Hull City Born in
Ashington, Northumberland, He joined the
Hull City youth system on a two-year scholarship in June 2008. He made his first-team debut as a 67th-minute
substitute for
Kamel Ghilas in a 4–1 defeat to
Wigan Athletic in the
FA Cup third round on 2 January 2010. Cullen was given a place in the team after scoring 27 goals for the youth team in the
2009–10 season. Cullen made his
Premier League debut on 24 April, when he came on as a substitute for
George Boateng in the 75th-minute of a 1–0 defeat to
Sunderland at the
KC Stadium. He scored his first goal in senior football in his first start for the club, in a 2–2 draw at Wigan on 3 May. He then went on to start in Hull's last game of the 2009–10 season, a 0–0 home draw with
Liverpool. Cullen scored his second and final goal for Hull in a 2–1
League Cup second round defeat by
Brentford on 24 August 2010. He made 17
Championship appearances in the
2010–11 season and in January 2011, Cullen, along with fellow youth team graduate
Tom Cairney, signed a new
contract with the club until the summer of 2013. A few days later, Cullen joined
League Two club
Bradford City on a one-month
loan;
manager Peter Taylor had originally enquired about Cullen the previous year but at the time instead opted to sign
Ryan Kendall. He played four games for Bradford before returning to Hull. At the start of the
2011–12 season, Cullen was loaned to
League One club
Bury for six months. However, he made only four appearances for Bury before returning to Hull in January 2012. He played in 12 games, scoring once in a 2–2 draw with
Stevenage. On 31 January 2013, Cullen went out on a month-long loan to
Stockport County in the
Conference Premier. This was later extended until the end of the
2012–13 season. Cullen scored two goals in a 2–0 win over
Barrow on 12 March. He scored a total of four goals in 16 games at
Edgeley Park as
Ian Bogie's side were
relegated to the
Conference North. In contrast, Hull won promotion back to the Premier League at the end of the season, however, manager
Steve Bruce allowed Cullen to leave on a
free transfer after deciding not to offer the 21-year-old a new contract.
Luton Town On 17 May 2013, Cullen signed a two-year contract with the Conference Premier club
Luton Town. He scored his first goals for the club in a 3–2 win over
Lincoln City on 21 September. Cullen was primarily used as a substitute for much of the
2013–14 season as the goalscoring form of
Andre Gray and
Paul Benson kept him out of the
starting lineup. He came on as a substitute against
Cambridge United to score what the
Luton News called a 90th-minute "stunning"
equaliser that kept Luton 15 points clear of their nearest title rivals on 11 March. Cullen regained a place in the starting line-up towards the end of the season, scoring three goals in five games as Luton won promotion to League Two. Cullen played 36 times and scored 10 goals in all competitions during the season, Cullen was promoted to a regular starting place in the team for the
2014–15 season after Luton sold Andre Gray. He was named as
League Two Player of the Month for October after scoring five goals, including a "
perfect hat-trick" – scoring with his head, left foot and right foot – in a 3–1 victory over
Dagenham & Redbridge. However, manager
John Still revealed that the striker had expressed a wish to leave the club in February and an unnamed club approached to take him in on loan. Cullen stated that he wished to play at a higher level and also wanted to move further north to be closer to his family. He played in 47 games in all competitions, scoring 14 goals to end the campaign as Luton's top-scorer. Manager
Neil McDonald said that "he's an inter-link player who can go in behind and has said he will even play wide if he needs to" and set him a target of 20 goals for the upcoming campaign. Cullen scored both of his side's goals in a 2–2 draw with
Colchester United on his debut on 8 August. He ended the
2015–16 season as the club's top-scorer with nine goals in 43 games and Blackpool were relegated down to League Two. He scored 13 goals from 40 appearances in the
2016–17 campaign, again leaving him as the club's top-scorer; this tally included a
hat-trick against former club Luton Town in the first leg of the
play-off semi-finals at
Bloomfield Road. Blackpool eliminated Luton and Cullen went on to score the winning goal as Blackpool beat
Exeter City 2–1 in the
League Two play-off final at
Wembley Stadium. He was restricted to just nine appearances in the
2017–18 season after undergoing surgery to resolve a
hamstring injury. However, he suffered a
stress fracture on his leg in November. Carlisle manager
Steven Pressley said that Cullen rejected the chance to join a League One club to go to
Brunton Park, but admitted that the striker was still two weeks away from full fitness. He made his first start for Carlisle at Colchester United on 23 February. Pressley said his side was weakened after he was taken off for fitness reasons on 69 minutes. His injury problems continued after he suffered a
tear in his
groin, which kept him out of action for six weeks. He was linked with a return to Bradford City, who were managed by former Blackpool boss
Gary Bowyer.
Port Vale On 26 June 2019, Cullen signed a one-year contract with League Two club
Port Vale. He described the move as a "fresh start" following a long spell struggling with injuries as the club entered a new era with new owners in
Carol and Kevin Shanahan, and a new manager in
John Askey. He scored in his first start at
Vale Park, converting from the
penalty spot in a 2–1 defeat to
Burton Albion in the EFL Cup on 13 August. He found first-team opportunities limited at the start of the
2019–20 season, but nevertheless boasted a record of four goals from four starts and six substitute appearances after a brace against Newcastle United U21 in the
EFL Trophy on 12 November. He again dropped down the pecking order, before replacing a suspended
Tom Pope to score a brace in a 3–0 home win over Colchester United on 15 February to earn himself a place on the EFL team of the week. He signed a new one-year contract after he ended the campaign with eight goals in 25 appearances. Cullen opened the
2020–21 league season on 12 September by scoring both goals in a 2–0 home victory over Crawley Town. However, he struggled with
ankle,
calf and
knee injuries at various points throughout the campaign. New manager
Darrell Clarke named Cullen as one of 15 players to be released from the club in May 2021.
Hartlepool United He spent July 2021 on trial at newly promoted League Two club
Hartlepool United and impressed manager
Dave Challinor. On 1 August 2021, Cullen signed a contract of undisclosed length with Hartlepool despite picking up an injury in a pre-season
friendly with
Spennymoor Town during the trial period. He made his Hartlepool debut as a late substitute in a 1–0 victory against
Crawley Town on the opening day of the
2021–22 season. On 19 October, Cullen marked his full league debut for "Pools" with a brace in a 3–1 victory at former club Bradford City. He scored six goals in 27 games for the club, but asked to leave
Victoria Park as he fell down the pecking order after
Marcus Carver and
Omar Bogle were signed during the January
transfer window.
Non-League On 22 February 2022, Cullen signed an 18-month contract with
AFC Fylde of the
National League North after joining on a free transfer; manager
Jim Bentley admitted that "I have tried to sign him on a few occasions in the past". Having played as a substitute in a defeat to
Darlington at
Mill Farm later that day, he marked his full debut four days later with a goal in a 2–0 win at
Blyth Spartans. However, he ruptured his
Anterior cruciate ligament during his fourth appearance for the "Coasters" and was ruled out for the rest of the
2021–22 season. He did not feature in the
2022–23 campaign and was released upon the conclusion of the season. Cullen went on to join
Bamber Bridge of the
Northern Premier League Premier Division. He scored a hat-trick in a 7–4 win at
Lancaster City in the quarter-finals of the FA Challenge Trophy. He ended the
2023–24 season with seven goals from 34 games. ==Style of play==