The Irish League forward who has developed a reputation for scoring crucial late goals

The former Dungannon Swifts forward, who netted two minutes after being thrown on as a substitute by Darren Murphy at the Showgrounds in January 2015 to secure a 2-1 victory, has been up to his old tricks again recently – but this time around is leaving it even later.

Mullen is enjoying a third spell with Armagh City – arriving on-loan in January from Annagh United after departing for the Championship last summer - and has scored five times in nine games at a place that feels like home.

His 96th-minute goal against Banbridge Town on March 25 helped the Eagles break a seven-game winless run and last weekend he struck in the 94th-minute as Shea Campbell’s men defeated Portstewart to pick up another crucial victory in their bid for Premier Intermediate survival.

In the top-flight as recently as 2008, City currently sit 11th in the third-tier, three points adrift of Banbridge and if they are to stay up, Mullen’s goals could be vital.

"There's a bit of a better buzz about the club now,” he said. “We want to get ourselves out of that situation as soon as possible. We know every game is like a cup final at the minute.

"Apart from the last two weeks I wouldn't have said I was at the levels I was at last season which probably comes from not playing for seven or eight weeks or coming off the bench with Annagh for five or 10 minutes here and there.

"The last two weeks I've been closer to where I was last year but there's still room for improvement."

Mullen started this season on fire at Annagh, scoring six times in eight matches, including on debut against Knockbreda and the winner in a shock 2-1 BetMcLean Cup triumph over Larne (sticking with the theme, that goal came in the 91st minute!).

"It definitely did (give me confidence scoring against Larne),” he added. “For anybody who watched the game that night I think we deserved that result.

"It was class. It's good to test yourself against the top team in Northern Ireland and show that I am capable of playing at the standard. It was some buzz and win."

It was in mid-November when Mullen’s minutes started to lessen at high-flying Annagh and desperate to get consistent playing time under his belt, there was one obvious location.

"It was good playing at that higher standard and I started the season off well with Annagh but I got dropped and didn't get myself back into the team,” he said. “We were winning and then it's hard to put a player back in when a team is doing well.

"You lose a bit of confidence in yourself and question your own ability and yourself in general. I'm 26 now and want to be playing week in, week out and that's what Shea can offer me.

“I would be friendly with Shea and chat to him throughout the season catching up and he sent me a message one evening asking if I would fancy coming back because they needed to add to the squad.

"Armagh always has a piece of my heart - this is my third time there now and it was easy enough to say yes."

Mullen played eight times in the Premiership as a teenager at boyhood club Dungannon before embarking on a journey that has also included a spell at Loughgall.

"He (Murphy) brought me into the team one night against Coleraine just before my 18th birthday because a couple of boys were injured,” he recalls. “It was 1-1 at the time and he took a gamble on me and threw me on for the last 10 minutes and it might have been my second touch of the ball that I directed towards goal and it went in.

"At that time it was a real moment to score for the club you grew up playing for and I will always be thankful for Murph for giving me the opportunity.

"He started me against Linfield two weeks later and the man I was marking at a corner scored so I had to take that bullet.

"I'll never diss anything or be frustrated. I would have loved to have got more of a chance at Dungannon but these things happen.

"Darren left and then Rodney (McAree) took over and he thought I would be better off on-loan and ended up staying away from the club.

"I will always have thanks and praise for the likes of Darren, Rodney and Dixie (Robinson) who have all helped me. I will still stay in contact with them and they always want to see past players doing well."

For now, Mullen’s full focus is on helping Armagh stay in the league and as is his mantra – it’s never over until it’s over.

"I've always had the attitude of it's not over until it's over,” he said. “When we got our equaliser on Saturday I knew we could go onto win it and that was my full focus to get the ball back and go and win it.

"That's the mentality I have - I always want to win, whether it's a game of darts or football. It's just my personality."