Wrexham

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Arthur Okonkwo saved a second-half penalty as Wrexham began their pre-season campaign with a goalless draw against Wisla Krakow in Poland.

The Wrexham goalkeeper pushed away Jordi Sanchez's spot-kick shortly after the hour mark after Ryan Longman tripped Frederico Duarte in the box.

Wrexham's best chances fell to striker Kieffer Moore who had two efforts on goal saved, while Lewis Brunt headed over twice from corners as the Championship side were unable to force a breakthrough.

The match was held to help celebrate the Polish side's 120th anniversary and the two clubs' "shared culture and community focus".

Wrexham face Manchester United in Helsinki next Saturday before heading to the United States to face Leeds, Liverpool and Sunderland.

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Wrexham will be without a number of senior players when they begin their pre-season campaign with a friendly against Wisla Krakow on Saturday (14:00 BST).

Forward Josh Windass and midfielder Ben Sheaf will not play having missed training this week, though boss Phil Parkinson says neither player has a serious issue.

Max Cleworth is another player who will be absent as a result of an Achilles injury the defender has been managing throughout the close season.

Nathan Broadhead (pictured above) is another who will not be involved at Krakow's Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium, with Parkinson explaining that Wrexham want the Wales forward "to have another week's training" before he gets game-time.

Left-back Sebastian Revan remains unfit after his loan spell at Burton Albion last season was curtailed by injury, while centre-back Dom Hyam and left-back Liberato Cacace are not yet back training with Wrexham having gone to the World Cup with Scotland and New Zealand respectively.

Conor Coady, Elliot Lee, Ryan Hardie and Harry Ashfield are all back at Wrexham and in the squad travelling to Poland having finished last season out on loan.

The Wisla Krakow fixture was arranged to help celebrate the Polish side's 120th anniversary.

Wrexham face Manchester United in Helsinki next Saturday before heading on tour to the United States to face Premier League Leeds United, Liverpool and Sunderland before the new Championship campaign.

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Wrexham director Humphrey Ker reckons the TV series charting the club's fortunes has helped increase the popularity of football in the USA.

The Welcome to Wrexham show has told the story of the north Wales team's rise through the divisions under Hollywood owners Rob Mac – formerly McElhenney – and Ryan Reynolds.

The series – the fifth season of which premiered early this year – has been a hit in America, something Ker (pictured above) says is "really important" to the Championship club.

"The success of what we are doing is very much based on getting American people to be interested in what's going on at Wrexham," Ker said.

Ker says another television series, Ted Lasso, has also played a part in raising the profile of football on the other side of the Atlantic, with this summer's World Cup allowing the sport to ride the "crest of a wave" in the States.

He believes the two shows have combined to show US audiences "some of the distinct qualities of football that don't exist in American sport".

According to Ker, Mac was "fascinated" when he got involved at Wrexham by the idea of promotion and relegation because they do not exist in American sports.

"They are closed shops. What is great about the closed-shop system is you'll see the way they do things with their drafts, every year pretty much it's different teams who make the final," Ker told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"But the minus side of it is that you have huge swathes of the seasons that are just dead rubbers - it doesn't matter.

"So a big thing for Rob was 'wait a second, you're saying the last few games of the season, if it's 17 versus 18 [in the table], that's a massive game? If it's eight versus 20 that's a massive game?'

"There are almost no unimportant games in a regular league season. I think that's a thing Americans have really taken to when they follow domestic leagues in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain."

Sheffield Wednesday have put their interest in Wrexham midfielderGeorge Dobson, 28, on hold. They could rekindle a potential deal for the Englishman later in the transfer window. (The Star), external

You can find more of Friday's EFL gossip here.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson talks to Dylan Griffiths about five years as boss, pre-season and the 2026-27 season.

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Four more Wrexham fixtures have been moved after being selected for live television coverage.

