IF WE BEAT UNITED I’LL HAVE ANFIELD TICKETS FOR LIFE!
Tranmere Cup hero Paul Mullin is a Liverpool fan and dreams of ultimate upset
PAUL MULLIN had just gathered his thoughts after a huge night when he looked at his phone to see dozens of messages flooding in.
The man who had just propelled Tranmere Rovers back into the national spotlight was digesting the goal that had flattened Watford to set up a date with Manchester United and afforded himself a wry smile about the situation he was now in.
Prenton Park will be full to the rafters tomorrow after locals, exultant after the 2-1 extra-time victory, began trying to nail down tickets at midnight on Thursday. The Tranmere striker inevitably found his friends asking whether he had any spares.
Mullin, 25, could not fail to see the irony as last weekend he was on the other side of the fence. This lifelong Liverpool fan, who played in the same academy team as Raheem Sterling, exhausted all avenues in an attempt to secure a seat at Anfield for United’s visit.
‘It was the only game — along with Barcelona last season — in two years I haven’t been able to get a ticket for,’ said Mullin, who watched Liverpool’s 2-0 win with his family in well-known city centre pub The Crocodile. ‘If I can score the winner on Sunday now, they’ll all give me tickets then!
‘I was at Liverpool until I was 16. If you can’t make it there, you still want to be a footballer. It’s every boy’s dream and to be playing here 20 minutes from home is a fantastic feeling, with your family there to support you every week. As a boy there’s no bigger dream than being a footballer.
‘There are three of us playing in the Football League now from the academy team I was in — Raheem in the Premier League, Jak McCourt at Macclesfield and myself. When you are a kid that’s your dream and you think your whole world has fallen apart when you get let go.
‘But now I’ve been given a career as a footballer and to get the chance to go play against Manchester United, one of the biggest teams in the world, is a great feeling. The FA Cup is brilliant. You grow up watching it. It’s historic, everyone watches it every year.’
Everyone will be watching tomorrow, that is certain. Tranmere’s history is rich with giant-killings and Monday marks the 19th anniversary of what is known locally as ‘St Yates Day’, when they beat Everton 3-1 at Goodison Park, en route to the 2000-01 FA Cup quarter-finals, thanks to two goals from defender Steve Yates.
They have a few Premier League scalps but beating United would be the biggest feat of all. It would also show the extent of progress under chief executive Mark Palios. Two years ago they were hosting another United — Maidenhead — in the National League. ‘To get to the final of the FA Cup is what you dream about as a kid,’ said Mullin, who insisted recovering from the exertions against Watford would not be an issue.
‘Why should replays be scrapped? Why? What’s the reason? There’s more games. A replay? It’s a 46game season for us. For the club it means a lot and for us to go and get a replay at Old Trafford if we get a draw on Sunday that’s a dream for the lads. There are
Manchester United fans in our changing room, why wouldn’t they want to go play there? It’s a dream for them.’
The ultimate dream, though, would be reaching the fifth round. Optimism, understandably, is high but Micky Mellon, Tranmere’s manager, struck a cautionary tone about the prospects of adding to the angst which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, his opposite number, is suffering. Mellon, a friendly and engaging figure, knows the size of the task that confronts Tranmere but they will not fall short for lack of preparation.
Tranmere had scouts at Old Trafford on Wednesday for the game against Burnley and Mellon has pored over DVDs of their
recent games. To keep his squad calm, he plans to take them for a walk along nearby new Brighton beach to clear their heads, which is apt given the amount of sand currently on the Prenton Park surface. But they will be walking on water if they can upset the odds once more.
‘everyone complains about our pitch but we’ve got to play on it as well,’ mellon said with a smile. ‘united are fantastic and will come here very professional.
‘We used a lot of energy against Watford but, come on — if you can’t find any extra energy reserves for this? We’d be in trouble.’