Steve McNulty

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Steve McNulty

McNulty playing for Fleetwood Town in 2012
Personal information
Full nameStephen Michael McNulty[1]
Date of birth (1983-09-26) 26 September 1983
Place of birthLiverpool, England
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing positionDefender
Club information
Current clubLuton Town
Number5
Youth career
1990–2003Liverpool
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2003–2005Burscough52(3)
2005–2007Vauxhall Motors58(5)
2007–2009Barrow78(12)
2009–2013Fleetwood Town110(9)
2013–Luton Town48(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 07:15 26 January 2014 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).

Stephen Michael "Steve" McNulty (born 26 September 1983 in Liverpool) is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Luton Town in the Conference Premier. He has achieved three promotions with two different clubs, captaining Barrow into the Conference Premier and Fleetwood Town to both the Conference Premier and League Two.

Career

Early career

McNulty started his footballing career at the Liverpool Academy when he was seven years old, eventually captaining the club's under-19 side, and stayed there until his release in 2003.[2][3][4] He trained with Second Division side Blackpool during their pre-season training prior to the 2003–04 season, but failed to win a contract.[5] He then joined Northern Premier League club Burscough for two seasons before moving up a division to the Conference North to play for Vauxhall Motors. He remained with the club for two further years and then joined divisional rivals Barrow at the beginning of the 2007–08 season on a free transfer.[3]

Barrow

McNulty was appointed as captain in his first season at Barrow as he led the club to promotion, via the play-offs, to the Conference Premier.[6] His performances in defence led to him being named as Conference North Player of the Year, and he signed a two-year contract extension towards the end of the 2007–08 season after interest from Football League clubs.[6] Barrow finished the next season in 20th place, just above the relegation zone. With a year left on his contract, McNulty opted against making the transition to a full-time contract as Barrow began to make the shift away from being a part-time team. Manager David Bayliss stated that the club had "a wage structure that [it] can't break".[7]

Fleetwood Town

On 16 June 2009, McNulty dropped down a league to sign for Conference North club Fleetwood Town for a then-club record fee of £17,000.[4] He was made club captain, leading the team to promotion into the Conference Premier via victory in the Conference North play-off final.[8] Fleetwood were defeated in the play-off semi-finals during the next season, but bounced back in 2011–12 by winning promotion to The Football League for the first time in the club's history. They accumulated 103 points, with McNulty leading the club on a 29-game unbeaten run in the league.

He made his League Cup debut on 13 August 2012 against Nottingham Forest,[9] and played in Fleetwood's first Football League game – a 0–0 draw with Torquay United – four days later.[10] Long standing Fleetwood manager Micky Mellon left the club in December 2012 to be replaced by Graham Alexander. McNulty, injured at the time of the managerial change, remained sidelined as Fleetwood's defence kept five clean sheets in seven games. After discussions about McNulty's limited playing time, Alexander allowed him to leave the club; a move criticised by Fleetwood fans, but described as having the players' "best interests at heart".[11]

Luton Town

On 31 January 2013 McNulty joined Conference Premier side Luton Town on a free transfer, signing a conditional 18-month contract, dependent on Luton achieving promotion.[12] He made 20 appearances for the club in the 2012–13 season, scoring once, as they finished seventh and outside of the promotion positions. While the club failed to win promotion, on 29 April 2013, McNulty agreed a two-year contract extension with the club following performances that made him an "instant cult hero" with Luton fans.[13][14]

References

  1. ↑ "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/04/2013 and 30/04/2013" (PDF). The Football Association. Retrieved 19 June 2013. 
  2. ↑ "Bauress: I kept McNulty 'hostage'". North West Evening Mail. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2014. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Steve McNulty". Fleetwood Town Football Club. Retrieved 15 August 2012. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Fleetwood break transfer record". BBC Sport. 16 June 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2013. 
  5. ↑ "McMahon may move for McNulty". Liverpool F.C. 15 July 2003. Retrieved 20 January 2014. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "AFC's McNulty is league Player of the Year". North West Evening Mail. 9 June 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Barrow close in on summer targets". BBC Sport. 2 June 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2013. 
  8. ↑ "Fleetwood Town 2 - 1 Alfreton". BBC Sport. 2 June 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2013. 
  9. ↑ Watt, William. "Town’s debut in the Capital One Cup - Full match report". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 14 August 2012. 
  10. ↑ "Fleetwood 0 - 0 Torquay". BBC Sport. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2013. 
  11. ↑ "‘Letting McNulty go was for his own good’". Blackpool Gazette. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013. 
  12. ↑ "Hatters sign Fleetwood defender McNulty". Luton Today. Johnston Publishing Ltd. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013. 
  13. ↑ "McNulty signs new Hatters deal". Luton Today. Johnston Publishing Ltd. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013. 
  14. ↑ "McNulty enjoys the banter as he becomes instant Town cult hero". Dunstable Today. Johnston Publishing Ltd. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013. 

External links

Luton Town F.C. – current squad
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