A Bluebird and a White

Last updated : 04 December 2008 By @pnemad

Footballers who have played league football for both PNE and Cardiff

A-M

753) Gareth Ainsworth

PNE 92 apps; 13 goals

Cardiff 9 apps; 0 goals 11/01/1992 v Shrewsbury (A) - Lost 0-2

250) Stan Davies

PNE 24 apps; 11 goals

Cardiff 13 apps; 2 goals

PNE debut 30/08/1919 v Blackburn (A) - Lost 0-4

602) Ron Healey

PNE 6 apps; 0 goals

Cardiff 216 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 11/12/1973 v Middlesbrough (A) - Lost 0-3

425) Jack Jennings

PNE 19 apps; 1 goal

Cardiff 94 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 26/09/1936 v Manchester United (H) - Won 3-1

679) Mick Martin

PNE 35 apps 0 goals

Cardiff 7 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 28/09/1985 v Hereford (H) - Won 2-0

648) Jimmy Mullen

PNE 1 app; 0 goals

Cardiff 133 apps; 12 goals

PNE debut 28/11/1981 v Oxford (A) - Lost 0-3

 

Player Profile - Jimmy Mullen

James "Jimmy" Mullen was born in Jarrow on 8 November 1952. Mullen started as an apprentice in July 1969 with Sheffield Wednesday and signed a professional contract in October 1970 staying for almost ten years.

Mullen made his first 6 appearances for the Second Division side in 1970/71 season and scored his first goal two seasons later. Mullen made 16 appearances in 1974/75 and saw Wednesday relegated to Division Three. The following season Mullen made 41 appearances as Wednesday just avoided relegation again by one point.

In June 1976 Mullen was appointed club captain and the 1977/78 season saw Mullen score 4 goals from 41 appearances, he was also runner-up in the club's player of the year award. Wednesday won promotion from Division Three in 1979/80 and left at the end of the season after making 229 league appearances and scoring 10 goals.

In August 1980 Mullen joined Rotherham and went one better by captaining the Millers to the Division Three title, scoring one goal from 43 appearances and was their player of the year, Mullen made a further 6 appearances in 1981/82.

In November 1981 Mullen was signed on loan by Tommy Docherty for Preston. His only appearance was in the number six shirt as the Lilywhites lost 3-0 at Oxford on 28 November.

In March 1982 Mullen joined Cardiff but his 12 appearances and one goal could not help Cardiff avoid relegation to Division Three. He was appointed captain in June 1982 and saw Cardiff make an instant return to Division Two as Cardiff finished runners-up to Portsmouth, Mullen scoring once in 39 appearances. June 1983 saw Mullen appointed as player-coach

Mullen only made 12 appearances in the 1983/84 season when following the resignation of Cardiff manager Len Ashurst in March 1984, Mullen and Assistant Manager Jimmy Goodfellow were appointed joint Caretaker Managers until the end of the 1983/84 season. His performances earned him a runners-up position in the player of the year award.

At the end of the season, Goodfellow was appointed as sole manager of the club but only lasted a further six months before being sacked.

Mullen continued as a player in 1984/85 and won the clubs' player of the year award, Alan Durban took over upon Goodfellow's sacking. He scored two penalties from 26 appearances as Cardiff was relegated to Division Three.

The 1985/86 season saw Mullen score 8 goals, all from the penalty spot in 44 league appearances as Cardiff suffered consecutive relegations, Durban was sacked, leaving them in the old Fourth Division, Mullen was appointed caretaker manager until the end of the season. Mullen was replaced by Frank Burrows in the summer of 1986 and he then moved on to near-neighbours Newport after making 133 appearances and 12 goals for Cardiff.

Mullen made 19 appearances for Newport in 1986/97 which saw Newport finish bottom of Division Three and Mullen's third consecutive relegation.

After being assistant manager to Ian Porterfield at Aberdeen from 1986 to 1988, in April 1989 Mullen was asked to take charge of Blackpool for the last five games of the season after the departure of Sam Ellis. With the help of Len Ashurst, he guided the Seasiders to four victories and avoided relegation and was rewarded to be given the job on a full-time basis.

But his stay only lasted eleven months before being replaced by Graham Carr; Mullen had won 15 and lost 21 of his 56 matches. One notable signing made by Mullen in his short stay at the seaside was a future Preston star David Eyres from non-league Rhyl.

In 1990/91, Mullen was offered and accepted the assistant-manager role at Burnley by manager Frank Casper. Casper resigned eight games into the 1991/92 season, and Mullen was put in temporary charge of team affairs.

Mullen managed to guide the Clarets to promotion in 1991/92 as Fourth Division champions. He won the Barclays Bank manager of the month award in November 1991 after nine consecutive wins taking the Clarets from 14th in October to top in December. They reached the Autoglass Final in April 1992 and Mullen won the Fourth Division Manager of the Year award.

His success continued in 1993/94 as although Burnley finished sixth, 15 points behind second place Port Vale they won promotion to the First Division via the play-offs, and Mullen's hero-like status was confirmed.

His fourth season at the Turf would prove a difficult one. Mullen survived eight consecutive defeats in the New Year of 1995, but it resulted in the Clarets returning to Division Two.

After another unsuccessful 1995/96 season, Mullen was given the sack by the Burnley board after 249 matches in which Burnley won 97 and list 85. He subsequently had short spells scouting for the likes Bolton and Wrexham

He then took over at Irish side Sligo Rovers during the 1996-1997 campaign and stayed until the end of the season before departing for family reasons and began to work for the Welsh FA while assisting Neville Southall with the Welsh under-19s.

Mullen later managed non-league clubs Colwyn Bay, Market Drayton, Telford and Bromsgrove Rovers from which he resigned in 2006 until his resignation in 2006.

In May 2007, Mullen was appointed the assistant manager of Hednesford Town an on 28 September 2007, it was announced that Mullen had joined the backroom staff at Walsall.

In April, 2008, he was appointed caretaker manager of Walsall following Richard Money's resignation and took over full time on 22 May 2008.