In recent months, the Red Dragons have had much to rejoice about as they attempt to make consecutive leaps up the pyramid.
Paul Mullin stormed towards the traveling supporters and sent them into a frenzy, pumping his fist three times in a fit of irrational ecstasy, as Wrexham defeated Shrewsbury Town to go to the FA Cup fourth round for the second year in a row.
Over the past few months, fans have been accustomed to seeing the deified Mullin, who never misses an occasion to greet his adoring flock. But the hero from Wrexham has rarely been this excited towards the end of a game.
His effervescent excitement could be attributed to the significance and meaning of the outcome his team had recently achieved. In addition to shocking lower-league opponents on Sunday at New Meadow, Wrexham also had to cope with a few ghosts from their history.
A cathartic victory
When Wrexham went to Shrewsbury in April of 2008, their Football League status was in jeopardy. Their fierce cross-border opponents took the lead in the seventh minute and won 3-0, so things didn’t go well.
After losing 2-0 against Hereford a few days later, Brian Little’s team was confirmed to be relegated into non-league football. They never bounced back from this heartbreaking setback. A dismal decade of poor performance in the fifth division began with the demotion, and it wasn’t until Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney finished taking over the team in Hollywood in 2021 that the cycle was broken.
For some Wrexham supporters, though, the disappointment of the Shrewsbury loss still hurts. Or it did, until the demons were buried at Phil Parkinson’s side in the FA Cup.
Players knew what it meant
And, heading into the game, the Wrexham players were left with no illusions about how important this clash was to the supporters. “I wanted to give them an understanding – just in case some didn’t grasp the history. We went into why it is a derby. Obviously, there’s the location, but there’s also the England-Wales factor with both teams not being far off the border,” Parkinson said after the contest.
“We spoke a lot about what happened that day (in 2008),” midfielder George Evans added. “And how it ended in Wrexham getting relegated. It obviously took a while for the club to come back up, so for a lot of fans it was important we got the win today. You could see with the atmosphere how big this game was. That’s why we are delighted to get the win. The manager’s words definitely gave us extra motivation.”
The game itself was a feisty affair, with plenty of full-blooded tackles and physicality. In truth, Wrexham were on the back foot for large portions, with Arsenal loanee Arthur Okonkwo making several good saves and Salop hitting the bar in the second half, but Thomas O’Connor’s deflected effort would eventually settle the tie 18 minutes from time.
Elliot Lee found time to fire one more parting shot at his side’s old rivals at full-time, responding to Shrewsbury defender Tom Flanagan “semi-pro” jibe in his post-match interview.
“It was a great performance and I’d like to dedicate that to one of their players, Tom Flanagan, who said we were full of semi-pro players last year. So that one’s for you mate!” he said.
