Under the spotlight: What upwardly mobile Wrexham will bring to the EFL
After 15 years in the relative obscurity of non-league, Wrexham are back in the Football League and ready to take it by storm.
Phil Parkinson’s side, backed by the finances of co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, won the National League title last season with a record 111 points.
They were pushed all the way by – who finished four points behind and had to settle for promotion via the playoffs – but the Red Dragons have quickly become a force to be reckoned with.
As Wrexham return to the EFL amid talk of documentaries and celebrities, we take a look at the numbers behind last season’s success and how things might play out in League Two.
Parkinson hada reputation as a more conservative, cautious coach prior to his move to North Wales.
But he has made the use of resources at Wrexham to sign the likes of Paul Mullin, Ollie Palmer and Elliott Lee. Playing to their strengths has meant a glut of goals and an onus on getting the ball into dangerous areas quickly.
In the National League last season, Wrexham averaged 2.51 goals per game and 3.21 per game at the Racecourse Ground.
They posted an average of 15.47 shots per match and preventing them from scoring is an unenviable task.
One of Wrexham’s most notorious weapons is Ben Tozer’s long throw.
The centre-back is capable of launching the ball into the box with pinpoint accuracy from great distances – an approach that proved especially effective with defender Aaron Hayden in the team.
Hayden’s remarkable leap makes him extremely difficult to mark – he scored 11 league goals last season from just 26 appearances.
Parkinson is pragmatic and alters his set-up depending on the opposition, but high balls into the box are a regular – and effective – tactic for Wrexham.
They averaged 3.31 shots from headers per match last season, considerably more than next-highest side Barnet (2.62).
Wrexham ranked high for attempted crosses per game, too, averaging 16.71. The arrival of right wing-back Ryan Barnett from Solihull Moors midway through the season only added to their efficacy in this area – he completed the most crosses (82) of any player in the division.
League Two defenders will need to be robust, then, when the ball is played into their penalty area.
Waiting to pounce on those balls into the box is striker Paul Mullin, now a well-recognised name largely because of his exploits in the FA Cup last season and his appearances on the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary.
The former Tranmere Rovers and Cambridge United man top scored in last season’s FA Cup with eight goals, including a brace against Sheffield United in a fourth-round 3-3 draw at the Racecourse.
Mullin is as clinical as lower-league strikers come, boasting a post-shot xG per 90 of 1.55 on his way to securing the FA Cup Golden Boot.
In the National League, he significantly outperformed his xG of 28.58, netting 37 times. His formidable finishing is supplemented by his clever movement in the six-yard box as well as the ability to threaten from distance.
Wrexham are not just dependent on Mullin, though.
Hayden is exceptionally prolific for a defender, and Palmer acts as the perfect foil for Mullin – the 6ft 5in striker won 271 aerial duels in the National League last season, second only to Chesterfield loanee Paul McCallum (304).
Additionally, former Luton midfielder Elliott Lee was both a provider and goalscorer last term, contributing eight assists and 13 goals in league competition.
With new signings likely to arrive in the following weeks, it’s no surprise that the bookies have Wrexham amongst the favourites to secure another promotion.
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