Wrexham FC News

Wrexham: Top goalscorers Paul Mullin and Elliot Lee sign new long-term deals..

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Elliot Lee (left) scored the first and last goals of Wrexham's title-winning National League campaign, while Paul Mullin was player of the season

Wrexham striker Paul Mullin and midfielder Elliot Lee have both signed contract extensions to the end of the 2026-27 season.

Lee, 29, is the League Two club's leading scorer this term with 13 goals from 29 games.

Last season's top scorer Mullin, also 29, has scored 89 goals since first signing for Wrexham in 2021.

"I'm unbelievably happy and grateful to extend my stay at Wrexham," said Mullin.

"Since signing for the club, I've loved every single second. It's not just become my club, but my whole family also.

"The chance to perform in front of the support we receive is something you long for as a child.

"Here's to creating more memories to last a lifetime."

Former Cambridge United forward Mullin scored 38 National League goals for Wrexham last season to help the club gain promotion back to the EFL for the first time in 15 years.

He also won the FA Cup Golden Ball award with an unmatched nine goals in the competition.

However, the Merseyside-born striker missed the start of this campaign after suffering a punctured lung during a pre-season game against Manchester United in the United States.

Mullin has scored 10 goals this season.

Former West Ham and Barnsley midfielder Lee joined Wrexham from Luton Town in 2022.

He has provided 28 goals from 81 appearances in all competitions.

"When I signed 18 months ago, there were high expectations but not I even saw just how well it was going to go," said Lee.

"I'm delighted to be extending my stay with Wrexham. It's a special feeling playing for the club.

"Growing up, it was Newcastle and West Ham I had an affinity to and wanted to play for, but I feel I have that now with Wrexham.

"To represent the team, the badge and the people of Wrexham is a special feeling - I love playing playing for the club."

Ryan Reynolds phone call convinced Steven Fletcher to sign for Wrexham..

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Steven Fletcher played 39 times for Scotland, scoring 10 goals

Wrexham's hat-trick hero Steven Fletcher has revealed how an unknown phone number from Los Angeles persuaded him to sign for the League Two club.

Fletcher already had one foot in the door at the Racecourse, but his chat with Hollywood co-owner Ryan Reynolds tipped the scales.

"Obviously when Ryan called me it did help, I'm not going to lie," said the 36-year-old former Scotland forward.

"It's Ryan Reynolds, how could you say no?"

He added: "I had the conversation, it was quite short to be honest with you. It was just 'we'd love to have you here and be a part of the club'.

"I had already made up my mind to be honest, but it did give me a little confidence boost to say 'yeah, go on then'."

Fletcher signed for Wrexham on a free transfer at the start of the season, but admits retirement did cross his mind following relegation with Dundee United.

"I needed something to give me a bit of a buzz because I'm not going to lie, after last season, it was a tough season," Fletcher told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It put a bit of a downer on things and I was thinking do I want to go back? I moved my family back to Scotland and it was one of those things where I was thinking do I hang up now and spend a bit of family time?

"When this call came, I think wife could see a little buzz in me and she said 'I can see you want to go and do this'. I thought, you know what, 'I'm going to go for it'.

"I literally had the phone call, four hours later and I was down there."

Fletcher's season with Wrexham has been less than smooth sailing, but he appears back to form after having knee surgery two months ago.

He netted a hat-trick in Wrexham's 4-1 New Year's Day win over Barrow which sees the club start 2024 third in League Two, just two points off leaders Stockport County.

"It's crazy how the club has come from where it's come," Fletcher added.

"Obviously the owners are a big part of that, but the players and the staff, they've all been great, the fans as well.

"It's a bit surreal to be honest with you the way it is every day, seeing Rob and Ryan just walking around. It's been great and obviously at my age as well, it's a great thing to be a part of."

Wrexham - What has Phil Parkinson said ?

"I don't want to make any predictions for January in terms of incoming players," Parkinson said prior to Christmas.

