Bradford City’s pursuit of a new striker is nearing its conclusion, as the Bantams close in on signing Wrexham striker Paul Mullin on loan.
The Bantams have been linked with moves for Burton Albion forward Jake Beesley and Devante Cole at Port Vale this week, in an attempt to solve their attacking issues.
But, according to Pete O’Rourke, it appears that the West Yorkshire outfit are going for the out-of-favour Red Dragons forward to try and resurrect their promotion ambitions.
Graham Alexander has come under fire in recent weeks, with supporters chanting the name of Bantams legend Andy Cook during their dismal showing at Lincoln City in midweek.
That makes the move for Mullin all the more surprising, with Cook departing for Grimsby Town on loan this month. Both players are of a similar profile, though the Bantams legend returned from an ACL injury in September.
With a deal reportedly agreed for the Merseyside-born striker, he could be available for Alexander’s side for their pivotal Yorkshire derby against Doncaster Rovers this weekend. Bradford desperately need a fresh injection into their attack, following two goalless matches and three successive defeats against promotion rivals.
While the Bantams have at least a game in hand on every other side in the top six places, the gap to seventh-place Stevenage has shrunk to just four points. No team currently in the promotion race are in worse form, and they simply have to get a result in 48 hours’ time to avoid this blip turning into a mid-season collapse.
Can Mullin Be Successful In League One?
It’s a question that has dominated lower league talk in the past few years, ever since Mullin won the League Two Golden Boot in 20/21 with a staggering 32 goals. Cambridge United stormed to promotion, with the 31-year-old sweeping up countless awards across the EFL and at the U’s.
But instead of testing himself in the third tier, he shocked most by dropping into the National League with the ambitious, big-spending Wrexham. Unsurprisingly, his numbers at that level were as impressive, bagging a remarkable 64 times in two fifth-tier campaigns. And back in the EFL, Mullin once again hit a 20+ goal season in League Two.
But, as had been the case in the past, he couldn’t replicate that form in the third tier. He managed just three goals last term, becoming a bit-part player at the Red Dragons, who won a historic third promotion in succession. There has been no fairy tale this term, as Mullin wasn’t given the chance to feature in the Championship.
Instead, his loan move at Wigan Athletic was terminated early, following four league goals in 20 games. He was left out of the Latics squad in his final four matches of that temporary stint, after falling out of favour with Ryan Lowe in mid-October.
This latest attempt at finding success in the EFL’s middle division was actually his most successful to date in terms of goals. Before his initial loan at Cambridge, the 31-year-old scored three times in half a season at Tranmere Rovers.
Under Alexander, Mullin will have to put up better numbers if he is to inspire the Bantams to successive promotions, as he did in North Wales.
That would finally prove the critics, who have been right up until this point, wrong.
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