Wrexham have sought to get their preparations for their return to the football league up and running early as they announce their release/retained list — with star striker Paul Mullin extending his stint in north-east Wales.
Phil Parkinson guided the non-league sleeping giant to League Two promotion last month after missing out on the title last campaign, and coming up short in the play-offs. His side were involved in a two-horse race with Notts County, but they held their nerve at the death.
Both clubs registered triple-digit points totals, but only Wrexham secured promotion automatically, with Notts County forced to earn their League Two status via the play-offs, which they ultimately came through after beating Chesterfield on penalties at Wembley.
The Wrexham players were given an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas by the club’s Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney for achieving promotion, but attention quickly turns from Sin City to the fourth tier of English football.
Parkinson has a major summer on his hands to build and bolster his squad so that it’s capable of handling the sink-or-swim terrain of League Two football. The club’s top brass has made no secret of their desire to continue climbing the English ladder, so a major rebuild could be on the cards.
Ahead of what could be a very active window at the Racecourse Ground, the club have announced their release/retained list for the 2023/24 season, with eleven players being released from the books, five having their contracts extended, and two currently in talks over new deals.
Among those set to leave Wrexham are Ryan Austin, Kai Calderbank-Park, Malik Dijksteel, Reece Hall-Johnson, Jake Hyde, Harry Lennon, Rory Watson, Tom Jenkins, Dan Jones, Louis Lloyd and Will Mountfield.
The club have also confirmed they have extended the contracts of Scott Butler, Aaron James, Mark Howard, Anthony Forde and of course Paul Mullin, whose 47 goals in all competitions were invaluable as the club staved off threats from Notts County to clinch first.
Wrexham also confirmed that talks with veteran shot-stopper Ben Foster are set to take place as they look to retain his services for the 2023/24 campaign, while Liam McAlinden will be offered a new deal.
The decision to hand Kai Evans fresh terms has been delayed until he returns to training, while youngster Owen Cushion will be rewarded with his first professional contract.