Latest news with #Racecourse
Leader Live
6 days ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
Former Wrexham and Wales striker Wyn Davies has passed away
Affectionately nicknamed 'Wyn the Leap', Davies' long career took in the 1960s and 1970s, and he was capped 34 times by Wales. Caernarfon-born Davies scored six goals in 34 appearances for his country between 1963 and 1973. He began his professional career at the Racecourse between 1960 and 1962, scoring 21 goals in his 55 appearances. Notably, he was a major part of Wrexham's biggest ever win. Back on March 3, 1962, Davies was one of three hat-trick scorers in the 10-1 thrashing of Hartlepool United, joining Ron Barnes and Roy Ambler in grabbing a treble. He made over 550 appearances in the English Football League after beginning his senior career at Locomotive Llanberis and his hometown club, Caernarfon Town. After departing Wrexham, Davies also played for Manchester United, Manchester City and Newcastle United, where he won the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup - later known as the UEFA Cup. For Wales, Davies made his debut against England at Ninian Park in Cardiff. His first goal came in 1964 against Scotland in a 3-2 victory. A Football Association of Wales statement said: "The thoughts of everyone at the FAW are with the family and friends of Wyn Davies during this difficult time."
Leader Live
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Wrexham AFC a problem for Celtic and Rangers admits Jansen
Phil Parkinson guided the Reds' to an historic third successive promotion last term and a place in the Championship for the first time in 43 years. Next season, the Reds will come up against the likes of Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton, who they face at St Marys Stadium on the opening day on Saturday August 9. Parkinson is looking to strengthen his squad for the step-up to the second tier and former Wrexham striker Jansen, who scored one goal in three appearances for the Reds in 2008-9 having made his name at Blackburn Rovers, believes the Racecourse outfit are an attractive proposition. Speaking to Genting Casino, Jansen said: "I think there will be a host of teams that could attract the same players. Birmingham are spending a lot of money as well. "I'd probably put Rangers and Celtic as attractive as a top half Championship side, I think, especially for English-based players but maybe not so for the Scottish-based players. "I think Wrexham now are another team that can compete with Rangers Celtic certainly for the same types of players." Ex-England international Ashley Young has been linked with a move to Wrexham following his release by Everton and Jansen feels the 39-year-old would choose the Reds over Celtic. "Celtic are a massive team, they've got Champions League football," said Jansen. "He's been playing at Everton recently so Wrexham's just round the corner, so he'd probably choose Wrexham at 39-years-old. "Or does he want another crack at Champions League football? It's a difficult one, but would he uproot and go all the way to Scotland when he's been based in Merseyside, based in and around the area and not far from Wrexham? "So that might suit him better, but Celtic's a massive team with Champions League football, so who knows, it would definitely be a toss of the coin." Jansen believes experienced frontman Jamie Vardy, a free agent after leaving Leicester, would be a good replacement for prolific striker Paul Mullin who has joined Wigan Athletic on a season-long loan. "Vardy scored nine in the Premier League last season, 10 altogether and he's still relatively fit and sharp," he said. "It's really tough, the Championship, game after game, so would he be used sparingly? I don't think Vardy would be. I'm sure he'd chip in with a lot of goals and good experience. "I think it would be a good addition. It might cost a few quid, but it'd be a good addition.' MORE WREXHAM AFC NEWS Ipswich most backed team to win Championship title but there's interest in Wrexham Parkinson will have a bigger budget now that Wrexham, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, are one division below the Premier League and Jansen says the club could do with a wealthy benefactor. "You probably need a Jeff Bezos or a Mark Zuckerberg to help with the finances because the finances of football have gone out of control," he added. "The money to compete at the top level or for Wrexham to push into that next level would require stupid amounts of money. "They're not short of a bob or two, but they might need to lean on somebody like that."
Leader Live
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Wigan loan move is a good one for Wrexham AFC legend Paul
Am I being naïve when I express a hope that he'll return at the end of the season, rejuvenated and ready to add to his Racecourse legend? While Mullin had a rough time of it last season, I don't see how it was down to anything other than an accumulation of unfortunate circumstances. Missing two consecutive pre-seasons is bound to have a serious effect on any player, quite apart from the serious injuries which forced such a handicap onto Mullin. His desire to bounce back might have been a contributory factor in last season's frustrations, as his desperation to get back on track was obvious. Uncharacteristic missed chances added to the pressure on him, and in striving to make amends he seemed to lose that natural instinct in front of goal. The statistics illustrate this clearly. Despite starting just nine league matches last season, and not appearing at all after January, he features in the list of the 30 players who had the most shots in the division. The problem is, his conversion rate was well down on his usual standards as he tried too hard to hit the net. Just 4.65 per cent of his shots went in; contrast this with the season before, when he scored with 18 per cent of his shots. The really revealing statistic is how many of his on-target shots resulted in goals. In 2023-24, 38 per cent of them were goals. Last season that figure was down to 11 per cent. Wow. This indicates that he's got into positions where he can work the keeper regularly, but hasn't been able to finish at anything like his normal level. Ironically, that's a good thing when it comes to Mullin's future. With a proper pre-season and a full campaign of first team action under his belt, he should be up and running next summer. These stats show that he wasn't out of his depth in League One; if he had been, he'd surely have been invisible instead of getting off shot after shot. The