"We've got a strong squad but we're always looking. As our supporters know, we're always striving to improve and we're assessing a lot of situations at the moment but we are keeping our cards close to our chest."

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Phil Parkinson's Wrexham side have scored in 50 successive home league matches

Wrexham already possess a squad that is the envy of most League Two clubs, and even some from League One, but Parkinson is always striving for improvement.

Steven Fletcher's return to action following knee surgery has eased the burden on Paul Mullin, although following a failed pursuit of Luke Armstrong in the summer, Parkinson is continuing to assess his forward options.

The spine of the squad is also being monitored, with centre-back and central midfield being areas the club could add to in January.

Given the versatility of stars including James McClean, they appear unlikely to seek cover for Jacob Mendy if he is included in Gambia's squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. HThe versatile full-back has already linked up with The Scorpions for their pre-tournament training camp in Saudi Arabia.

In terms of outgoings, Billy Waters, Callum McFadzean and Bryce Hosannah could all be in the shop window having been omitted from Wrexham's 22-man squad following the summer transfer window, although they could be drafted back in when the winter market concludes.

Wrexham's Elliot Lee hits back at Shrewsbury's Tom Flanagan after FA Cup win..

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Elliot Lee (right) was a part of Wrexham's National League title-winning side last season

Wrexham's Elliot Lee took aim at Shrewsbury Town's Tom Flanagan after the League Two side's FA Cup third-round win over their League One rivals.

League Two promotion chasers Wrexham won 1-0 at the Croud Meadow on Sunday.

That followed pre-match comments by Shrews defender Flanagan, who had said Wrexham were "semi-professional players last season" as they won promotion from the National League.

"We knew as a team the importance of the game," Lee told S4C's Sgorio.

"They're a big physical team and, being a local rivalry, it was always going to be a great game and I thought the boys were outstanding.

"It was a great performance and I'd like to dedicate that to one of their players, Tom Flanagan, who said that we were full of semi-pro players last year.

"So that one's for you, mate!"

The comments by Flanagan, who is currently a long-term injury absentee, contributed to a fiery atmosphere as tempers flared on the pitch and fans taunted each other in the stands.

Wrexham secured victory thanks to Tom O'Connor's deflected strike in the second half.

Phil Parkinson's side can now look forward to playing in the fourth round of the FA Cup for the second successive season.

"It's so important to us and the gaffer drives that into us every day, how important the cup is and the history the club has in it," said Lee.

"We want to go out there and do the best we can for the fans. The following out there today [Sunday] was incredible.

"For them to come here and have the bragging rights it means a lot, so we are delighted to be in the next round and in the draw.

"We're hoping for a great draw and another great result."

SATURDAY 13th JANUARY 2024 - LEAGUE TWO

Wrexham 2 (Fletcher 61, Mullin 69) AFC Wimbledon 0

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Steven Fletcher and Paul Mullin struck as Wrexham boosted their hopes of automatic promotion with a win over play-off hopefuls AFC Wimbledon.

The visitors had the better of the opening period, but Fletcher broke the deadlock midway through the second half with a superb volley at the far post from James McClean's corner.

McClean also sent in the cross that gave Mullin the chance to hammer home.

Wrexham rose a place to second while Wimbledon dropped three to 10th.


Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson:

"I thought we lacked urgency in the first half. It was almost a feeling of this will just take care of itself, but everybody knows in football you have got to make it happen as a team.

"We didn't quite get our press right and we have to work on that, but we worked hard enough to make sure it was 0-0 at half-time.

"Then second half I thought we responded really well. Sometimes when you are not at your fluent best, a set-play changes the flow of the game.

"It was a hard game, we knew it would be. We had to work hard today. We said it half-time we needed to up our game in certain areas and when we did that, it looked like we were the team who could go on and win the game."

Get Involved - Simon Stone Q&A

Anon on WhatsApp: Wrexham AFC has become quite the spectacle since their celebrity takeover. Do you think they have enough in their squad to achieve a back-to-back promotion?

