‘Palace is a special place’ – Mullins' memories of south and east London

Most recently, in the English game, the manager of Colchester United, Mullins’ commitment, diligence and versatility made him a popular character wherever his footballing travels took him.

The 44-year was born in Reading but first turned professional at Palace, where he would make 257 senior appearances across five seasons, winning Player of the Year twice and captaining the side in the 02/03 season.

It is a time of which he carries fond memories. “Palace is a very special club for me,” he smiles. “Growing up as a young kid in Reading, I hadn’t dreamt that I’d make it as a professional football player.

“It was something I did and was good at – but I didn’t know I could progress as a professional until I was offered a YTS [Youth Training Scheme] at Crystal Palace in ’96. I joined up there and just learned so much about football in those first two years. I learned what football actually is, and how you have to approach each game.

“My first youth-team manager was a guy called Bryan Farrow, who was absolutely fantastic. Peter Nicholas and Geoff Taylor took us on and got us to an FA Youth Cup final [in 1997], which was huge. Even the season before, we’d reached the semi-finals, but I don’t think you realise what you’re achieving at the time.

“We got to the final and played a fantastic Leeds team” – featuring the likes of Paul Robinson, Jonathan Woodgate and Harry Kewell – “who beat us narrowly over two legs, and then I progressed into the first-team when I was 18 under Terry Venables – and what a manager to learn from!

“I spent some fantastic times at Palace in the first-team and grew up alongside a lot of the young players: Clinton Morrison, Steve Kabba, David Woozley, Jim Hibbert, Andrew Martin, Steve Thomson, Leon McKenzie… a lot of us got thrown into the first-team at a really young age, and what a place to learn.

“It’s a fantastic club. We struggled a bit with investors at the time and did well to stay in the Championship.” Mullins refers to Palace’s relegation battles in the early 2000s.

“When I look back at it now, what we achieved as a young group with some really good senior players was fantastic.

“For me, from where I am now in my life, it was an unbelievable experience, and a great start to my footballing journey. It prepared me and helped me so much along the way.”

Memories abound of Mullins in the red and blue.

Take your pick from a first-team debut at 19-years-old in the UEFA Intertoto Cup; his two Player of the Year awards; Palace’s run to the 00/01 League Cup semi-finals; a memorable 2-0 win at Anfield in the 02/03 FA Cup fourth round; or plenty more of a hard-working, selfless player.

Mullins most fervently recalls the 00/01 season, however, when Palace secured their second-tier status by a solitary point, after winning their last two games of a challenging season.

“We had some big games to keep the club in the Championship. I remember Dougie Freedman’s goal away at Stockport, keeping the club up [in a 1-0 win on the final day of the season]… we were so close to going down then. As a young player, playing in defence, we were going away to Portsmouth for must-win games…

“Growing up, nothing prepares you for what that kind of pressure is like, going places and having to win. To do it was a fantastic relief.

"I have so many fond memories of that time at Crystal Palace.”

With financial difficulties hampering Palace’s promotion aspirations in the early 2000s, Mullins decided to depart to this weekend’s opponents, in October 2003.

He recalls: “I was going into the last year of my contract and so I let everyone know early, and we did everything above board.

"I’d had a couple of Premier League clubs say they wanted to take me at the end of the season, but then an offer came in from West Ham which was brilliant on paper.

“Their squad then was unbelievable. They’d just been relegated to the Championship, and they still had players like Michael Carrick, Jermain Defoe, Christian Dailly, Tomas Repka, David James… it was a fantastic squad.

“Crystal Palace turned three bids down before they eventually accepted one. The club was struggling and had fallen into money problems. That came down to it as well – they’d accepted a bid – and it was a fantastic opportunity for myself.

“I was 23 at the time and wanted to try and test myself elsewhere, and it was a good opportunity. I felt it was the right time for me.”

Football has a funny habit of reuniting old friends, however…

“It took me a while to win the West Ham fans over,” Mullins recalled. “It didn’t go too well in the first year… we lost to Palace in the 2004 play-off final, which was a blow for me, having captained the club at the beginning of that season!

“But the next season, we managed to go up, and the season after that we had a fantastic season in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup Final, and later Europe.

“I loved my time at Crystal Palace, and equally my time at West Ham I also loved. They’re great football clubs.

“Now, I follow both teams and look out for both results. Being involved as a football coach and manager, it’s hard to go along and watch because when they’re playing, generally I’m working, but now I’ve got a bit of free time it’s been nice. I’ve been down to West Ham to watch games, and similarly at Crystal Palace.

“Palace is a special place. For me, they gave me an unbelievable opportunity in this game to start my career, and then obviously I went to West Ham and had a great time too.”

Since retiring from playing in 2015 following spells with Palace, West Ham, Portsmouth – where Mullins reached another FA Cup final – Reading, Birmingham and Notts County, the former midfielder has turned his experienced hand to management.

Starting off at Brentford’s academy, a strong four-year spell at Watford – which included four Premier League games as interim manager, as well as a year working under Nigel Pearson and Craig Shakespeare as first-team coach – led to an 18-month stint in charge at Colchester.

Ever-versatile, Mullins most recently was in the Caribbean: “I’ve been doing some work with the Turks and Caicos Islands, trying to help grow football in the region out there.

“I oversaw their men’s national team’s last two Nations League games in March [both wins] – and now I’m looking to get back involved in football again.”

Well-spoken and diplomatic to this point, we decide to put Mullins on the spot – which of our former clubs does he back when Palace face West Ham at Selhurst on Saturday?

“I think it’ll be a close game, I really do,” he notes. “Crystal Palace’s form has picked up, so I’d make them slight favourites to win the game – but only slightly, because West Ham have some real weapons in their squad as well…

“I’d make Palace slight favourites…”

Fingers crossed.

But either way, you can be sure of which one result Mullins will be looking out for this weekend.