Wrexham will start the 2026-27 season on Friday, 7 August (20:00 BST) with their Carabao Cup opener at Middlesbrough being shown on Sky Sports and ITV.

The home Championship fixture against Birmingham has been brought forward to Friday, 28 August (20:00 BST) while the trip to Swansea City on Saturday, 5 September 5 will now kick off at 20:00 BST as both games are being shown on Sky Sports.

Wrexham's trip to West Ham United, meanwhile, has been brought forward to Friday, September 11 (20:00 BST), meaning the home game against Burnley will come forward 24 hours to Tuesday, 8 September.

However, the West Ham and Burnley games could move again depending on the Carabao Cup third-round draw, should any of the sides be involved.

Wrexham's trip to Cardiff City on the opening weekend of the Championship season had already been selected for live TV coverage, with that game being played on Monday, 17 August.

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The TV schedule for the opening two months of the English Football League's 2026-27 season have been announced and with that, there are a few games getting a headline slot.

Here are the new dates to jot into your calendars across the EFL in August and September:

• Thursday, 20 August - Sheffield Wednesday v Bradford City (20:00 BST)

• Sunday, 23 August - West Bromwich Albion v Burnley (12:00 BST)

• Friday, 28 August - Wrexham v Birmingham City (20:00 BST)

• Sunday, 6 September - Birmingham City v Wolves (12:00 BST)

• Monday, 7 September - Bromley v AFC Wimbledon (20:00 BST)

• Thursday, 10 September - Stevenage v Luton Town (20:00 BST)

• Friday, 11 September - West Ham United v Wrexham (20:00 BST)

• Sunday, 13 September - Sheffield United v Wolves (12:00 BST)

• Thursday, 17 September - AFC Wimbledon v MK Dons (20:00 BST)

• Friday, 18 September - Bristol City v Watford (20:00 BST)

• Sunday, 20 September - Wolves v West Bromwich Albion (12:00 BST)

The above matches are the single-game choices whose dates have been moved for TV coverage - there are also a number of Saturday lunchtime, evening and multi-game midweek matches also being televised. The full list is available here., external

The BBC Sport website will have live text commentaries of all the above fixtures and you can also tune in to games via your local BBC Radio station.

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After the news Paul Mullin will no longer wear a Wrexham shirt having officially left the club, we asked for your views on where the striker ranks in the north Wales club's history.

Here are a selection of the responses.

Kevin - None of this happens without Paul Mullin.

Keith - Simply, Paul Mullin joins the legends.

David - Not just an amazing footballer who provided some genuinely unforgettable moments, but such a nice man too. Legend of the club, we wouldn't have had all the recent success without him.

Jamie - Best finisher I've ever seen at the Racecourse from 50 years watching. He is top of the pile for me when you look at the promotions we have achieved, two of which he single-handedly made possible. Super Paul Mullin indeed.

Richie - Paul Mullin is up there with the Wrexham greats. He was crucial in lifting the club out of the National League, and helping to legitimise the seriousness of the takeover and goals for the club. But for Wrexham to achieve their ultimate goal of being a Premier League club, Mullin is not at that level. His legacy at Wrexham is cemented, and his contribution will never be forgotten.

Ted - He was already revered at Cambridge after just one season. He came to us at Wrexham and just became part of the club's history.

Rich - Thank you Paul for making me believe in our club again. Each decade has its own special hero but for sure Paul Mullin won't have to buy himself a drink in The Turf pub.

Mike - What he did for us in key moments will never be forgotten but ultimately he's an also-ran in the long long list of truly great Wrexham strikers going all the way back to Tommy, Wyn, Smallman, Dixie, Psycho, King Karl, Trundle and Morrell. Happy for him to join the list but he's nowhere near the top of it.

John - As a striker he's up alongside Gary Bennett, Billy Ashcroft, Dixie McNeil, and Tommy Bamford. As a team player maybe Joey Jones, Gareth Davies, Mickey Thomas, Arfon Griffiths - he really does stand with them.

