Stockdale and Mullin released

May 14 2008 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

FULL-BACK Robbie Stockdale is the most high-profile casualty of Tranmere manager Ronnie Moore’s first wave of summer rebuilding after he was released by the club.

Despite playing 50 games for Rovers last season, the 28-year-old, whose two-year contract had expired, will not be offered a new deal at Prenton Park.

Following Stockdale out of the exit door are experienced midfielder John Mullin, 32, winger Mike Jones, 20, and central defender Michael Johnston, 20.

Redcar-born Stockdale, who started his career as a striker with Middlesbrough but converted to full-back when he found his first team chances blocked by the likes of Fabrizio Ravanelli, Alen Boksic and Hamilton Ricard, made 75 appearances for the Teessiders.

A Scottish international with five caps, he arrived at Tranmere in 2006 from Hull City via Moore’s former club Rotherham.

Lancastrian Mullin started his career with Burnley before going on to play for Sunderland where he scored the winning goal in a Premier League game against Manchester United in 1997.

He returned to Turf Moor in 1999 but crossed the Pennines to turn out 180 times for Moore’s Rotherham.

He followed Moore to Prenton Park in 2006 and played 30 games for the club although his spell was blighted by injury with his ankle ligaments having to be rebuilt.

Birkenhead-born Jones made a dozen senior appearances for his hometown club over the past three seasons but was never able to hold down a regular place in the first team squad and spent the second half of the 2006/07 campaign on loan at Shrewsbury Town.

Johnston was a regular for Tranmere’s reserves over the past two seasons but was unable to make the step up into the first team and spent a spell out on loan at Welsh Premier club Bangor City earlier this year.