The September sunshine that left the Racecourse Ground roasting in temperatures more akin to the Caribbean than north Wales felt appropriate.

A week that yielded not only a trio of victories for Wrexham but also the return of Paul Mullin means the season is suddenly hotting up after a stuttering start to life back in the EFL.

Phil Parkinson’s side sit seventh in the table — not quite yet justifying the bookmakers’ faith in making the National League champions clear title favourites before a ball had been kicked, but certainly a big step-up from a team who conceded five times at home against both MK Dons and Swindon Town during the opening fortnight.

“We would have taken where we are in the league after this first run of games,” said Parkinson when asked about his side occupying the final play-off place. “We are feeling our way into the division. We had a couple of crazy games early on.

“But we regrouped as a team. We analysed what we needed to do. One thing you can never doubt is the spirit in the camp. Everyone has pulled together and it has made us stronger.”

Elliot Lee’s late winner against Doncaster Rovers sent the vast majority of another capacity crowd home happy. But it was surely Mullin’s unexpected return to action after six weeks out with a collapsed lung and four broken ribs that gladdened Wrexham hearts the most.

The 28-year-old had been missed. Not necessarily in terms of goals scored, with Wrexham’s tally of 15 going into the weekend being the joint highest in League Two. But plenty of chances had gone begging in his absence from the six-yard box, including in the 1-0 wins over Tranmere Rovers and Newcastle United Under-21s that had preceded Doncaster’s visit.

In those two league and EFL Trophy games, Wrexham’s expected goals (xG) stood at 5.54, according to Wyscout. An inability to finish from close range — Mullin’s speciality since his arrival a little under two years ago on a free transfer from Cambridge United — had been a factor.

The roar that greeted Mullin being brought off the bench just before the hour told its own story. And while he looked largely rusty in much of what followed, the Liverpudlian’s introduction still made a big difference with Doncaster’s defence immediately starting to drop deeper.

This may have been a subconscious reaction to suddenly being up against a striker with 79 goals in 97 appearances. Or it may have been an order from manager Grant McCann, whose immediate response to Mullin’s arrival was to switch Owen Bailey from right back to centre-half in place of the already booked Joseph Oluwu.

Either way, it underlined how the striker’s mere presence can unsettle opposition teams even before he touches the ball.

Having Mullin back is great news for Wrexham, a point not lost on captain Luke Young. “You felt the crowd lift (when Mullin came on),” he says. “The reaction was almost like we had scored a goal. He is such an important player to us. It lifted us as players on the pitch.”

Mullin’s return, together with Steven Fletcher’s impressive cameo on debut in the closing stages after a summer spent training with recently retired former Scotland team-mate Charlie Mulgrew, ensured a happy ending to what had been a week for difficult decisions on Parkinson’s part.

EFL rules that stipulate all League Two clubs must name a 22-man squad (goalkeepers and under-21s are exempt) following the closure of the transfer window were at the root of his headache.

For Wrexham, this meant having to disappoint a trio of senior players in Callum McFadzean, Billy Waters and Bryce Hosannah.

With loan transfers to National League clubs forbidden due to Wrexham playing under the auspices of the Football Association of Wales, all three face a miserable few months with any appearances restricted to FA Cup or EFL Trophy games.

Clarification is being sought as to whether any loans can be made to the Cymru Premier, but even that would be a crumb of comfort considering the drop in standards.

No wonder Parkinson is far from a fan of the current EFL regulations, which came into force in 2020.

“If clubs want to run with bigger squads,” he says, “that’s their business. There are already restrictions that come with Financial Fair Play over what you can spend. Why have this as well? I’m not a big fan at all. I just don’t understand the logic.”

Wrexham’s squad list (above, with under-21 players in yellow) had to be submitted by noon last Wednesday. Even allowing for how Parkinson is now denied the use of three senior players, it shone a light on the club’s considerable strength in depth.

A minimum of eight must be homegrown — EFL rules defining this as players who have, irrespective of nationality or age, been registered with any club in England or Wales for 36 months, continuous or not, before their 21st birthday.

Wrexham boast 18, Fletcher the last to be added on Friday after a space was left open for a free agent following the deadline day collapse of Luke Armstrong’s record move from Harrogate Town.

The arrival of the 36-year-old also means there’s no shortage of experience, with the squad now boasting an average age of 27 years and three months — the joint third highest in the fourth tier with Notts County, according to Transfermarkt. Only Sutton United (28.7) and Mansfield Town (27.8) have a higher average age.

As the squad graphic illustrates, Wrexham are well covered across the park, as underlined by how Parkinson was able to juggle his resources against Doncaster despite being without a trio of defenders in James McClean (international duty), Jacob Mendy (hamstring) and Anthony Forde (Achilles).

Aaron Hayden then limped out of the action just after the half-hour to further compound matters, with Max Cleworth — the only one of the seven under-21 players exempt from the EFL regulations with first-team experience — coming off the bench.

“I am happy with the squad,” says Parkinson. “We have cover. Look at today and the players who could have played left wing back but were unavailable.

“To still get a win and find a solution like we did was a tribute to the strength of the squad.”