Simon: Well, they are 10 points clear of Gillingham, who are just outside the play-off places, so I think they are safe from that perspective. Clearly though, Wrexham’s owners will be looking at going straight up. There are some ambitious clubs in League Two, Stockport and Notts County for a start but also MK Dons, Mansfield and Crewe are having an excellent season. This should also include Salford but they have had a shocker. I notice Wrexham have still to play Notts County and Mansfield at home – and finish with Stockport at the Racecourse on the final day. Providing they come through that lot unscathed, I think they will be fine. Then it gets interesting – and even more expensive. Wrexham are a big club. But QPR, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby, Bolton and Charlton are even bigger. All could be rivals in League One next season.
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Arthur Okonkwo: Arsenal goalkeeper aims for promotion in Wrexham loan spell..

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Arthur Okonkwo wore a protective face mask in games after fracturing his jaw in November, 2023

Arthur Okonkwo says it is "a good feeling" to know he is staying with Wrexham until the end of the season.

The 22-year-old goalkeeper is on a season-long loan from Premier League side Arsenal.

The deadline for him to be recalled was on 21 January and Okonkwo hopes to help Wrexham gain promotion from League Two.

"It's been great. I joined the team with a plan with the gaffer - at the beginning I was just waiting for my opportunity," said Okonkwo.

"Now it's good to be playing and being involved with the team and helping as much as I can."

Okonkwo has played 20 games in all competitions this season and says that Arsenal have kept a close eye on his progress.

"I had no doubts I would be here until the end of the season," said Okonkwo.

"Our assistant coach at Arsenal looks after the loan goalkeepers and he has been in constant communication.

"I am here to stay and it's a good feeling."

Okonkwo had loan spells in 2022-23 with Crewe Alexandra and Sturm Gratz in Austria and is grateful at the chance to play on a regular basis for the Dragons.

"It's crucial, you look at a lot of young goalkeepers it's so important to get minutes, luckily I've been able to do that here, and I'm happy with that," he said.


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MONDAY 29th JANUARY 2024 - THE FA CUP - FOURTH ROUND

Blackburn Rovers 4 (Szmodics 32, 45+1, Gallacher 34, Tronstad 59) Wrexham 1 (Cannon 19)

Report By Dafydd Pritchard, BBC Sport Wales.

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Blackburn Rovers recovered from an early scare at home against League Two Wrexham to comfortably win their FA Cup encounter and set up a fifth-round tie with Newcastle United.

Roared on by 7,000 travelling fans in a packed away end, Wrexham survived an early barrage of Blackburn pressure before Andy Cannon hammered them in front against the run of play with a thumping drive from the edge of the penalty area.

The Championship's leading scorer Sammie Szmodics levelled for Rovers following a pull-back from Sam Gallagher, who put the hosts ahead less than two minutes later as he capitalised on a rush of blood to the head from Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo.

Szmodics slotted in his second to extend Blackburn's lead in first-half added time and Sondre Tronstad added a fourth after the break with a deflected strike.

Jon Dahl Tomasson's side will welcome his former club Newcastle to Ewood Park next month for a place in the quarter-finals, while Wrexham's exit ends Welsh interest in this season's FA Cup.

Two divisions separate these teams but, with Blackburn 18th in the Championship and Wrexham chasing promotion from League Two, the visitors were hoping to defy the odds like they did as a National League side last season at another Championship club, Coventry City.

Wrexham command more attention than your average fourth-tier side, thanks to their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, Disney documentary series and the rest. The fact that their 7,000 fans made this game feel like a home tie only added to the Welsh club's main character energy.

Blackburn were eager not to become a plotline in future 'Welcome to Wrexham' episodes and quickly took control of the game, outwitting their opponents with slick passing and sharp movement to create several chances.

The first came in the third minute as Szmodics fired wide from Gallagher's cut-back and, just seconds later, Szmodics was denied by covering Wrexham captain Ben Tozer after goalkeeper Okonkwo had wandered out of his goal.

The visitors were struggling to keep possession but, on one rare occasion when they pinched the ball in Blackburn's half, the Dragons made the most of it as Cannon fired them ahead from 20 yards.

