Jimmy Mullen
Posted on: Wed 17 Nov 2004
One of the most talented and popular Geordie's ever to grace Wolverhampton town was one James Mullen. Born in Newcastle-on-Tyne on the 6th January, 1923, he was to thrill crowds at Molineux in a career which lasted for twenty years. Jimmy enjoyed his soccer from his early childhood days playing at his schools, St. Mary's Juniors and then St Aloysius R.C. He went on to play for Newcastle Boys and Northumberland Boys spending any spare time he had at St James Park watching his heroes, Newcastle United.
It looked as if Jimmy would sign for his hometown club until one of his teachers advised him of Wolves potential and the excellent youth policy run by then manager, Major Frank Buckley. So the young north easterner moved to Wolverhampton in 1937, the same year as he won a cap playing for England Schoolboys. Among the young lads on the groundstaff at the time was a certain William Ambrose Wright.
Jimmy's first team debut came just after his sixteenth birthday. He wore the number seven shirt in a 4-1 victory over Leeds United in February, 1939. After just five minutes of the game his cross was headed home by Dennis Wescott. He was to play a further seven league games that season and two in the FA Cup including the semi-final against Grimsby Town when 76,962 (a record attendance) packed into Old Trafford to watch Wolves demolish the Mariners by 5-0. Jimmy didn't make the Final team that, unexpectedly, lost to Portsmouth.
During the war Jimmy and Billy Wright spent a season with Leicester City as guests before moving back to Molineux where the young Mullen scored 27 goals in 87 outings in wartime football. He also spent a short time with Darlington as well as serving at Farnborough, Catterick and Bamard Castle, Durham after his army call up in 1942.
When peacetime soccer resume in 1946, Jimmy only missed four league games in that first season, scoring 11 goals along the way. Having already gained three England caps in wartime football against Wales (twice) and Belgium, he was picked for a full international against Scotland at Wembley in April, 1947. He was selected again to face France but was withdrawn from the party by Wolves who wanted him to play against Portsmouth in a League match. It was to be another two years before Jimmy regained his England shirt.
The seasons rolled by and Jimmy, along with his fellow winger Johnny Hancocks, continued to cause havoc for defences throughout the First Division. He won his first domestic honour as a member of the Wolves side which beat Leicester City at Wembley in the 1949 FA Cup Final. After playing in England's victories over Norway and France that year, he created history in May, 1950, when he became England's first ever substitute in an international against Belgium in the Heysel Stadium.
He was chosen for the party for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil and he played in the victory over Chile and the disastrous defeat against the American's in Belo Horizonte. Back on the domestic front Jimmy missed only four games in the Championship winning season of 1953 /54 scoring seven goals. In 1953 and 1954 he won six more caps bringing his total to 12. His last England appearance was against the Swiss in Berne in the 1954 World Cup.
He played his part in the famous Wolves floodlit games and won further Championship medals with the 1957/58 and 1958/59 teams. When he walked off the pitch in March, 1959, after the home draw with Spurs, no one could have realised that this would be the last time they would see the popular winger in a first team game. He stayed at the club for the following season but wasn't chosen again and he retired at the end of the term.
Jimmy was granted a testimonial by Wolves, which he shared with Billy Wright in 1962. He then opened a sports shop in the town and he ran that until his retirement in 1987. Sadly, just a year later, Jimmy died, leaving the town, and football in general, mourning the man known as Gentleman Jim - a title which applied both on the pitch, and off it.
WOLVES PLAYING CAREER 1938-1959
League Appearances 445 Goals 98
FA Cup Appearances 38 Goals 14
Other Appearances 3
TOTAL APPEARANCES 486 GOALS 112
It looked as if Jimmy would sign for his hometown club until one of his teachers advised him of Wolves potential and the excellent youth policy run by then manager, Major Frank Buckley. So the young north easterner moved to Wolverhampton in 1937, the same year as he won a cap playing for England Schoolboys. Among the young lads on the groundstaff at the time was a certain William Ambrose Wright.
Jimmy's first team debut came just after his sixteenth birthday. He wore the number seven shirt in a 4-1 victory over Leeds United in February, 1939. After just five minutes of the game his cross was headed home by Dennis Wescott. He was to play a further seven league games that season and two in the FA Cup including the semi-final against Grimsby Town when 76,962 (a record attendance) packed into Old Trafford to watch Wolves demolish the Mariners by 5-0. Jimmy didn't make the Final team that, unexpectedly, lost to Portsmouth.
During the war Jimmy and Billy Wright spent a season with Leicester City as guests before moving back to Molineux where the young Mullen scored 27 goals in 87 outings in wartime football. He also spent a short time with Darlington as well as serving at Farnborough, Catterick and Bamard Castle, Durham after his army call up in 1942.
When peacetime soccer resume in 1946, Jimmy only missed four league games in that first season, scoring 11 goals along the way. Having already gained three England caps in wartime football against Wales (twice) and Belgium, he was picked for a full international against Scotland at Wembley in April, 1947. He was selected again to face France but was withdrawn from the party by Wolves who wanted him to play against Portsmouth in a League match. It was to be another two years before Jimmy regained his England shirt.
The seasons rolled by and Jimmy, along with his fellow winger Johnny Hancocks, continued to cause havoc for defences throughout the First Division. He won his first domestic honour as a member of the Wolves side which beat Leicester City at Wembley in the 1949 FA Cup Final. After playing in England's victories over Norway and France that year, he created history in May, 1950, when he became England's first ever substitute in an international against Belgium in the Heysel Stadium.
He was chosen for the party for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil and he played in the victory over Chile and the disastrous defeat against the American's in Belo Horizonte. Back on the domestic front Jimmy missed only four games in the Championship winning season of 1953 /54 scoring seven goals. In 1953 and 1954 he won six more caps bringing his total to 12. His last England appearance was against the Swiss in Berne in the 1954 World Cup.
He played his part in the famous Wolves floodlit games and won further Championship medals with the 1957/58 and 1958/59 teams. When he walked off the pitch in March, 1959, after the home draw with Spurs, no one could have realised that this would be the last time they would see the popular winger in a first team game. He stayed at the club for the following season but wasn't chosen again and he retired at the end of the term.
Jimmy was granted a testimonial by Wolves, which he shared with Billy Wright in 1962. He then opened a sports shop in the town and he ran that until his retirement in 1987. Sadly, just a year later, Jimmy died, leaving the town, and football in general, mourning the man known as Gentleman Jim - a title which applied both on the pitch, and off it.
WOLVES PLAYING CAREER 1938-1959
League Appearances 445 Goals 98
FA Cup Appearances 38 Goals 14
Other Appearances 3
TOTAL APPEARANCES 486 GOALS 112
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