PHIL PARKINSON believes Paul Mullin is an even better player than he thought he was when he signed the striker.

Mullin arrived at Wrexham in the summer of 2021 from Cambridge United where he won the League Two golden boot after scoring 32 goals to help the U’s clinch promotion.

The 28-year-old picked up where he left off in his first campaign at The Racecourse, finishing leading scorer with 32 goals to scoop the Player of the Season award as well as the National League’s golden boot and Player of the Season gong.

There has been no let-up in 2022-23 by Mullin who scored his 50th goal for the club when he opened the scoring in Saturday’s 4-1 win against Farnborough in the FA Cup second round, and Parkinson hailed the striker’s all-round contribution for the team.

“Obviously he scored 30-plus goals for Cambridge but in fairness to Paul, he is probably a better player than we thought,” said the Reds’ boss.

“It is not often you bring a player in and after the first month or so, you go ‘we have got a real talent here’.

“The most important thing with Paul and Ollie Palmer as well, they have done brilliant for us but it is about that humbleness to keep working for the team.

“We have got talent, we have got players who get a lot of adulation but the most important thing is the team and Paul is someone who signs up to that.”

Mullin went onto complete his hat-trick to take his tally to 52 goals and help put Wrexham in the third round of the competition.

“It is a great hat-trick,” said Parkinson.

“A poacher’s goal off a set-play for the first one and the second one is a really good team goal, another assist for Callum McFadzean with a fantastic ball across the face of goal.

“The third one is a real goalscorer’s finish where he has hit it into the ground.

“I am pleased for Paul, he will be on a high after scoring a hat-trick in the FA Cup to get us in the third round, and rightly so.

“He is a player who when the moments come, he takes them and 50 goals for the club is an outstanding achievement in such a short space of time.”

Farnborough cancelled out Mullin’s opener but Elliot Lee put Wrexham back in front with a stunning 25-yard strike.

Lee has come close to adding to his three goals for the Reds in recent weeks and Parkinson says the playmaker deserved to get on the scoresheet.

“Fantastic for Elliot, what a great goal that is,” added Parkinson.

“The goalkeeper has pulled off some incredible saves from Elliot in the last few weeks but he has stayed composed, he had not let that affect him at all.

“He has played well so the team wins and he is confident in his own ability.

“He knows that those moments will come for him because he is such a good player.”