Cannon almost scored his second from a similar distance but was thwarted by Blackburn keeper Aynsley Pears, who reacted superbly to tip James McClean's rebound over the bar.

The hosts were soon back on top and deservedly equalised courtesy of Szmodics' deflected close-range effort following a pass from Gallagher, who was then gifted a goal.

There did not seem to be a great deal of danger when Gallagher flicked the ball beyond Max Cleworth and chased after it but, when Okonkwo rushed out only to then stop short of the Rovers striker, Gallagher rolled his finish into a near-empty net.

Wrexham's defending was lacking again when Blackburn scored their third, Tronstad's simple lofted pass over the top of the visitors' defence finding Szmodics, who finished calmly beyond Okonkwo.

That goal was a deflating blow for Wrexham on the stroke of half-time, and their slim hopes of getting back into the game disappeared after an hour when Tronstad's shot hit Elliot Lee and flew past Okonkwo.

The remaining half an hour was a procession for Rovers, who will hope to improve their patchy Championship form between now and Newcastle's visit in the fifth round.

Wrexham, meanwhile, know that their season will not be judged by games like these. Instead, their priority will be taking the next step on their well-documented journey and winning promotion from League Two.


Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson told BBC Match of the Day:
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"It was a tough night for us, we were up against a good side.
"They have two strikers who are right at the top of the game. Szmodics is the top scorer in the Championship and he showed it tonight.
"It's a great lesson for us against better quality opponents. You've got to be switched on all the time or you get punished, and they punished us tonight.
"Tonight wasn't the night for us but we'll concentrate on the second part of the season in the league."

Wrexham: Cup run may be over but Hollywood dreams live on..By Chris Wathan, BBC Sport Wales.

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Movie stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed a takeover of Wrexham in February 2021

When Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney first took charge at Wrexham, their mission statement made no reference of success in the FA Cup.

The aim was always about growing the team, the club, the stadium and the feel-good factor around the community - with promotions along the way.

And so Blackburn's comfortable fourth round victory should not be seen as any unfortunate plot twist to scupper Wrexham's story.

Szmodics double as Blackburn recover to beat Wrexham
How Hollywood Wrexham ripped up FA Cup script
However, as their team exited at the same stage to Championship opposition for a second successive season, it is the FA Cup that shines a light on both the romanticism and the reality of what the Hollywood ownership want to achieve at the Racecourse.

Wrexham's long history is one intertwined with cup success: three times quarter-finalists as a third tier side, their iconic 1992 success against Arsenal, and so many more.

It is the beauty of the cup and its predictable unpredictability that would make it so alluring to those only now becoming charmed by the game via Wrexham's primetime US profile.

"Cup competitions aren't really a thing in the States," said Humphrey Ker, Wrexham's English executive director who splits his time between north Wales and north America.

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Andy Cannon put Wrexham ahead after 19 minutes before Blackburn went on to win the FA Cup fourth round tie 4-1

"One of the things I've found talking to people over here is you don't often have those concurrent competitions across a season - they would stop to play a cup competition and pick the season back up - so initially it was about wrapping their heads about that," he told BBC Radio Wales Sport in the build-up to Monday night's fourth round tie.

"But anyone associated with Wrexham quickly gets to hear about Mickey Thomas and Steve Watkin and 1992, and great results in the past against Newcastle and West Ham.

"For a lot of lower league clubs those are some of the greatest days in their history, so very quickly Rob and Ryan, myself and anyone else coming into the club have been swept up in that excitement as well."

McElhenney's unprompted tweets of congratulations to sixth-tier Maidstone after their win at Ipswich back up the claim.

It is simply not something that happens in US sports - and yet what movie audience would not cheer for the underdog winning?

It is the same against-the-odds narrative, with their owners' celebrity attachment, that has worked so far in making Wrexham such a name Stateside.

That is the romantic part, with Ker admitting that the documentary simply "shines a light on what we already love" about such things as the magic of the cup.