# Jimmy Mullen (footballer, born 1923)

James Mullen (6 January 1923 – 23 October 1987) was an English international footballer who played as an outside left.
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

Mullen 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
### Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | Europe | Europe | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1938–39 | First Division | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 10 | 0 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1945–46 | First Division | – | – | 4 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 4 | 1 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1946–47 | First Division | 38 | 11 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 38 | 11 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1947–48 | First Division | 34 | 8 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 37 | 10 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1948–49 | First Division | 38 | 12 | 7 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 45 | 15 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1949–50 | First Division | 40 | 10 | 6 | 1 | – | – | 1 | 0 | 47 | 11 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1950–51 | First Division | 31 | 5 | 6 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 37 | 6 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1951–52 | First Division | 40 | 11 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – | 43 | 14 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1952–53 | First Division | 41 | 11 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 42 | 11 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1953–54 | First Division | 38 | 7 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 39 | 7 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1954–55 | First Division | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 17 | 5 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1955–56 | First Division | 36 | 7 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 37 | 7 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1956–57 | First Division | 30 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | 32 | 4 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1957–58 | First Division | 38 | 4 | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | – | 42 | 6 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1958–59 | First Division | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 4 |
| Career total | Career total | 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

## International

Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| England | 1947 | 1 | 0 |
| England | 1949 | 2 | 1 |
| England | 1950 | 3 | 1 |
| England | 1953 | 3 | 2 |
| England | 1954 | 3 | 2 |
| Total | Total | 12 | 6 |
    Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mullen goal.
List of international goals scored by Jimmy Mullen :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 18 May 1949 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway | Norway | 1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 18 May 1950 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | Belgium | 1–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 21 October 1953 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | FIFA World XI | 2–3 | 4–4 | Friendly |
| 4 | 21 October 1953 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | FIFA World XI | 3–3 | 4–4 | Friendly |
| 5 | 3 April 1954 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | Scotland | 4–1 | 4–2 | 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 20 June 1954 | Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland | Switzerland | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1954 FIFA World Cup |

## Honours

Wolverhampton Wanderers
* First Division: 1953–54, 1957–58, 1958–59; runners-up:1938–39, 1949–50, 1954–55
* FA Cup: 1949
* FA Charity Shield: 1949 (Shared)