Mullin shows his class with gesture to Smith

Dragons favourite ensures goal ace enjoys his moment

- By LIAM RANDALL

WREXHAM star Paul Mullin has been praised for his selfless gesture following the club's promotion to the Championship.

The Red Dragons' talisman has been used sparingly by Phil Parkinson this season after undergoing back surgery last summer, making just nine starts in League One and scoring only three goals.

Mullin has not made an appearance in the league since scoring as a second-half substitute in the home defeat to Stevenage in January.

The Liverpudlian was frozen out of the squad following the January arrival of Reading striker Sam Smith in a deal reported to be worth £2million, as well as that of ex-Premier League star Jay Rodriguez from Burnley.

Last month, he spoke out to deny reports of a falling out with Parkinson, branding the rumours as "nonsense". Regardless, it represents a significant fall from grace for the 30-year-old, who scored more than a century of goals for Wrexham over the previous three seasons.

However, the manager's decision to play Smith in the main striker role has paid dividends, with him notching seven times in 17 league appearances.

Smith crucially scored two goals on Saturday as Wrexham secured their third successive promotion with a 3-0 victory over Charlton Athletic at the Racecourse Ground.