July 26th 2023.
Phil Parkinson, manager of Wrexham, was furious with Manchester United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop after his star striker Paul Mullin was left with a punctured lung following a horror challenge during last night's friendly.
Mullin was the top goalscorer last season and was instrumental in Wrexham's promotion to the Football League. With the new season just around the corner, Parkinson was flabbergasted when Bishop received only a yellow card for a challenge that could leave Mullins out of action for a considerable length of time.
“It’s a clumsy challenge from the goalkeeper, I’m disappointed with that,” said Parkinson. “It should have been a straight red. If it’s not denying a goalscoring opportunity, it’s still a dangerous challenge. So if you add the two scenarios together he should have been off the pitch. It’s a dangerous challenge and obviously, Paul Mullin is our talisman.”
The 28-year-old Mullin now faces a race against time to be ready for the start of the new League Two campaign, and Parkinson was not holding back in his criticism.
“I’m fuming about it, I’ve got to be honest with you. It was a clumsy, reckless challenge in a pre-season game and I’m not happy with it at all. I haven’t seen the goalie and he’s probably best steering clear of us for the time being because we’re not very happy.”
The incident took the shine off a 3-1 victory for Wrexham against a United second string, managed by Travis Binnion. Binnion acknowledged the severity of the challenge and said that goalkeeper Bishop had reached out to Mullin.
“I think Dan is really unfortunate, we feel maybe one of the goals is offside as well, but ultimately it’s about us. He’s tried to reach out. He’s a great lad, Bish. He hasn’t got a bad bone in his body.”
The incident highlights the importance of safety in football and hopefully both Mullin and Bishop will be able to move on from the incident.
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