Maxwell Mullins, son of ex-Pompey player Hayden, celebrates Aldershot's FA Trophy win over Spennymoor. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire.Maxwell Mullins, son of ex-Pompey player Hayden, celebrates Aldershot's FA Trophy win over Spennymoor. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire.
Maxwell Mullins, son of ex-Pompey player Hayden, celebrates Aldershot's FA Trophy win over Spennymoor. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire. | PA
Finally Wembley joy for the family of a Pompey player who lost there in the 2010 FA Cup final
There was agony for Pompey in the 2010 FA Cup final following a slender defeat to Premier League champions Chelsea.
Now, 15 years later, the son of one of Avram Grant’s heartbroken side has emerged as a Wembley winner.
However, the National League club’s victorious team also included a surname instantly recognisable to the Fratton faithful - Mullins.
Son of former Portsmouth Player of the Season winner in Wembley triumph
Maxwell Mullins came off the bench in the 81st minute for the Shots, following in the footsteps of dad Hayden by appearing in a Wembley final.
However, unlike the ex-Pompey, West Ham and Crystal Palace midfielder, the 22-year-old claimed a winners’ medal from a game many Aldershot fans are claiming as the biggest in the club’s history.
Maxwell Mullins, son of ex-Pompey player Hayden, celebrates Aldershot's FA Trophy win over Spennymoor. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire.Maxwell Mullins, son of ex-Pompey player Hayden, celebrates Aldershot's FA Trophy win over Spennymoor. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire.
Maxwell Mullins, son of ex-Pompey player Hayden, celebrates Aldershot's FA Trophy win over Spennymoor. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire. | PA
It was back in May 2010 when Hayden Mullins lined-up in the unfamiliar role of left-back as the Blues locked horns with a talented Chelsea side pursuing the first Double in their history
Pompey had the unwanted stigma of becoming the first Premier League club to enter administration, while suffered relegation the previous month following a nine-point deduction.
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Yet, remarkably, they beat Harry Redknapp’s Spurs 2-0 in the FA Cup semi-final on the march to the final against Carlo Ancelotti’s men, who won the Premier League the previous week.
Mullins, in the absence of Hermann Hriedarsson following an ACL injury, filled in at left-back for the FA Cup final during a season in which he totalled 26 appearances.
Ultimately, Prince Boateng saw his 54th-minute penalty saved by Petr Cech when the scores were goals - and, five minutes later, Didier Drogba netted the winner from a free-kick.
Pompey's Hayden Mullins tries to get to grips with Chelsea's Salomon Kalou in the 2010 FA Cup final. Picture: Laurence Griffiths/Getty ImagesPompey's Hayden Mullins tries to get to grips with Chelsea's Salomon Kalou in the 2010 FA Cup final. Picture: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Pompey's Hayden Mullins tries to get to grips with Chelsea's Salomon Kalou in the 2010 FA Cup final. Picture: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images | Getty Images
There was still time for Frank Lampard to miss a penalty against David James as Chelsea secured a 1-0 victory and also claimed the Double.
Mullins went on to feature 128 times and score three times for Pompey and was voted as The News/Sports Mail’s Player of the Season in 2010-11, before leaving on a free transfer for Birmingham in the summer of 2012.
Now Maxwell Mullins is continuing the family name in football, having graduated through Aldershot’s Academy and made 31 appearances, scoring once this season.
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He has also featured on loan at Leatherhead, Hartley Wintney and Farnborough, before establishing himself in Tommy Widdrington’s Shots first-team, helping them to 16th in the National League this season.
Meanwhile, Widdrington has been a regular in the centre of midfield after uniting with his dad at the Shots in June 2023.
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He rose through Pompey’s ranks and was handed professional terms, yet never made a first-team appearance before his exit in the summer of 2018.
Widdrington has spent time with Bognor, Hawks, Gosport, Bristol Rovers, Welling, Lewes, King’s Lynn and now Aldershot - where he’s become an FA Trophy winner.
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