Mullin: I'd love to face Accrington Stanley at Wembley (From This Is Lancashire)

Mullin: I'd love to face Accrington Stanley at Wembley

10:00am Saturday 26th December 2009

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PAUL Mullin is looking forward to the day when he finally gets to say a proper farewell to Accrington Stanley supporters in his testimonial match, but first he has a dream.

It ends with Mullin fulfilling his lifelong ambition to play at Wembley.

The game is on May 30, 2010. It is the League Two play-off final: Morecambe v Stanley.

Providing the Christie Park pitch passes an 11am pitch inspection, the 35-year-old Stanley legend will face his old club for the first time this afternoon.

And, with both Accrington and his new team Morecambe currently challenging for the play-off places, he would dearly love the two sides to meet under the giant arch in a promotion decider at the end of the season.

“That would be superb, but there’s a long way to go before we can start thinking about that,” said the striker.

“Both Morecambe and Accrington are small clubs punching above their weight to a degree and it’s good to see that.

“Hopefully if we can be there or thereabouts in March or April, we can start thinking about Wembley.”

Despite being a veteran of more than 450 appearances and almost 200 goals in nine years at Stanley, Mullin was allowed to leave for a nominal fee in late August because the Reds’ financial crisis was such that they desperately needed their highest earner off the wage bill.

For a mild-mannered figure, he was noticeably agitated when he spoke to the Lancashire Telegraph earlier that month.

The manner of his departure, and the events of the months leading up to it, clearly hurt.

He had already been awarded a testimonial when, with the club’s money problems worsening, he was loaned out to Bradford at the end of last season.

When he returned he was put on the transfer list, but firm approaches were not forthcoming.

He asked to be taken off the transfer list, and his request was granted on the opening day of the current campaign.

But he was significantly overlooked for the captaincy when Peter Cavanagh was banned from football and two weeks later he was gone – joining Morecambe after turning down a loan move to another club.

The only alternative – to insist on staying and risk being unfairly blamed for Stanley going out of business, just as Mike Ferguson was in 1962 – did not sit well with him.

“It was hard to leave but the writing was on the wall once I went to Bradford on loan really,” says Mullin now.

“It would have been difficult for me to stay and I just felt uncomfortable about the whole situation.

“The week before I went to Morecambe, the club came to me with a move on loan but it was just a bit too far away.

“I never asked to leave but I felt I had no choice in the end.

“But thankfully it does look like the club’s financial situation has improved now and as it turns out the move has worked out well for both parties.

“It’s been a fresh start for me and I’ve still got my benefit game at Accrington, which will give me a chance to say goodbye to everyone.

“I don’t know when that game will be yet, but that will be nice.”

Mullin’s seven goals for Morecambe this season – including one in Sol Campbell’s only appearance for Notts County – have aided the Shrimps’ rise to seventh.

But he knows helping Morecambe to their first win over Stanley in six meetings will be more important than a goal this afternoon, with the game between two of the divisions form team taking the guise of a six-pointer.

And he hopes he will finally get the chance to play against brother John for the first time in his career, something that added a certain spice to Christmas in the Mullin household yesterday.

Paul’s younger sibling is yet to feature for Stanley this season but is likely to be on the bench after returning from an ankle operation.

“John did play against Accrington for Rotherham about three years ago, but I was injured so that was a shame,” recalled Paul.

“John says his ankle is feeling better than ever now, so hopefully he will get a chance to come on while I’m on the pitch. It would be nice to play against him before we both hang up our boots.

“My mum and dad will be coming to the game and they won’t know what to do if a goal goes in.

“But I don’t feel it’s key for me to score because I have nothing to prove. I was there long enough.

“The important thing is that we get the right result.”

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