Brian - Absolutely an icon and will always be remembered for some truly awesome goals, but it's time he moved on. Although he served Wrexham magnificently he is not a Championship player.

Chris - His goals were an integral part of our triple promotion seasons and have set up what looks to be a fabulous future for the club. No other Wrexham striker in the modern era can claim this. Diolch Paul.

Alex - His goal record makes him a great Wrexham striker; but unlike perhaps any of his predecessors, Mulls shared so much of himself and his family with us because of the spotlight that is Welcome to Wrexham. Don't ever underestimate the joy you brought us.

Geoff - A Wrexham legend and the best striker I have seen in a Wrexham shirt. He wasn't given a chance to prove himself in the Championship which is a real shame. I

Phill - Been watching Wrexham for over 50 years and he is right up at the top. Did so much for us by helping delivering the miracle we needed when we needed it.

Bob - Cometh the hour, cometh the man - and Paul Mullin was certainly The Man for four incredible seasons. He will be remembered for many a year by those who saw him play especially for the two goals against Stockport in the FA Trophy and the two goals against Boreham Wood that promoted Wrexham. In my opinion, the first of those ranks among the best I have ever seen at the Racecourse in 56 years watching Wrexham.

David - He's got to be number equal no. 1 with Joey.

Rich - Mullin was the start of the change here. Without him the excitement and the believe that we could climb the divisions wasn't there. More players came and went and had there own special part but this guy reminded me of the Gary Bennett era.

Danny - I would normally say that a player would need to be at the club for a longer period of time to be a true legend. However, you need to put into context the impact Mulls had, not just with the sheer weight of goals, but also the way his approach mirrored the passion of the fans. This massively contributed to bringing to an end a long and difficult period - because of that, he will always be remembered at the club. Maybe not in quite the same revered way as a Joey Jones or Mickey Thomas et al. but certainly on a par with cult heroes like Gary Bennett.

Jo - I'm old enough to remember Gary Bennett's 39-goal promotion season and his incredible 47-goal campaign the following year, before helping Wrexham win the Welsh Cup. However, Paul Mullin's goalscoring ability, leadership and passion, together with his role in ending our non-league exile, secures his place as one of the very best ever to wear the shirt.

Image source, BBC Sport

As has been the case throughout the course of Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds' ownership of Wrexham to date, icons have come and gone from the club.

The latest high-profile departure was that of Paul Mullin - who departed Stok Cae Ras this month by mutual consent.

The striker netted 110 goals for the Red Dragons and played a part in each of the club's back-to-back-to-back promotions from the National League through to the Championship.

But where does Mullin rank in the pantheon of Wrexham greats, and are the club right to let him move on?

Give us your views here.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Former captain Ben Tozer believes Wrexham should be "aiming high" as they prepare for a demanding start to the 2026-27 season.

The Red Dragons will look for progress in the upcoming Championship campaign after missing out on a play-off place on the final day of last term.

Phil Parkinson's men face two Welsh derbies, two meetings with relegated Premier League clubs and two games against sides who finished in the top four last season in their first nine games of the new season.

But Tozer says his old club should see the opening run as a chance to make an early impression.

"It looks like a really tough start, you've got Millwall and Southampton who were both in the play-offs last season," he said.

"Last season also looked like a tough start, and it was a bit sticky for Wrexham in the first few games.

"But they got to grips with the division and, with players coming through the door this summer, you've got to be aiming high and looking to take those teams down. It's a good one to get your teeth into."

Wrexham's first league game of the new season is an all-Welsh contest at Cardiff City.

Parkinson's side will head south looking to avenge a 2-1 loss to the Bluebirds in last season's Carabao Cup.

"It's a phenomenal game to start the season but it's a tough one," added Tozer.

"With them coming up from League One, the cup game last season, their home form, the way they like to play football - it won't be easy."

"It's a Welsh derby, north v south. It's a tasty one to start with."