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John Mulhall (footballer)

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John Mulhall
Personal information
Date of birth (1902-10-03)3 October 1902[1]
Place of birth Dykehead, Shotts,[1] Scotland
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[2]
Position(s) Inside right
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
19??–1924 Cleland Juniors
1924 Burnley 0 (0)
1924 Dykehead
1924–1925 Brighton & Hove Albion 2 (0)
1925–1926 Falkirk
1926–192? Dykehead
192?–1928 Fauldhouse United
1928–1929 Bethlehem Steel 12 (5)
1928 → Newark Skeeters (loan) 6 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Mulhall (3 October 1902 – after 1929) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as an inside right in the Scottish League for Dykehead and Falkirk, in the English Football League for Brighton & Hove Albion, and in the Eastern Professional Soccer League for Bethlehem Steel and Newark Skeeters.

Life and career

Mulhall was born in the Dykehead area of Shotts, North Lanarkshire, in 1902.[1] By the early 1920s, he was playing football for Cleland Juniors of the Lanarkshire League, and in August 1923, the Motherwell Times claimed that "few inside rights in the county [could] compare with John Mulhall, of Cleland Juniors, whose tricks are many and varied."[3] That December, he went to try his luck in England with First Division club Burnley.[4] Though impressing in their reserve team,[2] he was unable to break through to the senior side and was given a free transfer.[5]

He returned to Scotland with Dykehead of the Third Division. In October, an offer from Division One club Falkirk for Mulhall's services was rejected "as neither the club nor the player wished any change."[6] There was also interest from other league clubs including Morton, and the Sunday Post called him "the most-wanted man in Third League football" and reported that comparisons had been made with Bobby Walker,[7] the quick-footed former Hearts and Scotland forward.[8] Within weeks, Mulhall decided he did wish a change after all and was back in England on trial with Brighton and Hove Albion of the Third Division South.[7]

Brighton signed Mulhall for a fee of £225,[1] of which a portion went to the player.[9] He made his debut on 6 December 1924 in a goalless draw with Reading, appeared once more in another goalless draw, and was placed in the reserves. After five goals in his first two outings, he faded; reported to be suffering "acute homesickness", he returned to Scotland.[1] He joined Falkirk ahead of the 1925–26 season,[10] and "played his way into the first eleven",[11] but was not retained. According to the Falkirk Herald, some would find his departure a matter for regret, as "he played many fine games for Falkirk last season, but his lack of inches was a handicap and sometimes he was inclined to spoil good work by clinging too long to the ball."[12]

Mulhall returned to Dykehead for the 1926–27 season in the Scottish Football Alliance, the Third Division having folded,[13] and then spent time with Fauldhouse United of the Scottish Intermediate League.[14][15]

In August 1928, Mulhall went to the United States where he signed for Bethlehem Steel, who were then playing in the American Soccer League (ASL).[15] He played just once[16] before his club left the ASL and became a founder member of the breakaway Eastern Professional Soccer League (ESL) in a dispute over jurisdiction, dubbed the Soccer War.[17] After two appearances in the new league, Mulhall was loaned to another ESL team, Newark Skeeters, for which he played six matches and scored once before being recalled.[16][18] A dislocated arm kept him out for some weeks, and he finished the season with five goals from eleven ESL matches.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Carder, Tim; Harris, Roger (1997). Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Hove: Goldstone Books. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-9521337-1-1.
  2. ^ a b "Scottish inside-right for Burnley". Lancashire Daily Post. 19 January 1924. p. 6.
  3. ^ "Notes and Pars". Motherwell Times. 31 August 1923. p. 7.
  4. ^ "Interesting items". Burnley Express. 29 December 1923. p. 4. Burnley have signed a Scottish junior inside-right named Mulhall, who has been playing with Cleland, a Lanarkshire junior team. He is on the small side, and played his first game on Christmas Day in the Burnley Reserve team.
  5. ^ "Mainly about players". Lancashire Daily Post. 19 September 1925. p. 7.
  6. ^ "Dundee juniors suspended". Courier and Argus. Dundee. 11 October 1924. p. 11.
  7. ^ a b "Mulhall goes". Sunday Post. Glasgow. 23 November 1924. p. 12. The most-wanted man in Third League football this season has been John Mulhall, inside right, who has been dubbed a second Bobby Walker. Mulhall has now gone on trial to Brighton and Hove Albion, notwithstanding numerous offers from Scottish clubs, notably Falkirk and Morton.
  8. ^ Pattullo, Alan (11 November 2013). "Football Hall of Fame: Bobby Walker inducted". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Dundee's left back honoured". Evening Telegraph. Dundee. 5 February 1925. p. 11. Permission has been granted Dykehead and Falkirk to pay a share of the transfer fee to J. Mulhall and Syd Puddefoot respectively.
  10. ^ "Falkirk yesterday secured the transfer". Sunday Post. Glasgow. 9 August 1925. p. 12.
  11. ^ "'Bairns' at Brockville". Falkirk Herald. 3 March 1926. p. 4.
  12. ^ "The forward problem". Falkirk Herald. 7 August 1926. p. 12.
  13. ^ "Stirlingshire Junior F.A.". Falkirk Herald. 4 September 1926. p. 8. Johnny Mulhall is playing for Dykehead again, which, to say the least, puts new enthusiasm into some of the Parkside followers.
  14. ^ "Ashfield, 0. Fauldhouse Un., 0". Sunday Post. Glasgow. 3 June 1928. p. 20. There was a fine little chap named Mulhall acting as backer-up to Ross. I saw Mulhall last in a Falkirk jersey at Brockville Park. But for the greater experience and skill of Patsy Gallacher and John Hunter, Mulhall might still be wearing the dark blue.
  15. ^ a b "Players signed to bolster soccer team". The Globe. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 23 August 1928. Retrieved 21 March 2019 – via BethlehemSteelSoccer.org. Mulhall, who plays either right or left inside, formerly played with Falkirk, Scottish League first division team and last year was with Fauldhouse United, of the Intermediate League.
  16. ^ a b "Mulhall: all games". SoccerStats.us. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  17. ^ Litterer, David (4 February 2006). "The Year in American Soccer – 1929". The American Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Bethlehem booters taste first defeat". The Globe-Times. Bethlehem. 3 December 1928. Retrieved 21 March 2019 – via BethlehemSteelSoccer.org.
  19. ^ "Bethlehem crippled wins and loses game. Hangs up fourth straight victory over Hakoah here but lost to Giants". The Globe-Times. Bethlehem. 24 December 1928. Retrieved 20 March 2019 – via BethlehemSteelSoccer.org.
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