On Tuesday night at The STóK Cae Ras, where Wrexham played their last EFL Trophy group game before losing to Port Vale 2-1, Phil Parkinson complimented his outstanding substitutes.
Despite the fact that both teams had advanced to the knockout stages—the Reds having won their first two games—first place was still up for grabs.
Parkinson made eleven changes to the starting lineup for Saturday’s 2-1 FA Cup first-round win against Mansfield Town. The Reds found it difficult to get going in the first half, falling behind 1-0 to League One side Vale.
After making a bright start to the second half, Parkinson made a triple substitution on the hour mark with Paul Mullin, James McClean, and James Jones coming off the bench, and it had the desired effect.
Mullin quickly equalized, slotting home his sixth goal of the season from McClean’s cross, and the Irishman headed home a late winner after getting on the end of Luke Young’s corner.
That was McClean’s first goal for Wrexham since joining from Wigan Athletic in August, ensuring the Reds made it a hat-trick of EFL Trophy victories heading into the last 32 of a competition they won in 2005.
All three replacements made a huge impact on Parkinson’s.
“Obviously, I am pleased to win,” said the Reds’ boss.
“We were a bit disjointed in the first half; the make-up of the team probably contributed to that, but it was a good experience for a couple of the young lads.
“I thought we started the second half well, and a goal was coming.
“Then, when we got the injection of quality from the bench, it changed the game for us.
“I was going to leave it a little bit longer, but in my mind, we had a formation to go to if we needed to, and we went to it.
“McClean, Mullin and Jones, that was a fantastic half-hour of football they put in.
“McClean scored one and made one; the cross he put in for Mullin’s goal was outstanding, and Mullin finished it well, and then he got the header from the corner. He has been great for us since he came in.
We could have done better. Jordan Davies was unfortunate not to score; the goalie pulled off a fantastic stop.
Despite not having the same level of success as some other senior players, Parkinson praised Mullin, McClean, and Jones for their “spot on” mentality.
The League Two match on Saturday at home against Gillingham will see Parkinson without Mullin and McClean as the two will serve one-match bans. “I just wanted a bit of experience on the bench, knowing there was going to be a decent crowd,” Parkinson continued.
“When senior players are benched, it’s crucial that their mindset remains correct.
Even though it is not surprising, it is nonetheless wonderful to see those guys in the dressing room and during the warm-up encouraging the younger players and then contributing like they did when they came on.
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