As Paul Mullin dazzled through the fog and Steven Fletcher kept his cool from the penalty spot to clinch a precious last-gasp victory for Wrexham, the contribution of another striker could easily have been lost.
Assistant manager Steve Parkin, however, was quick to praise the key role played by Ollie Palmer in both the 2-1 Boxing Day win over Blackpool and the club’s burgeoning promotion push.
“Ollie is working his socks off for the team,” Parkin told The Athletic. “He’s fitter than he was, and I mean that respectfully as he’s got himself really fit and mobile. He’s not easy to mark as a defender, especially when the ball is on a diagonal.
“It’s not just about goals (as a striker). You have to upset defenders. He’s also got an extra string to his bow, in that he’s very good defensively for corners and wide free kicks.
“He stands in the six-yard box and he is very difficult to beat. In today’s game, where there’s lots of free kicks and set plays, you have to have someone who can do that.”
Palmer’s bare goalscoring stats in League One are nothing to write home about. He has found the net just three times in 22 appearances, only one of which has come from the bench. That works out at a goal every 534 minutes.
Nevertheless, there can surely be little argument that third-placed Wrexham would not be occupying such a position without the 32-year-old, the very personification of a ‘team player’.
Against Blackpool, once again he put in a tremendous shift. With Steve Bruce’s side not winning a corner until the 75th minute, the defensive duties so rightly valued by Parkin were not as onerous as recent weeks. But Palmer made up for that with his link-play in attack.
He drifted into wide areas if that’s what the team required, such as early in the first half when his persistence down the right flank helped create a shooting chance for Andy Cannon. He was no less effective down the middle, winning aerial duels before showing sufficient determination to further protect the ball and find a team-mate.
This ability led directly to Wrexham cancelling out Ashley Fletcher’s early strike through Mullin. Straining every sinew, Palmer beat Hayden Coulson to reach Ryan Barnett’s throw-in and divert the ball towards the striker. Muller then did the rest with a stunning left-footed volley after initially controlling the ball on his thigh.
🚨 WREXHAM GOLAZO ALERT 🚨
Paul Mullin with a special strike on Boxing Day 💥 pic.twitter.com/00NwlUuPcx
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) December 26, 2024
WOW 🤯
Take a bow, Paul Mullin! pic.twitter.com/fexL1fDp90
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 26, 2024
As if to underline the importance of such work, it was the second goal-of-the-season contender where Palmer claimed the assist after cushioning a pass into the path of Jack Marriott against Wycombe Wanderers on the opening day.
This ability to link the play is perhaps best illustrated by how Palmer had, before Christmas, contested more duels (380) and aerial duels (254) than any other attacking player in League One with a minimum 900 minutes action to their name in 2024-25.
He has done well in those duels, too, with a 50.8 per cent success rate overall and 55.5 per cent when it comes to aerial success. This put him fourth and third respectively in the list of the division’s forwards, according to Opta.
Then, there were clearances made in his own team’s defensive areas, with Palmer managing 30, the third highest tally in the division.
It’s no secret that Wrexham are looking to strengthen up front in January. Sheffield Wednesday’s Michael Smith, a 6ft 4in striker very much in the ‘team player’ mould, was wanted last summer so it’s fair to expect a big forward will again be on the shopping list.
If successful — and the suggestion is the Welsh club are willing to break the club transfer record again — then this will have ramifications for Palmer in terms of game time. As it stands, though, whoever comes in will have to fight hard for their place, with manager Phil Parkinson having shown time and time again that those in possession of the shirt will get their chance first.
Palmer’s contribution to the Wrexham cause so far this season will certainly stand him in good stead. As we can see from a map of his touches in open play in League One, there are a healthy proportion of touches inside his own penalty area (four per cent), showing just how important he is when it comes to repelling opposition attacks.
But the map also reveals how often he receives passes just outside the penalty area Wrexham are attacking, where the job of Palmer’s team-mates is to then play off him. This happened to great effect for Mullin’s goal, the Liverpudlian’s first since breaking the deadlock at Rotherham United on October 19.
All this defensive work and link play means Palmer isn’t in the opposition box as much as some strikers. But Wrexham’s league position and points tally is surely vindication of such an approach, with only Ryan Barnett and James McClean having started as many league matches as the one-time £300,000 record signing.
“He’s another one who the goals will come,” says assistant manager Parkin about a striker who proved something of a talisman last season, with Wrexham losing just one of the 25 League Two games he started, a remarkable record.
“I’m sure of that. The key thing with Ollie is he has the respect of all the players for how he is putting himself about. It’s really important.”
Palmer’s efforts were rewarded in the autumn with a contract extension until the end of next season. Some may have been surprised, considering he will be 34 when the deal expires.
But the decision was a sound one. Every player benefits from being able to focus fully on his job and there can surely be no bigger distraction than an uncertain future beyond the next few months.
By taking that away, Palmer has been able to concentrate solely on leading the line — and he’s done it brilliantly.
(Top photo: Palmer on November 26. Chris Vaughan/Getty Images)
