George Mulholland
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| George Mulholland | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | George R Mulholland | |
| Date of birth | 4 August 1928 | |
| Place of birth | Ayr, Scotland | |
| Date of death | January 2002 (aged 73) | |
| Playing position | Full back | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1949–1953 1953–1960 1960–1963 1963–1966 |
Stoke City Bradford City Darlington Billingham Synthonia |
3 (0) 277 (0) 106 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
George R Mulholland (4 August 1928 – January 2002) was a Scottish professional footballer who played more than 400 games for league clubs Stoke City, Bradford City and Darlington.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Mulholland was born in Ayr, Scotland on 4 August 1928.[1] He moved to the Potteries with his family when he was aged two-years-old.[2] Mulholland served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War before he returned to the Stoke area.[2]
[edit] Football career
Mulholland signed for Stoke City as an amateur during the 1949–50 season initially as a forward. He became a full-time professional in July 1950 but made only three league appearances in three years and was signed by Bradford City manager Ivor Powell on a free transfer in July 1953.[1]
Mulholland was turned into a full back by Powell and handed his debut on 29 August 1953 against Chesterfield.[1] He played the remaining 43 games of the 1953–54 season as Bradford finished fifth in Division Three (North).[3] He was then an ever-present in the City side for the following four seasons, failing to miss a league or cup game for the club until he fractured his leg 12 minutes from the end of a game against Mansfield Town on 1 September 1958.[1] His run of 237 league games, and 246 in total, broke the club's record of consecutive appearances held by another full back Charlie Bicknell.[2] The run coincided with goalkeeper Geoff Smith, who played 200 consecutive league games between 1954 and 1958.[1] Mulholland returned to the side in November 1958, playing 22 during the 1958–59 season and a further 28 the following season.[2] During his stay at Bradford, he had just two partners at full back—Jock Whyte and Tommy Flockett.[1] He was renowned for his pace, and functions to defend and mark the opposition winger, and has been inaugurated into the club's hall of fame.[1]
In July 1960, Mulholland was given a free transfer to Darlington where he played another 106 league games, finishing his professional career with 386 league games but without scoring.[2] His time at Darlington also included a game in front of a club record crowd of 21,023 in a 2–1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers on 14 November 1960.[4] He retired from the professional ranks in 1963, and played for non-league side Billingham Synthonia before he retired three years later.[1]
[edit] Post-football career
Mulholland retired to Billingham, where he held a number of jobs, including at ICI, as a school teacher and an insurance agent. He died in January 2002 at the age of 73, after a four-year battle with cancer.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Markham, David (2007). The legends of Bradford City. Breedon Books Sport, pp. 136–137. ISBN 978-1-85983-572-2.
- ^ a b c d e Frost, Terry (1988). Bradford City A Complete Record 1903–1988. Breedon Books Sport, p. 125. ISBN 0907969380.
- ^ Frost. Bradford City A Complete Record 1903–1988, p. 249.
- ^ "Can we afford to lose 120 years of history?", Darlington & Stockton Times, 2004-01-27. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
