Sports
How Paul Mullin – via a text from Rob McElhenney – ended his Wrexham goal drought
Rob McElhenney takes the duty of care he has as Wrexham’s co-owner seriously.
When Phil Parkinson was still coming to terms with what remains the nadir of the club’s return to the EFL after a 15-year non-League exile, the co-owner reached out to his manager just moments after September’s 5-0 thrashing at Stockport County via text.
Hollywood actor and writer McElhenney did something similar with Paul Mullin during the latter’s recent run of eight games without a goal — comfortably the striker’s most barren period in almost five years.
The level-headed Liverpudlian’s response was no surprise. “I feel pretty good,” he told McElhenney, “it’s just a matter of time.”
The inner belief within Mullin that reassured his American boss is no act. Speak to anyone close to the player and they’ll wax lyrical about how adamant he was that the scoring tide would soon turn for him, even as Wrexham lost ground in the League Two promotion race.
There was no re-watching of old clips where he scored for fun, as many footballers do during such goalless runs. Nor did Mullin stew over the chances that had got away. He simply told anyone who asked, including McElhenney, that the next one was going in the net.
Such steadfast belief explains why, having ended his 649-minute wait for a goal with a stoppage-time equaliser from the penalty spot to secure a point away against Forest Green Rovers last Tuesday, Mullin celebrated his sixth hat-trick in less than three seasons with the north Wales club just four days later.
Ending that unwanted run was not only a lesson in retaining self-belief but also the need for timely reminders as to what a player does best. Mullin spent the day before that 1-1 draw with Forest Green taking part in a one-man shooting exercise that seemed, to onlookers, no more scientific than simply being urged to whack the ball as hard as possible.
To put himself through this additional exertion when he was still troubled by a back injury that required a pain-killing injection early this week underlined his determination to end what had become an unprecedented — in recent memory, anyway — drought.
Mullin scores from the spot against Forest Green Rovers (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Last season, for instance, the longest Mullin went without finding the net was two games (which happened three times). The year before that — his first with Wrexham — there had been a five-match gap between goals around Christmas, but the team won anyway on three of those five occasions so the focus was largely elsewhere.
This time, the 29-year-old’s goals temporarily drying up coincided with a poor run of results — five of those eight fixtures were lost, with only two wins, and without his dramatic 93rd-minute equaliser, Forest Green would have beaten Wrexham too.
No wonder a priority for the coaching staff during February was getting their talisman back to his instinctive best. Not just in terms of scoring goals but also making the runs in behind defences that are so pivotal to how Wrexham play.
These had become less and less frequent, meaning the chances of the ball sticking up front to allow the midfielders and wing-backs to move forward en masse also took a hit. The upshot was a team who looked as disjointed as their results suggested, especially away from home.
Cue that individual shooting drill after training.
It lasted barely 10 minutes, with assistant manager Steve Parkin on hand throughout, urging the striker to put his foot through the ball. Some shots flew past the goalkeeper into the top corner. Others went harmlessly wide of the target. But it didn’t matter. Instead, to those watching from the sidelines, the intention seemed simply to be reminding Mullin just how much power he packs in his boots.
Whether that played a part in the return to scoring ways the following evening we’ll never know, but there was a brutal savagery to his penalty — and an earlier shot that fizzed just over the crossbar — that had been lacking when facing MK Dons and Gillingham during the previous eight days.
The second goal of Saturday’s hat-trick in the 4-0 home win against Accrington was similar. Mullin hit his 25-yard shot with such conviction that goalkeeper Radek Vitek had no chance.
All the added extras that make Mullin such a key cog in the Wrexham attacking machine were in evidence too, including a darting run behind the opposition defence that led to the striker setting up Elliot Lee’s goal which completed the scoring just before half-time.
Their main man was back.
This weekend’s visit to Morecambe will see Mullin on familiar ground.
He spent three years there as a youngster, following his release by Huddersfield Town in 2014 at age 19 without making a senior appearance.
Mullin was never going to get rich at Morecambe. His first contract was worth just £200 per week. But those three seasons brought a valuable grounding. He also scored 25 goals in 122 league appearances — with more than half of those coming from the bench. Mullin felt he was worthy of a starting role.
Back then, as one of several members of the Morecambe squad — managed by Jim Bentley — who lived down the Lancashire coast in Liverpool, Mullin would regularly car share into training. Groups of four would take turns to drive.
To those who were part of those 150-mile round trips, an abiding memory is how the young striker attempted to channel that disappointment at not being selected positively. Where some might have blamed the manager — to this day, Mullin credits Bentley with being a good influence on his career — he instead did everything to try to force his way into the team.
