed a contract extension until summer 2026. But whereas Mullin’s lack of goals makes him a target for criticism, Palmer is selected for his all-round play. Despite just a pair of goals from 14 starts in 2024/25, he draws little ire.
At Stockport, Palmer started up top with Icelander Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, a recent short-term arrival. Parkinson’s thinking was that Stockport might struggle with a pair of old-school centre-forwards and while initially they did – three bookings came for County in the opening 20 minutes – ultimately the lack of pace in behind made it a serene afternoon for home defenders.
Bodvarsson’s record at this level is hardly prolific, so playing him and Palmer is unlikely to bear that much long-term fruit. And, anyway, he was only signed owing to an injury to 37-year-old Steven Fletcher. Parkinson confirmed to reporters after the game that he hopes the Scot will return within a month.
All those forwards have reached age 30, albeit Mullin and Marriot only just. Arguably, they will not develop further. The one exception on Wrexham’s books is Mo Faal, the club’s record signing from West Brom in the summer. He remains raw and has been used sparingly in the league. It feels unlikely Parkinson will turn to him to solve his scoring woes.
Wrexham must decide soon whether to bring in further reinforcements, and, if so, that means acquiring a marquee name. Title rivals Birmingham City did so in the summer, picking up Jay Stansfield from Fulham for a fee north of £10 million.
At League One level, Profit and Sustainability rules do not apply. Instead, there is the Salary Cost Management Protocol, which limits a club to spending 60 per cent of revenue on player wages. Crucially, equity injections from owners are allowed, making it effectively still possible to buy one’s way out of lower divisions.
Whether to gamble on Championship promotion will be a decision for Reynolds and McElhenney. Parkinson was not too perturbed by the Stockport loss, putting it down to “one unbelievable moment, a top-class finish, which separated the two teams on the day."
And, while they wait for January, Wrexham at least have the fortune of playing six of their eight fixtures surrounded by home comforts.
