He again played all 34 games in the 1902–03 campaign and claimed a goal in a 5–1 defeat to Preston North End at Deepdale on 28 February.

He made 40 appearances in the 1903–04 season, missing just one league game, and scored in a 5–0 win over Blackpool at the Athletic Ground on 12 March.

He played 13 league games in the 1904–05 season before the club's grim financial situation meant that he was sold to Bury for a £600 fee in December 1904.

He went on to play eleven games in the 1905–06 season, as Bury finished one point above the relegation zone.

[2] Mullineux became a regular in the side at a time when Stoke were having a financial meltdown which led to the club entering into liquidation in 1908.