James Mullen (6 January 1923 – 23 October 1987) was an English international footballer who played as an outside left.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Mullen | ||
| Date of birth | 6 January 1923 | ||
| Place of birth | Newcastle upon Tyne, England | ||
| Date of death | 23 October 1987 (aged 64) | ||
| Place of death | Wolverhampton, England | ||
| Position(s) | Outside left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Newcastle Boys | |||
| Northumberland Boys | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1937–1960 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 445 | (98) |
| International career | |||
| 1947–1954 | England | 12 | (6) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mullen spent his whole career at Wolverhampton Wanderers where he won three English Football League championships and the FA Cup. He also represented the England national team at both the 1950 and 1954 World Cup.
Career
editMullen joined the Midlanders in June 1937, turned professional on his 17th birthday, and remained with the club until his retirement in May 1960. His league debut came in February 1939, in a 4–1 win over Leeds United. He made 488 appearances in total, scoring 112 goals, helping the club win their only three league titles (1953–54, 1957–58 and 1958–59) as well as the FA Cup in 1949.
He also played for England, earning 12 caps. He became England's first ever substitute in an international on 18 May 1950, scoring against Belgium at Heysel Stadium in a 4–1 win. He also played in the 1950 FIFA World Cup and the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He scored 6 goals, including in the 1954 World Cup against Switzerland.
During wartime, he served as a soldier in the Army from 1942 onward, based at Farnborough, Catterick and Barnard Castle. After retiring from football, he ran a sports shop in Wolverhampton until shortly before his death.
He died at the age of 64
Career statistics
edit| Club | Season[a] | League | FA Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1938–39 | First Division | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | ||
| 1945–46 | – | 4 | 1 | – | – | 4 | 1 | |||||
| 1946–47 | 38 | 11 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 11 | ||||
| 1947–48 | 34 | 8 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 37 | 10 | ||||
| 1948–49 | 38 | 12 | 7 | 3 | – | – | 45 | 15 | ||||
| 1949–50 | 40 | 10 | 6 | 1 | – | 1[b] | 0 | 47 | 11 | |||
| 1950–51 | 31 | 5 | 6 | 1 | – | – | 37 | 6 | ||||
| 1951–52 | 40 | 11 | 3 | 3 | – | – | 43 | 14 | ||||
| 1952–53 | 41 | 11 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 42 | 11 | ||||
| 1953–54 | 38 | 7 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 39 | 7 | ||||
| 1954–55 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 5 | ||||
| 1955–56 | 36 | 7 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 37 | 7 | ||||
| 1956–57 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 32 | 4 | ||||
| 1957–58 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 2 | – | – | 42 | 6 | ||||
| 1958–59 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 18 | 4 | |||
| Career total | 445 | 98 | 40 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 488 | 112 | ||
- ^ Mullen also appeared in wartime games, scoring goals
- ^ Appearance in FA Charity Shield
Honours
editWolverhampton Wanderers[7]
References
edit- ^ "MRL 1939-1940". Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- ^ "Football League (South) 1941/1942". www.wolves-stats.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011.
- ^ "Football League (North) 1942-1943". www.wolves-stats.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
- ^ "Football League (North) 1943-1944". www.wolves-stats.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
- ^ "Football League (North) 1944-1945". www.wolves-stats.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
- ^ "Football League (South) 1945-1946". www.wolves-stats.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
- ^ "STICS: Jimmy Mullen (Footballer born 1923)". stics.mpi-inf.mpg.de. Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "1949/50 Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
External links
edit- Official Wolves profile Archived 10 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- Wolves Heroes