# Ollie Palmer
**Ollie Palmer** (Oliver James Palmer, born 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a center-forward for Swindon Town. He is best known for his three-and-a-half-year spell at Wrexham, where he was a club record signing, scored 46 competitive goals, and was part of the squad that won three consecutive promotions from the [National League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-league) to the Championship.[1](https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=3732) • [2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9qyr3v5r87o)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Oliver James Palmer, 1992; height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[1](https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=3732) • [3](https://www.transfermarkt.com/ollie-palmer/profil/spieler/282256) |
| Position | Centre-forward; right-footed[3](https://www.transfermarkt.com/ollie-palmer/profil/spieler/282256) |
| Wrexham career | January 24, 2022 to August 28, 2025; 156 first-team competitive appearances, 46 goals[1](https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=3732) |
| Record fee | Club record signing from AFC Wimbledon, with the Dons confirming a £300,000 fee[1](https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=3732) |
| Promotions | Three consecutive promotions with Wrexham, from the National League to the Championship[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9qyr3v5r87o) |
| Current club | Swindon Town, joined August 29, 2025 on a two-year deal[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9qyr3v5r87o) |
| Career breadth | More than 500 games in English football across clubs including Luton Town, Leyton Orient, Crawley Town, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Grimsby Town, and AFC Wimbledon[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9qyr3v5r87o) |
## Early career
Palmer's career has been a long journey through the lower divisions of English football. His clubs include Luton Town, Leyton Orient, Crawley Town, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Grimsby Town, AFC Wimbledon, Boreham Wood, Havant & [Waterlooville](https://www.edgepedia.org/waterlooville), St Albans City, Swindon Town, and Woking.[1](https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=3732) • [2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9qyr3v5r87o)
## Wrexham, 2022 to 2025
**The move.** Palmer joined Wrexham from [AFC Wimbledon](https://www.edgepedia.org/afc-wimbledon) in January 2022, in a transfer the Dons confirmed as a £300,000 fee, a club record for Wrexham.[1](https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=3732) He later said the decision was a gamble: he was playing in League One close to home, his agent was unsure, and the club was not yet what it became. After speaking with manager [Phil Parkinson](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-parkinson) about the vision for the club, he called it the best decision he had made in his career.[4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13523803/efl-stories-a-wembley-hero-the-unlikely-loanee-and-a-wrexham-icon)
**On the pitch.** He scored on his debut, a 1-0 National League win over Grimsby Town on January 25, 2022, and scored again in his final appearance in August 2025.[1](https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=3732) • [4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13523803/efl-stories-a-wembley-hero-the-unlikely-loanee-and-a-wrexham-icon) Across the spell he made 156 first-team competitive appearances and scored 46 goals, including 17 in the [2022-23 National League](https://www.edgepedia.org/2022-23-national-league) title season.[1](https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=3732) The BBC gives his Wrexham total as 44 goals in 150 appearances; the club archive's 156 and 46 include additional cup competitions.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9qyr3v5r87o) • [1](https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=3732)
His most dramatic Wrexham moment came on August 12, 2025, in the first round of the English League Cup against Hull City. Wrexham trailed 3-1 at the start of stoppage time when Palmer, on as a 69th-minute substitute, scored two headers in the space of a minute to make it 3-3, then converted a penalty in the 5-3 shootout win.[5](https://apnews.com/article/c1bba0aba707d50982bc10b20aefac70)
**Falling down the pecking order.** Despite a leading role in the documentary, Palmer had fallen down the order of strikers over his final two seasons at the club.[5](https://apnews.com/article/c1bba0aba707d50982bc10b20aefac70) In the 2024-25 league season he averaged 0.1 goals per 90 minutes, and his last league outing of that campaign came against Port Vale in early February.[6](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cvgpzvzdm18o) • [7](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c62wl1096dyo)
## Departure and Swindon Town
Wrexham announced on August 29, 2025 that an agreement had been reached for Palmer to depart by mutual consent, describing an "historic three-and-a-half-year association" with the club. Swindon Town signed him on a two-year deal the same day, moving after striker Harry Smith ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Barnet on August 19.[2](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9qyr3v5r87o) The Wrexham Insider reported the move as a free transfer, with Palmer's scoring form improving afterward.[8](https://www.thewrexhaminsider.com/news/how-ollie-palmer-rates-vs-every-wrexham-striker-after-five-goals-in-eight-this-season/)
## Life beyond the pitch
Palmer's profile grew far beyond the lower leagues through the "Welcome to Wrexham" documentary, in which he played a leading role, and through the club's 2021 takeover by [Ryan Reynolds](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-reynolds) and [Rob McElhenney](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-mcelhenney).[5](https://apnews.com/article/c1bba0aba707d50982bc10b20aefac70) He has said the experience changed his life and shaped him as a person, deepening his involvement in the community.[4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13523803/efl-stories-a-wembley-hero-the-unlikely-loanee-and-a-wrexham-icon) His off-field ventures include a Wrexham clothing brand, a worldwide following, and a cameo in the latest Deadpool movie.[4](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13523803/efl-stories-a-wembley-hero-the-unlikely-loanee-and-a-wrexham-icon) After leaving the club he continued to work with Wrexham as a Club Ambassador.[9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy4PJHGi2kM)
## References
1. [Ollie Palmer Player Profile, Wrexham AFC Archive](https://www.wrexhamafcarchive.co.uk/player.php?id=3732)
2. [Swindon sign Wrexham striker Palmer, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c9qyr3v5r87o)
3. [Ollie Palmer player profile, Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.com/ollie-palmer/profil/spieler/282256)
4. [EFL stories: A Wembley hero, the unlikely loanee and a Wrexham icon, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13523803/efl-stories-a-wembley-hero-the-unlikely-loanee-and-a-wrexham-icon)
5. [Wrexham pulls off dramatic late recovery to advance in League Cup on penalties, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/c1bba0aba707d50982bc10b20aefac70)
6. [Which strikers should lead the line for Wrexham?, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cvgpzvzdm18o)
7. [Wrexham: Ollie Palmer digs deep to experience 'emotional night', BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c62wl1096dyo)
8. [How Ollie Palmer rates vs every Wrexham striker, The Wrexham Insider](https://www.thewrexhaminsider.com/news/how-ollie-palmer-rates-vs-every-wrexham-striker-after-five-goals-in-eight-this-season/)
9. [INTERVIEW | Ollie Palmer reflects on his Wrexham career and work as a Club Ambassador, Wrexham AFC on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy4PJHGi2kM)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of the British Isles (modern era) › English footballers 2015–present › Forwards and strikers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license