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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Branwen Jones

Wrexham striker Paul Mullin reveals why he wrote 'f*** the Tories' on his boots and how the reaction made him even angrier

Wrexham AFC star man Paul Mullin has spoken about the backlash he's received for his custom-made boots and chanting in McDonalds. The Dragons talisman posted a picture of his new footwear emblazoned with an anti-Conservative Party slogan in October of last year and the news hit the headlines across the UK.

Mullin has been one of manager Phil Parkinson's top performers this season as Wrexham secured their place back in the Football League by clinching the National League title. In the deciding game against Boreham Wood in April, the second half of the match saw Mullin scoring a stunning first after cutting in from out wide before he put the cherry on the cake with a smart finish to make it 3-1.

The Liverpool-born forward had built up a superb rapport with the club's fans due to his performances on the pitch and his status as something of a working-class hero, North Wales Live report. In an interview following their win against Boreham Wood, Mullin expressed his admiration for Wrexham.

Read more: I made an eight-hour round trip to see Wrexham's trophy parade despite not liking football and was totally blown away by what I found

He said: "I'm over the moon for the people, who as a town, they've took to me like I was born here. I absolutely love it here. I love them. I couldn't thank them enough but to repay them tonight, this is unbelievable. We're looking forward to the league's season two now."

In an interview with GQ magazine, Mullin admitted to being surprised at the backlash to the hoots, as well as the reaction to him and teammates singing along to an anti-Tory chant with fans in Wrexham's McDonalds. In the wake of the boots controversy, the club said the boots would not be worn "in any other Wrexham AFC fixture".

Mullin explained how they came to be made: "The lad who [designed] the boots for me asked me if I wanted anything done, so the missus said why don't you get This Place by Jamie Webster and the Liverpool skyline, I thought it was class," he told GQ.

"And then I thought on the other one, me and me mates are always messing around saying '**** off you Tory' because in Liverpool, that's genuinely offensive. But obviously at the same time, Boris Johnson was just just doing whatever he wanted while people were missing their granddad's funeral, and heating bills are rising, and kids are eating out of food banks, so I just out that on me boots.

"Didn't think anything of it. I took a picture and put it on Instagram, and fell asleep. When I woke up it was on every TV channel, I go to the shop and it's in every paper, back in the car it's on the radio. The bit that really p***** me off is that three words on my boot offended the country a lot more than kids starving. That's what I can't get me head around."

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