08 August 2023 , 22:51
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Wrexham officially have their first victory of the 2023/24 season, and co-owner Ryan Reynolds is already predicting another rollercoaster year for the Welsh team.
The Red Dragons beat Wigan Athletic in the first round of the Carabao Cup following a penalty shootout, after a goalless draw in regular time. It was an impressive result for Wrexham, especially with Wigan only being relegated from the Championship last season.
Wrexham weren't clinical in the 90 minutes, but were faultless from 12 yards in the shootout as Wigan missed two penalties to eliminate themselves from the Carabao Cup inside the opening week of the season. Wrexham bounced back from a tough 5-3 defeat in their first League Two match for 15 years, and Reynolds is aware of what this season has in store.
"Another year of hearts jumping outta chests like we’re in a fucking Aliens movie," Reynolds tweeted after Wrexham won 4-2 on penalties. It's been an exhilarating time as Wrexham owner for Reynolds, and he's expecting that to carry on.
Wrexham's first season under Reynolds and Rob McElhenney ended in disappointment, as the Welsh team narrowly missed out on promotion to the Football League. But they bounced back and won the National League title by a record number of points the following year, ending the long wait for thousands of Wrexham fans.
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Saturday's League Two opener was a taste of reality as they faced MK Dons, a team that were relegated from League One last season. But Wrexham managed to get the better of Wigan, a team that were three divisions higher than them last season.
Wrexham had 20 shots on Tuesday night despite having just 33 percent possession, as they countered Wigan all night at the Racecourse Ground. But they were missing that clinical finisher, with striker Paul Mullin out injured.
Wrexham missed a goalscorer against Wigan (Copyright (c) 2023 Shutterstock. No use without permission.)Mullin suffered a punctured lung during a 3-1 win in pre-season against Manchester United, and has since been staying with McElhenney in the United States until he recovers. Wrexham have been looking for an emergency replacement before the transfer window closes, but they're struggling.
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson admitted that prices increase when they bid for players, due to the popularity of the team. "[Mullin] is a top player to replace. We are looking. We have got a few bids on the table but it's difficult to get good strikers out of clubs especially when they don't want to sell or they don't need to sell financially," Parkinson said on Tuesday.
Phil Parkinson thinks teams are purposefully charging them more money (Nick Potts/PA Wire)"The prices (also) tend to go up. The owners, myself and Shaun Harvey are sensible as well. We have our valuation of the players and we stick to that. So, it's always tough to get good players. I am very pleased with the ones we have got. We have got a lot of work to do to get the season off and running hopefully tonight. We have given a lot of lads a game tonight who needed but equally, we have picked a team which I feel are capable of getting through."
Mullin is expected to fly back to Wales within two weeks, and will begin his route back into the first team. Wrexham don't have time to waste though, with a tough away trip to AFC Wimbledon approaching.