The Red Dragons have had plenty to celebrate over the past few months as they look for back-to-back jumps up the pyramid
After Wrexham secured their place in the FA Cup fourth round for the second year running by defeating Shrewsbury Town, Paul Mullin galloped towards the travelling supporters and whipped them into a frenzy, fist pumping three times in an explosion of unhinged joy.
It's a sight that fans have grown accustomed to over the past few months, with the deified Mullin never missing an opportunity to salute his adoring flock. However, the Wrexham superstar has rarely been so animated at the end of the game.
His bubbling excitement could be explained by the magnitude and symbolism of the result his side had just secured. Not only did Wrexham shock higher-league opposition at New Meadow on Sunday, they also dealt with some ghosts from their past.
Getty ImagesA cathartic victory
Back in April 2008, Wrexham travelled to Shrewsbury with their Football League status hanging by a thread. It didn't go well, with their bitter cross-border rivals taking a seventh-minute lead and going on to win 3-0.
Brian Little's side never recovered from this demoralising defeat, and a few days later their relegation into non-league was confirmed following a 2-0 defeat to Hereford. The demotion kicked off a grim decade of underperformance in the fifth tier, with the cycle only being broken when Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed their Hollywood takeover of the club in 2021.
The pain of the Shrewsbury defeat still stings for Wrexham fans of a certain generation, though. Or at least it did, until Phil Parkinson's side buried those demons in the FA Cup.
AdvertisementGettyPlayers 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.
Getty ImagesMouth-watering fourth-round tie
After securing their long-awaited win over Shrewsbury, Wrexham's attention turned to the fourth-round draw on Monday evening. Ahead of the balls being plucked out, Parkinson revealed his desire to be pitted against "a big team" at home. He added: "I just think that the atmosphere at The Racecourse, particularly now we have got the temporary stand up, is fantastic."
Unfortunately, Parkinson did not get his wish, but Wrexham's travelling supporters will still be buzzing about their trip to Ewood Park to face Championship Blackburn Rovers later this month. Not only does the game give the team a chance to test themselves against one of the giants of English football, Blackburn are also likely to hand the Red Dragons a huge ticket allocation for the clash – which will surely also be televised.
"I have seen some of the away followings there this year and Blackburn always give the away team a great allocation of tickets. It gives us an opportunity to take a large travelling army with us, which always gives a special FA Cup feel to it," Parkinson said.
GettyJust another reason to celebrate
The glamour FA Cup tie is just the latest thing for Wrexham to celebrate in what has been a positive few weeks for the club. December is a notoriously challenging period in the lower leagues. The pitches get heavier, injuries rack up and English football's love affair with festive football makes the fixture list especially congested.
Overall, Wrexham took in six fixtures in December, as well as a tricky test against Barrow on January 1. During this run, they won every game aside from their EFL Trophy tie with Burton Albion – a competition the club weren't prioritising – and a league clash against Walsall.
The latter result was disappointing, but if you'd had offered Parkinson 12 points and a place in the FA Cup fourth round at the beginning of this run, he no doubt would've taken it.
Things are looking up off the pitch, too. The club's new temporary stand is now operational, meaning that 2,000 more supporters will be cheering the team on during the second half of the season during home matches.