Paul Mullin at Rotherham. Picture courtesy of RUFC.
Paul Mullin may no longer be wearing Wrexham red, but the sight of him racing clear in the 90th minute and burying a match-winning finish was unmistakably familiar. The former Racecourse favourite struck Rotherham United’s late winner against Chesterfield on 29 August, providing another reminder of the instinct that produced 110 goals for Wrexham.
With the game locked at 1-1, Mullin capitalised on a defensive mistake, went through one-on-one and drove a right-footed finish into the bottom corner. For supporters who watched him decide matches in North Wales, it was the sort of moment they had seen many times before.
It was also his first League Two goal for Rotherham, where the 31-year-old is rebuilding after his Wrexham contract was terminated by mutual consent in June.
Paul Mullin produces a trademark moment after Wrexham exit
Mullin had started the Chesterfield game on the bench and was introduced in the 64th minute. Twenty-six minutes later, with Rotherham needing somebody to turn one point into three, the chance arrived.
A Chesterfield defensive error opened the route to goal and Mullin did the rest. The finish was controlled rather than spectacular, but that was precisely why it felt so familiar: movement, anticipation and composure when the game was there to be won.
Rotherham’s own social media summed up the feeling around the moment with the question: “Who else would you want?” It is a line that would not have sounded out of place at the Racecourse during Mullin’s best years under Phil Parkinson.
Life after Wrexham is giving Paul Mullin another opportunity
Wrexham confirmed on 26 June that Mullin would leave after his contract was ended by mutual agreement. He departed with an extraordinary record of 110 goals in 172 appearances and three promotions attached to his name.
A month later, Rotherham United signed Mullin on a two-year deal. Rather than being the automatic attacking focal point he was during Wrexham’s rise, his early Rotherham appearances have included starts and opportunities from the bench.
The early numbers are encouraging. Through 29 September, Mullin has three League Two goals from six league appearances, with three starts, according to current performance data.
Why Wrexham fans know exactly what Paul Mullin can do
The response from Wrexham supporters was hardly surprising. Reactions around the goal included “Wrexham legend – still got it” and predictions that, if fit, he can score heavily at this level.
That does not mean his Wrexham exit was necessarily the wrong football decision. Parkinson’s side had climbed into the Championship and Mullin’s role had already changed before his eventual departure.
What the Chesterfield winner showed is something rather simpler. Put Mullin in a position where his movement can expose a defence and give him a decisive chance, and the finishing instinct that made him such a powerful figure at Wrexham has not disappeared.
Paul Mullin’s Wrexham legacy does not need rewriting
His next challenge belongs to Rotherham now. Mullin has a two-year contract and the opportunity to build another chapter at a level where his goalscoring record commands respect.
Nothing he does elsewhere changes what came before. Yet when he runs through in the final minute and settles a match with one swing of his right boot, Wrexham supporters are entitled to recognise the player they remember.
Super Paul Mullin has moved on. The trademark moments clearly have not.
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