Mick Hulligan

Mick Hulligan
Personal information
Full name Michael John Hulligan[1]
Date of birth (1923-02-28)28 February 1923
Place of birth Liverpool, England[1]
Date of death 12 September 1978(1978-09-12) (aged 55)[1]
Place of death Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, England[1]
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
Liverpool
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948–1955 Port Vale 197 (22)
Northwich Victoria
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Michael John Hulligan (28 February 1923 – 12 September 1978) was an English footballer. In a seven-year career in the Football League with Port Vale, he made 209 league and cup appearances and scored 23 goals. He helped the club to win the Third Division North title in 1953–54.

Career

Hulligan played for Liverpool before he and Stan Palk joined Port Vale in July 1948 for what was, at the time, a club record combined transfer fee of £10,000.[1] He impressed manager Gordon Hodgson, who subsequently sold wing rival Walter Keeley.[1] He scored his first senior goal on 23 August 1948, in a 3–0 win over Reading at The Old Recreation Ground.[1] However, he broke his ankle the following month, causing him to miss much of the season.[1] He nevertheless hit five goals in 28 Third Division South games in 1948–49.[1] He scored twice in 42 appearances in 1949–50, and was an ever-present for the 50 game 1950–51 season – the first to be played at the newly built Vale Park.[1]

Hulligan scored four goals in 38 games in 1951–52 and four goals in 45 games in 1952–53, as he was a key part of Freddie Steele's squad that finished second in the Third Division North.[1] However, he lost his first-team place however, in August 1953, and played just five league games of the club's highly successful 1953–54 campaign, missing out on the "Valiants" run to the FA Cup semi-finals.[1] He featured just once in the Second Division in 1954–55. He was transferred to non-League side Northwich Victoria in July 1955.[1]

Career statistics

Source:[2]

Club Season Division League FA Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Port Vale 1948–49 Third Division South 28 5 0 0 28 5
1949–50 Third Division South 38 2 4 0 42 2
1950–51 Third Division South 46 7 4 1 50 8
1951–52 Third Division South 37 4 1 0 38 4
1952–53 Third Division North 42 4 2 0 44 4
1953–54 Third Division North 5 0 0 0 5 0
1954–55 Second Division 1 0 0 0 1 0
Total 197 22 11 1 208 23

Honours

Port Vale

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 146. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. ^ Mick Hulligan at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  3. ^ Sherwin, Phil; Askey, Steve (2013), Men of Steele: The story of Port Vale's stunning 1953/54 season, Pass Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9926579-1-8