The Players Lounge · Episode 3

Hayden Mullins on the FA Cup final he missed and the life around a football career

By Gerryn Hussain · 20 October 2026 · 2 min read

Hayden Mullins' conversation with Gerryn Hussain starts before the Premier League. He remembers growing up in Reading, leaving home at 16 to join Crystal Palace and discovering how different the working life of a young footballer could feel from the game he loved.

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Leaving home, and learning the job

Mullins describes a difficult first six months and the £30 a week he received on his youth training scheme. The account is specific to his experience. A place at a professional club did not make the adjustment straightforward.

He goes on to discuss his Palace debut and becoming captain. Looking back, he describes leadership as something he developed rather than something he already possessed. Responsibility came before certainty, and he had to grow into the role.

The red card that kept him out of the final

At West Ham, the conversation reaches the red card that ruled Mullins out of the FA Cup final. He recalls the situation around the dismissal and the growing realisation of what he would miss as the final approached.

For supporters, the 2006 final is a match to replay. Mullins describes it from the position of a player who had helped the team get there but could not take part on the day. It gives a familiar football occasion a different perspective.

Survival, uncertainty and another final

Mullins also looks back on West Ham's fight to stay in the Premier League and playing alongside Carlos Tevez. The episode moves beyond one result to the experience of being inside that team.

His Portsmouth years bring a different kind of uncertainty, with the club's financial problems forming part of the conversation. He also talks about returning to the FA Cup final, followed by the contrasting experiences of promotion with Reading and relegation with Portsmouth. A career can contain success and instability close together.

Becoming a coach

The later chapters cover Birmingham, Notts County and the decision to stop playing. Mullins describes becoming interested in the coaching work behind training sessions and match preparation as his relationship with playing changed.

He talks about meeting Pep Guardiola and the influence of his father. Those reflections connect the football roles with the people and ideas that continue to matter to him. The episode ends with advice for younger players, informed by the opportunities and difficult moments he has described.

Watch Hayden Mullins with Gerryn Hussain

Episode 3 of The Players Lounge was released on 15 October 2026. The full conversation runs for 1 hour and 18 minutes and includes chapter links for the early Palace years, the FA Cup final, West Ham's escape, Portsmouth and coaching.

Watch the episode for Mullins' full account, including the details and context that a short clip cannot carry.

A football career is remembered through its biggest days. This conversation makes time for the life between them.

Watch Hayden Mullins, Episode 3 →Explore The Players Lounge →Read Robert Earnshaw's story →