Wrexham AFC: Phil Parkinson reveals Paul Mullin action he took to inspire Rotherham United win | OneFootball

Phil Parkinson has revealed what action he took that proved crucial to Wrexham's 1-0 win over Rotherham last weekend

Phil Parkinson has revealed he gave Paul Mullin some time off ahead of Wrexham’s clash against Rotherham United last weekend.

Mullin scored within the first minute of the trip to the Millers, which proved to be the decisive goal.

This earned the Red Dragons a crucial three points, as they look to stay in the automatic promotion places.

Ryan Barnett’s cross in the opening minute was met with Mullin getting his foot on the end of it in a busy box, giving Parkinson’s side an early lead.

Despite 17 shots and 67 per cent of possession in the remaining 89 minutes, Rotherham were unable to break down the Wrexham defence to get back into the contest.

Phil Parkinson reveals Paul Mullin action ahead of Rotherham win

Parkinson admitted after the game that Mullin had been given a few days off during the international break.

He believes that this was crucial to the 29-year-old being back on form all week in training, which led to his goal-scoring performance on Saturday.

“We gave Mulls a few days off (during the international break) and it did him good,” said Parkinson, via The Athletic.

“I felt he was back to his best in training this week, really firing on all cylinders.

“The goal was brilliant, but what I felt was top class was his all-round game.

“You have to remember Mulls is an athlete, a really fit lad. As he has shown time and time again, he can run the hard yards for the team, which is what we need.

“The days of having a luxury goalscorer at the top of the pitch are long gone.

“Everyone has to work and everyone has to press. Mulls did that brilliantly.”

This was Mullin's second start of the League One season, with his first coming in a 2-1 win over Crawley Town in September.

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Wrexham league position

Wrexham maintained their second place position in the League One table with their win over Rotherham.

The gap to leaders Birmingham City is still just two points, although the Red Dragons have played a game more than their promotion rivals.

Wycombe Wanderers in third are only three points back, having also played a game fewer than Parkinson’s side.

Next up for the Welsh outfit is a home game against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night in a 7.45pm kick-off.

Smart management from Parkinson proves crucial to Rotherham win

Management is about so much more than just team selection and tactics, which Parkinson has shown with his decision to rest Mullin for a few days.

The forward scored his first goal of the league season to reward his manager for giving him some time off.

This is the kind of smart decision-making that has helped propel Wrexham up to the third tier in such a quick span of time.

He will now be hoping that this is the start of a good run of form for Mullin, who is looking to prove to everyone that he can compete at a League One level.