Scott Mulholland
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Scott Mulholland (Born September 7, 1986) was an English professional football player, formerly of Queens Park Rangers.
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[edit] Biography
Mulholland learnt his footballing trade at the age of eight when he joined Woolwich Youth FC of the Bexley league who were managed by his father. It was under his fathers watchful eye that his footballing talents emerged, despite playing a year above his age, it wouldn't be long before professional sides would soon take an interest him. At the mere age of nine, Scott Mullholland was accepted into the youth ranks of the West London football club Queens Park Rangers, turning down a chance to play with Ajax. Mulholland continued to learn his trade at Woolwich Youth, being played as a centre forward he managed to score a magnificent 211 goals in 5 years. Within this period Scott also represented Bexley Borough and Kent county football sides.
[edit] Career
Although through his youth career, where Scott was recognised for his talents in front of goal, at Queens Park Rangers he was made to adapt to a midfield role. This positional change was predominantly due to his height and stature of which his coaches felt didn't suit the role of centre forward. Standing at 5'6 and weighing around 140lbs, Scott took to his new position with ease and was rewarded with a place in the Queens Park Rangers reserve team at the age of sixteen. At reserve team level, Scott established himself as a hardworking, tenacious midfielder in the mould of Dutch international Edgar Davids and amongst the Queens Park Rangers backroom staff their was much hope for the youngster. At the age of seventeen, after encouraging performances in the reserves he was called up to represent Scotland at under 18 level. Scotland had been made aware that despite being born in England he was eligible for a Scottish call-up and approached him to play. However in a dramatic twist of fate he was injured in a reserve fixture prior to the international and ultimately his opportunity was lost. In hindsight, this would turn out to be the start of a series of injuries that would cost his career dear.
[edit] First Team
In 2004, at the age of eighteen, Scott was invited by manager Ian Holloway to train with the Queens Park Rangers first team. After training with the team for several months and playing understudy to Canadian international midfielder Marc Bircham he was loaned out in February 2005 to Hastings United of the Isthmian League in a three month deal. However after only two games, the three month loan deal turned out to be only two weeks after he was re-called back to Queens Park Rangers in the wake of an injury crisis at Loftus road. On the 19th April, 2005 he made his first appearance in the blue and white hoops of Queens Park Rangers when he came off the bench to replace Marc Bircham with 69 minutes of the game played. Queens Park Rangers were at the time losing 1-0 away to Burnley Football Club at Turf Moor in a Coca-Cola Championship fixture and it was Mulholland who came close to equalising with a header but for the heroics of goalkeeper Brian Jensen who pulled of a magnificent save to deny the midfielder a debut goal. Ade Akinbiyi would later score his second goal of the game to give Burnley Football Club a 2-0 victory. Mulholland would realise after the game that he had in fact broke his toe when he had successfully tackled the Nigeria international forward Ade Akinbiyi, who is regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time, which would rule him out for the rest of the season.
[edit] Released from Queens Park Rangers
After making his debut for the club, Mulholland along with many Queens Park Rangers fans expected manager Ian Holloway to offer him an extension to his contract which was up for renewal in the summer of 2005. However one was not forthcoming and Mulholland vented his frustrations in a heated meeting with Holloway which ultimately left his career at the club in jeopardy. Holloway, a manager renowned for his tough management approach was hardly impressed by this show of petulance and waited to consider his options about his enigmatic midfielder. However in the summer of 2005, Queens Park Rangers had no other option but to release Mulholland who by the cruellest of luck snapped the ligament in his right knee, an injury where there was no guarantee of it fully healing.
