Biography
Hard working and prolific forward Bertie “Paddy” Mills was born in the Punjabi city of Multan (then in India, now in Pakistan) to an English soldier father from Liverpool, but raised in the slightly less exotic environs of Barton upon Humber. He signed for City from Barton Town at the age of 20 and spent six seasons in black and amber, the last three of which he was the club’s top goalscorer. Although a streaky goalscorer in his early seasons, Mills became a more consistent threat as his career progressed and by 1926 his reputation was such that his departure from Anlaby Road led to the resignation of two City directors.
In 1926 he switched to a Notts County side that was about to be relegated from the top flight, and Paddy continued his goalscoring exploits for three seasons in the second tier. At Meadow Lane he played with his younger brother Percy. Paddy had a short spell at First Division Birmingham City in 1929/30 but returned to Hull City in December 1929.
Reunited with the Tigers, he scored goals that helped propel the club to their first ever FA Cup semi-final, but controversial last-four defeat at the hands of Arsenal precipitated a collapse in league form and two months later City were relegated to the Third Division North. Mills stayed with City for three further seasons in the third tier, repurposed as a wing half with a goal well within his capability. He ended his City career with the third highest senior goals total in the club’s history.
Mills left City in 1933 and spent a few seasons in the Lincolnshire non-league scene. He went on to a career as security man at Scunthorpe’s Redbourn Steelworks and lived to the ripe old age of 93, dying in January 1994. He was great uncle to future twenty-first century City manager Nigel Pearson.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 23 February 1900, Multan (India, now Pakistan)
Hull City First Game: 11 December 1920, Nottingham Forest A (Division Two), 20 years, 292 days old
Hull City Final Game: 22 April 1933, York City A (Division Three North), 33 years, 58 days old
Clubs
Barton Town (1918-1920), Hull City (1920-1926), Notts County (1926-1929), Birmingham (1929), Hull City (1929-1933), Scunthorpe & Lindsey United (1933-1935), Gainsborough Trinity, Barton Town
Hull City Record
Career: 291 apps, 110 goals
Paddy MillsSeason | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1920/21 | 15 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1921/22 | 24 | 11 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1922/23 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1923/24 | 41 | 11 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1924/25 | 36 | 25 | 5 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1925/26 | 27 | 17 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1929/30 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1930/31 | 30 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1931/32 | 37 | 11 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1932/33 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
An interesting read, as he was my Grandfather