BROMSGROVE Rovers manager Jimmy Mullen has few regrets in his 37-year long football career but he rues missing out on Brazilian genius Pele's shirt.

As a young winger for Sheffield Wednesday Mullen was given the difficult task of marking the World Cup winner when Santos played a friendly at Hillsborough in the 1971 season.

However, Mullen was only thinking about swapping shirts with the great man.

He said: "I came on as a second half substitute and was instructed to mark Pele.

"I couldn't believe it, he ran me ragged all game but all I kept thinking I was going to get his shirt at the at the end of the game."

However, the youthful Mullen's hopes were dashed when Sheffield striker Tommy Craig came back to mark Pele for a free-kick in injury time.

Mullen said: "Tommy came back and told me to go into the hole while he went to mark Pele.

"I didn't even think about what I was doing, but as soon as the kick was taken the full time whistle went and Tommy got his shirt.

"I was furious - he'd never came back to mark a player in his life!

"I still see him from time-to-time and he has the shirt in a frame on his wall."

This was one of many stories that the Rovers boss beguiled the fans with at the Victoria Club on Saturday.

After spending 11-years playing for Wednesday Jimmy moved to Cardiff where he worked with the club's juniors.

After an unsuccessful period as player/manager at cash strapped Newport County (including an FA Cup game at the Victoria Ground), Mullen went to Scotland as assistant manager to Ian Porterfield at Aberdeen.

Mullen recalls an unforgettable night at Pittodrie after playing Celtic in the Skol cup quarter-final, when the travelling army of 3,500 fans refused to leave.

He said: "Celtic's manager Billy McNeil called me out on the pitch and all you could see was thousands of small lights in the darkness.

"It was incredible, but as soon as Billy asked them to leave the fans were as good as gold and left."

Returning to England Mullen encountered one of the most strange characters in football in the shape of Blackpool's infamous chairman Owen Oyston.

Mullen had been made manager after Sam Ellis had quit.

But the size of his task came clear to him after a late night call from the eccentric Oyston.

He said: "He (Oyston) called me one night from America with an idea to sign basketball players because they were tall and good in the air.

"It was mad. He called me again to say he'd signed them but then changed his mind by the morning."

After leaving Blackpool in 1990 Mullen began the most successful period in his career at Burnley, who were in the old Division Four.

Working under manager Frank Casper as his assistant Burnley reached the play-offs but lost to Torquay.

After Casper left Mullen was asked to take the reins at Turf Moor.

His impact was immediate as Burnley went onto win the Division Four.

After a season of consolidation Burnley reached the play-off in the1993/1994 season.

Burnley went onto defeat Stockport County at Wembley to win promotion to the newly named Football League Division One.

However, while the players supporters celebrated there was one unhappy person connected to the club.

Mullen said: "I went back into the changing rooms and some of the players threw me in the bath.

"When I got out I saw the chairman sitting sullenly in a corner.

"'What's the matter with you?' I asked.

"'Do you know how much this is going to cost us?' He replied."