Mullin’s recent goal drought was his longest with Wrexham (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
He did running sessions on the town’s beach in his own time, as well as gruelling work on the weights to bulk up. He wanted to be more in tune with the physically imposing lone-front man role demanded by Bentley’s system.
In time, Mullin realised his error. His game had always been about using skill and speed — but now, with the extra muscle he’d packed on, he felt heavy. He learned a lesson about the need to stick to your own beliefs.
This will no doubt have helped him navigate not just the recent barren run in front of goal but also Wrexham’s signing of fellow forward Jack Marriott on deadline day at the start of last month.
The arrival of Marriott, who was playing in the second-tier Championship as recently as two years ago and has over 100 career appearances in that division, was billed as a means of pepping up an attack that, even accounting for Mullin to reach double figures for the season by mid-January, has largely struggled for goals since the club’s return to the EFL. But, as has since been made clear via one replacing the other from the bench in six of Marriott’s eight appearances, the newcomer is effectively direct competition for Mullin.
Mullin had recently ruled the roost. He started on the bench just once in more than 100 league appearances for Wrexham — and even then this came when returning from the collapsed lung and four broken ribs he sustained on last summer’s U.S. tour. This was naturally going to jar.
But it also triggered the well-honed trait of wanting to prove people wrong. This has burned inside him since being released by his beloved Liverpool at 16. This desire perhaps explains why Mullin was ever-present at training despite the discomfort of that back issue. This problem led to the medical team taking advantage of a rare blank Tuesday this week to administer that pain-killing injection.
Those who know Mullin well will all say the same thing: what you see is what you get from someone who still lives just around the corner from his childhood home in Litherland, a northern district of Liverpool. So settled is life with partner Mollie and son Albi that even serious interest from Saudi Arabia’s second division last summer couldn’t tempt him. Family and friends long ago realised the futility of trying to contact Mullin after 9pm, knowing full well he’ll either be asleep by that time, resting up for the next day’s training or match, or not far off.
Even McElhenney, who once claimed only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were more famous as footballers in the U.S. than his No 10 thanks to the Emmy Award-winning documentary series Welcome To Wrexham, concedes: “Every once in a while, I want to get him to tell me how great he is. But it’s always the same (from Mullin): ‘I just put in a shift, I do my work and I go back to my family’. Every week!”
Mullin has been a key star for Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)
This level-headed attitude, however, again helps explain how Mullin came through that recent dry spell in front of goal.
It was his longest since going 16 league and cup appearances without scoring for Tranmere Rovers — either side of three months as an unused substitute or out of the matchday squad — across the end of the 2018-19 League Two season and the start of the following campaign in League One.
He also has the sense of perspective that four-year-old Albi’s autism diagnosis has brought. That said, there are those in and around the dressing room who insist the striker “looked six inches taller” after that point-rescuing penalty against Forest Green, suggesting there was a big sense of relief when the ball found the net.
So, what now? First, he’ll be itching to continue a remarkable scoring record against Morecambe, having scored eight times against them in the past three meetings with Cambridge United and now Wrexham.
Then, providing all is good following this week’s jab in his back, there are the twin targets of a second straight promotion and joining an exclusive club of Wrexham strikers to reach 100 goals. Mullin is joint-eighth on their list of all-time scorers, five short of three figures from 129 appearances.
Should he go on and reach that landmark this season, chances are Wrexham will be celebrating those first-ever back-to-back promotions and a return to the third tier for the first time since 2004-05.
It would be a fitting end to an eventful year for their on-pitch talisman.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
Sports
NBA player calls for Hawks to cancel their ‘Magic City’ strip club promotional night out of respect for women
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
An NBA player has taken exception to an Atlanta Hawks promotional night, which is a nod to a famed strip club in the city.
The Hawks have “Magic City Night” scheduled for March 16 against the Orlando Magic, but a player for neither team isn’t too fond of paying tribute to a strip club, which has been famed for its late-night stories involving athletes, celebrities and more.
While the Hawks call it an ode to a “cultural institution,” San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet shared his displeasure in a letter posted on Medium.
Luke Kornet of the San Antonio Spurs reaches for the ball during the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Feb. 26, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
Kornet, a nine-year veteran and 2024 NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, called for the Hawks’ promotional night to be canceled later this month, saying that it is disrespectful to women to honor the strip club.
