MICK Mulhern is keen to talk about the future but it's the past and what he's already achieved which makes his appointment as new manager of Middlesbrough Women so impressive.

Having merged with Middlesbrough FC, Boro Women have big ambitions and, judging by his success at Sunderland, Mulhern is the ideal manager to lead the charge.

During his 15 years in charge on Wearside, Mulhern led Sunderland to the WSL, which ultimately is the aim at Boro, who currently play in the fourth tier.

But Mulhern's standing and reputation in the women's game wasn't achieved solely through results but also through playing a starring role in the development of the region's best players, who have gone on to become household names.

He first started working with Beth Mead and Jordan Nobbs when they were teenagers in the early years of secondary school, and gave Jill Scott her first taste of senior football when she was just 14.

What made his Sunderland success all the more impressive was the fact he was juggling that role with his work as a police detective with Northumbria Police. With retirement from the force in sight, he reluctantly walked away from Sunderland - but football remained very much part of his life.

He most recently worked as a scout in the men's game for Newcastle United and in the women's game with the FA but thought his days as a manager were behind him.

"Then this came along and I just thought 'wow, this is too good an opportunity to turn down'," he says.

"I'm excited and I want to make something at Middlesbrough like I created at Sunderland. It's got wings this project and it's massive what could happen here."

He knows only too well that Teesside is a hotbed of talent. He helped to make dreams a reality for the likes of Mead, from Hinderwell, Nobbs, from Stockton, and others from the region such as Scott, Lucy Bronze and Steph Houghton.

"I'd go and watch them play for England and that's when it would really get me," he says.

"I was seeing my players standing there representing their country. I've watched them away, I've watched them at home, and it's just great to see what they've achieved. That's a wonderful legacy for me, but I don't want to think too much about the past right now, I want to create something new and I want to help the girls of Middlesbrough and Teesside.

"There are already some good young girls at this club and I'm establishing a link with the regional talent camp to make sure that when players leave there, they have a pathway to come here if I've got anything to do with it, which is something I don't think they've had in the past.

"We'll help develop them from there and then, with a bit of luck, in about ten years we can start to see girls we've developed here going on to the England setup because of how much we've helped them. That's the aim, but, of course, it is a long process."

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He continues: "It's a feeding chain isn't it? The girls of Teesside haven't really had those opportunities before now.

"When I was at Sunderland, we were higher up the food chain so we could take those players and offer to take them further with their development - girls from Teesside like Jordan Nobbs and Beth Mead. At Middlesbrough, it's a new project so we have to be aware that we could lose players if bigger teams come in for them.

"But we want to get this project off to a flying start to ensure the girls don't want to go anywhere else. They see they've got a pathway at Middlesbrough and know they'll be fine here. I'd like to think they'd see me and my history - having trodden that path before - and be enthused by that. There are no guarantees that I can repeat what I did at Sunderland, but I would like to think that I can have a really good go."

Like any football manager, Mulhern knows he'll ultimately be judged on results - but he wasn't at all interested in playing down his hopes.

"We're fourth division right now, and we've got to get to the Super League," he said.

"Each step is a massive step as well, it's not just a little one.

"If you look at Middlesbrough making that step up this summer, they know they'll have to make big strides because they were well-beaten this season in the FA Cup by a team who finished third in League One. It's about bridging the gap.

"First and foremost, we've got to get out of this league, then you bridge the gap and then make the jump to Championship, which is when we'll review how we work. I have plans in mind, and that involves going full-time, which is where it's got to go eventually."