problem was that a mixture of injury and frustration meant he couldn't match his normal standards. A reset at Wigan sounds like just the ticket to me. Wigan's fans are desperate for a goal scorer to worship too. That explains why their fans responded with such delight to the turgid goalless draw they fought out against us last season. It was a meaningless game, for them at least, with barely any threat to either goal. They had two chances in the second half while famously we failed to get a shot on target in the whole match. Yet a big home crowd reacted with delight at the final whistle, and their media team told me they were utterly thrilled with what they described as their best performance of the season. That shows what went wrong for the Latics last season. They entered the campaign with ambition, and immediately established that their defence was formidable. However, the goals simply wouldn't come, and they spent the whole campaign hovering above the drop zone. They never really looked in too much danger of being relegated as the season went on, but there was clearly an issue of balance which needed to be addressed. The data suggests there are two parts to Wigan's attacking problem, and Mullin is potentially a fantastic solution to one of them. They had the fifth lowest xG in the division last season, and failed even to match that figure, ending up the lowest scorers in League One. The low xG will have to be addressed, but if Athletic can add more creativity to their side and give Mullin the service he thrives on, he is the man to fix their failure to match their xG, and then some. I'm aware that this will read like a tribute to a departing hero, and that might well be the case. I sincerely hope not, though. Mullin is an outstanding player and an exceptional person. His desire to succeed is exceeded only by his focus on what is best for the team. He was phenomenal in League Two, returning a goal tally which was decisive to our promotion campaign despite struggling all season against serious injuries and the fitness issues created by a lack of a proper pre-season. Last season was a bridge too far, but he is far from finished. He's a quality player who will benefit from going back to the state of affairs he got used to at Wrexham. At Wigan, he will be the star man they will pin their hopes on, and Mullin relishes that scenario. Dropping down to the National League after dominating League Two with Cambridge meant he simply had to deliver. Mediocrity was not an option. Seventy-nine goals from 95 starts in his two seasons at that level showed he loved the challenge. Hopefully he'll rise to the occasion again at Wigan, then face the challenge of fulfilling the role of returning hero. What a nice way to celebrate his first season in the Premier League that would be!
Rhyl Journal
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds pays emotional tribute to departing Paul Mullin
Mullin has been a talismanic figure for Wrexham since Hollywood A-lister Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney bought the Welsh club in 2021. The 30-year-old has scored 110 goals in 172 games since arriving from Cambridge nearly four years ago as Wrexham won three successive promotions to reach the Championship. I can't imagine seeing Mulls on loan and in another kit. We wouldn't be where we are without his heart, skill and work ethic. We love you, @PMullin7. SPM ⚔️🏴 — Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) June 24, 2025 Mullin has been a central figure in the award-winning 'Welcome to Wrexham' TV docuseries and even had a non-speaking cameo role in Reynolds' Deadpool & Wolverine as Welshpool, a Welsh version of Deadpool. 'I can't imagine seeing Mulls on loan and in another kit,' Reynolds posted on X. 'We wouldn't be where we are without his heart, skill and work ethic. We love you, @PMullin7. SPM (Super Paul Mullin).' Mullin wished Wrexham good luck on his departure for the 2025-26 campaign, posting on X: 'All the best this season! Keep the train rolling', adding a heart emoji. All the best this season! Keep the train rolling. ❤️ — Paul Mullin (@PMullin7) June 23, 2025 The forward's game-time at Wrexham was limited last season following surgery on a long-standing back issue. He has two years left on his Racecourse contract, but was pushed down the pecking order by the January arrivals of strikers Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez. The Red Dragons further added to their forward department last week by signing Ryan Hardie from Plymouth in a reported £700,000 deal. Wrexham captain James McClean wrote about Mullin's move to League One Wigan on Instagram, saying: 'All the best mate @paulmullin12. Rip it up.'
South Wales Argus
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds pays emotional tribute to departing Paul Mullin
Mullin has been a talismanic figure for Wrexham since Hollywood A-lister Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney bought the Welsh club in 2021. The 30-year-old has scored 110 goals in 172 games since arriving from Cambridge nearly four years ago as Wrexham won three successive promotions to reach the Championship. I can't imagine seeing Mulls on loan and in another kit. We wouldn't be where we are without his heart, skill and work ethic. We love you, @PMullin7. SPM ⚔️🏴 — Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) June 24, 2025 Mullin has been a central figure in the award-winning 'Welcome to Wrexham' TV docuseries and even had a non-speaking cameo role in Reynolds' Deadpool & Wolverine as Welshpool, a Welsh version of Deadpool. 'I can't imagine seeing Mulls on loan and in another kit,' Reynolds posted on X. 'We wouldn't be where we are without his heart, skill and work ethic. We love you, @PMullin7. SPM (Super Paul Mullin).' Mullin wished Wrexham good luck on his departure for the 2025-26 campaign, posting on X: 'All the best this season! Keep the train rolling', adding a heart emoji. All the best this season! Keep the train rolling. ❤️ — Paul Mullin (@PMullin7) June 23, 2025 The forward's game-time at Wrexham was limited last season following surgery on a long-standing back issue. He has two years left on his Racecourse contract, but was pushed down the pecking order by the January arrivals of strikers Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez. The Red Dragons further added to their forward department last week by signing Ryan Hardie from Plymouth in a reported £700,000 deal. Wrexham captain James McClean wrote about Mullin's move to League One Wigan on Instagram, saying: 'All the best mate @paulmullin12. Rip it up.'