“In its press release, the Hawks failed to acknowledge that this place is, as the business itself boasts, “Atlanta’s premier strip club.” Given this fact, I would like to respectfully ask that the Atlanta Hawks cancel this promotional night with Magic City,” Kornet wrote in his post.
“The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world. We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.”
The Hawks boasted about the theme night in its press release, including a live performance by famous Atlanta rapper T.I., a co-branded, limited-edition hoodie and even the establishment’s “World Famous” lemon-pepper chicken wings in the arena.
A general view of signage with the State Farm Arena logo on Nov. 14, 2025, outside State Farm Arena, in Atlanta, GA. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire)
“This collaboration and theme night is very meaningful to me after all the work that we did to put together ’Magic City: An American Fantasy’,” said Hawks principal owner, filmmaker and actor, Jami Gertz, said in a press release. “The iconic Atlanta institution has made such an incredible impact on our city and its unique culture.”
Kornet wrote that allowing the night to continue “without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, “specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”
Kornet wrote that “others throughout the league” were surprised by the Hawks’ decision to have this promotional night.
“We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision,” he wrote.
Luke Kornet of the San Antonio Spurs defends against the Charlotte Hornets during their game at Spectrum Center on Jan. 31, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
The Hawks have seen good reception for the promotional night, as Tick Pick reported a get-in price was initially $10 for the game and has since skyrocketed to $94.
Kornet is in his first season with the Spurs, his sixth NBA team, where he has played mainly in a bench role. He averages 7.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game across 50 contests.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Related Article
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — How do you improve on the perfect ending?
Clayton Kershaw stood in the desert heat Monday, wearing a far darker shade of blue than the Dodgers do. He does not need a medal, or a chance to fail. His election to the Hall of Fame will be a formality.
In his farewell year, the Dodgers won the World Series, becoming baseball’s first back-to-back champions in 25 years. He secured a critical out. He bathed in adoration at the championship rally, and he told the fans he would be one of them this year.
“I’m going to watch,” he hollered that day, “just like all of you.”
Four months later, he was back in uniform.
He wore a dark blue jersey with red-and-white piping. As Team USA ran through its first World Baseball Classic workout, Kershaw participated in pitchers’ fielding practice and shagged fly balls during batting practice. He could have been home with his five kids, and instead he was rushing off the mound to take a throw at first base.
That November night in Toronto, as it turned out, was not the last time we would see him in uniform.
“Feels good,” he said Monday. “I wouldn’t put on a uniform for anything else. This is a special thing.”
He put the World Baseball Classic into red, white and blue perspective.
“It’s a bucket list thing for me,” he said.
He is either self-deprecating or painfully honest about his capabilities right now, or perhaps a little of both.
The last World Baseball Classic came down to Shohei Ohtani pitching to Mike Trout. This one could come down to Kershaw pitching to Ohtani.
“I think, for our country’s sake, it’s probably better if I don’t,” Kershaw said.
Former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw fields a ground ball during a workout at Papago Park Sports Complex on Monday.
(Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
Never say never. Team USA planned to run a tremendous rotation of Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Joe Ryan and Logan Webb, but now Skubal says he will pitch just once in the tournament. Skenes says he’ll pitch twice. Ryan says he won’t pitch in the first round, at least.
Kershaw might be needed beyond the role he was promised: save the team from using the current major league pitchers in blowouts or extra innings.
In 11 career at-bats against Kershaw, Ohtani has no hits. Kershaw won’t duck the assignment if gets it, but he considers it so unlikely he is happy to share his game plan publicly.
“It’s throw it, pitch away, play away, hope he flies out to left,” Kershaw said. “Don’t throw it in his barrel.
“I can’t imagine, if it comes down to USA versus Japan, with the arms that we have, that I’ll be needed. But I’ll be ready.”
Kershaw’s average fastball velocity dropped to 89 mph last season, but he led the majors in winning percentage. He could eat innings for some team — maybe even the Dodgers, with Blake Snell and Gavin Stone all but certain to be unavailable on opening day.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, right, celebrates with teammates after the Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2025 World Series title.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
But, even with his success last year and even with the joy of wearing a uniform once again, he insists he isn’t interested in pitching beyond the WBC.
“I don’t want to,” he said. “You can’t end it better than I did last year. I had a great time last year. It was an absolute blast and honor to be on that team. I think that was the perfect way to end it. Honestly, I don’t know if I would have enough in the tank to pitch for a full season again. I’m really at peace with that decision.
“This is kind of a weird one-off thing, but you can’t really turn down this opportunity. It wasn’t easy to get ready for this, with no motivation for a season, but I actually am in a pretty good spot with my arm. I’ll be fine. If they need me, I’ll be ready.”
