| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Albert Thomas Mullard | ||
| Date of birth | 22 November 1920 | ||
| Place of birth | Tamworth, England | ||
| Date of death | 27 May 1984 (aged 63) | ||
| Place of death | Bilston, England | ||
| Playing position | Right-half/Inside-forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Hinckley United | ? | (?) | |
| 1946–1949 | Walsall | 61 | (13) |
| 1949–1950 | Crewe Alexandra | 44 | (14) |
| 1950–1951 | Stoke City | 21 | (3) |
| 1951–1956 | Port Vale | 163 | (22) |
| Northwich Victoria | ? | (?) | |
| Total | 289+ | (52+) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Albert Thomas Mullard (22 November 1920 – 27 May 1984) was an English footballer. After spending most of World War II in a Prisoner-of-war camp he turned to professional football. He played for numerous Midlands clubs, though his most successful time was with Port Vale, making close to 200 appearances, winning a league title and reaching the FA Cup Semi-finals in the process.
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Albert Mullard was born to Albert Ernest Mullard and Sarah Mullard (who outlived all three of her sons, Albert, Eric and Arthur) in 1920. His father died whilst Mullard was in his teens, which was possibly due to wounds sustained during the First World War, having been wounded three times during his service in the South Wales Borderers and then the Machine Gun Corps (after each wound)
Mullard worked as a labourer at a brickworks, but enlisted in the Royal Marines on 24 September 1940. He was posted to North Africa and was eventually sent to Crete as part of MNDBO1 (Marine Naval Base Defence Organisation). He participated in the Battle of Crete in May 1941 and was captured by German Mountain Troops on 31 May 1941 while fighting in the rearguard action to defend the British evacuation at Sfakia.
He was moved to mainland Europe after his capture, spending time at Stalag III-D at Steglitz (suburb of Berlin)[1] then transferred to Stalag IV-D at Torgau, before being liberated by US troops in April 1945. During his captivity in Germany he regularly corresponded via letter with his future wife, née Mary Rickuss who he had met briefly at a family function prior to his enlistment. Whilst a POW he played football for a Royal Marine side after his mother sent him his football boots in a Red Cross parcel. On his return to the United Kingdom he contemplated staying in the Marines, but married Mary Rickuss and embarked on a career as a professional footballer.
Mullard, a "good all-round player",[2] played for Hinckley United, before entering the Football League with Walsall in the 1946–47 season, then playing in the Third Division South. He remained with the "Saddlers" for three years, scoring 13 goals in 61 league games.
In June 1949 he joined Crewe Alexandra,[3] but left after the 1949–50 season to sign with Stoke City of the First Division. He played 21 league games for the Potters, mostly during the 1950–51 season.
In September 1951, he joined Stoke's rivals Port Vale, along with £10,000 for Alan Martin. He was the club's leading scorer of the 1951–52 campaign with 13 goals. He was an ever-present during the 1953–54 campaign, where the club won the Football League Third Division North title and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. However soon after he tore a groin muscle and was transferred to non-league Northwich Victoria in the summer of 1956.[4]
Albert Mullard died from advanced cancer in 1984. He was survived by his wife Mary Mullard. They had two daughters, Mary and Janet.