Cullen admits rejection

Young forward says Magpies failure motivated him to progress

Last updated: 5th May 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Cullen admits rejection

Cullen: Scores against Wigan

Related links

Teams

Players

Also see

Hull City striker Mark Cullen admits being rejected by Newcastle as a youngster has spurred him on to make it at the top.

The 18-year-old striker scored with a header in the Tigers' 2-2 draw at Wigan on Monday, but the result means Hull will be playing in the Championship next season.

Cullen was let go by the Magpies earlier in his career and says it made him work harder to make it as a pro.

"I got released by Newcastle when I was 14, and that was a big disappointment at the time," he told the Hull Daily Mail.

"It was my hometown club and they had been the only club I had ever wanted to play for.

"But you just have to keep going when you get a rejection like that and thankfully, Hull City have given me a big chance.

"Things like that can make you stronger. I can remember feeling really down when it happened, but my grandparents up in the North East kept me going, and here I am."

Cullen started his first game for Hull against the Latics and found the net to give his side the lead.

He was delighted to get his chance in the first team and is hoping to fire the Tigers back to the top-flight next term.

"I didn't really see my chance coming this year," he added.

"I started the season as a youth team player and just thought that all I could do was try my best in the youth team, score a few goals and get a contract at the end of the season.

"It's happened a lot faster than that and I'm just pleased to see how things have gone.

"I want to play as many games as I can for the club now and get a few goals under my belt to get us back in the Premier League next season."