Kershaw said he has kept in touch with his old Dodgers teammates, with some connecting on video calls from the weight room or clubhouse at Camelback Ranch. He arrived in the Phoenix area two days before the workout, but he skipped a trip to Camelback Ranch.
“I’ve thought about it,” he said. “I miss the guys. I think it’s probably just better, at least for this first year, for me mentally to just stay away, just for spring training.”
Kershaw said he would be at Dodger Stadium for the championship ring ceremony March 27.
He is content with what he calls “Dad life.” He and his wife, Ellen, just welcomed their fifth child, and Dad life includes lots of shuttles to baseball and basketball practice.
“I run an Uber service,” Kershaw said.
This wouldn’t be a Dodgers story these days without some reference to the team’s big spending so, for what it’s worth, Kershaw spent some time Tuesday chatting with Skubal, who will be the grand prize on the free-agent market next winter, or whenever the likely lockout might end.
That’s a rational explanation, Kershaw says, for Skubal pitching just once in the WBC.
“Everybody knows the situation he is in, contract-wise,” Kershaw said. “Any innings we can get out of him is a huge bonus to this team. He’s great. Super competitive. We’re honored to have him.”
Should we assume Skubal will be pitching for the Dodgers next season? Kershaw laughed.
“No comment,” he said, then walked away to get ready for the first game of his post-retirement life.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley sounded off on the frenzied reactions to the U.S. men’s hockey team getting invited to the White House by President Donald Trump.
Trump talked to the Olympic gold medal-winning team immediately after they defeated Canada in overtime last weekend. He said they would be invited to his State of the Union address and added that he needed to invite the women’s team as well or he would be “impeached.”
Charles Barkley sits courtside against the Minnesota Timberwolves during an NBA Cup game at Mortgage Matchup Center on Nov. 21, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
Trump critics took the joke as a shot at the women’s team, which sparked questions from NHL and Professional Women’s Hockey League reporters as the players returned to their respective club teams.
“I’m proud of the United States men. I’m proud of the United States women. You should have invited both of them to the White House, but it shouldn’t have been disrespect, misogyny,” Barkley said on the “Steam Room” podcast. “Like, yo, man, why do y’all have to mess everything up? Everything isn’t Democrat, Republican, conservative, liberal. That’s why we got this divided, screwed up country. Stop it man. Because, you know, the public, they’re idiots. They’re fools. They can’t think for themselves. I know y’all say stuff to trigger them. Y’all say stuff and y’all know they’re going to be fools.”
Barkley lamented that the average person would get riled up over the supposed controversy.
The U.S. team poses for a group photo after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 22, 2026. (Luca Bruno/AP Photo)
“We don’t have to fall for stupidity. But we do – that’s my point. These people out here are stupid. They need something to trigger them. Just because they want us to be stupid. We don’t have to be stupid. He should have invited both teams to the White House. Simple as that. Guys who didn’t want to go shouldn’t have to explain why they didn’t go.”
The former Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns star made clear he would go to the White House regardless of whether Trump was in office.
“I’ve said this before, I’m not a Trump guy. But if I got invited to the White House, I would go. I’m not a Trump guy – I want to make that clear. But I respect the office,” Barkley said. “He’s the president of the United States. But if guys don’t want to go, I understand that too. It doesn’t have to be a talking point. It doesn’t have to be un-American.
Megan Keller (5) celebrates with a flag alongside Cayla Barnes (3) of Team United States after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime during the women’s gold medal match against Canada on Day 13 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 19, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“I just wish y’all would stop falling for the stupidity.”
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Related Article
‘Hoppers’ review: Who can argue with hilarious talking animals?
‘God of War’ Creator Says TV First Look Is ‘So Dumb’ and ‘Terrible’: Looks Like He’s ‘S—ing in the Woods’
How President Trump’s Image Permeates the White House and Beyond
The Latest on Natural Ozempic Alternatives: How To Lose Weight Without GLP-1s
‘Hamnet’ star Jessie Buckley looks for the ‘shadowy bits’ of her characters
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Trump sends official notification to Congress on strikes against Iran
Unexpected birth brings hope to near-extinct Amazon tribe
Supreme Court blocks redrawing of New York congressional map, dealing a win for GOP
Map: Earthquake Shakes Central California
Gas prices could jump as Middle East tensions threaten global oil supply
-
World5 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts5 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO5 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
News1 week agoWorld reacts as US top court limits Trump’s tariff powers