Every great team needs a Spider – Brighton had Ian Mellor

Behind every great Albion goal scorer, you find a less-heralded strike partner, foil or supply line. And when Peter Ward was re-writing the record books as Brighton climbed from Division Three to Division One, that man was Ian ‘Spider’ Mellor.

Tommy Cook had Tug Wilson delivering as a wing wizard. The link up between Bobby Zamora and Paul Watson bordered on telepathic at times.

For Glenn Murray, Ashley Barnes and Elliott Bennett were there for promotion number one as an Albion player. Sam Baldock and Anthony Knockaert for promotion two. Not that Knockaert was less-heralded, of course.

Ward had Mellor. A graceful, skilful player who recovered from a rocky start to his Brighton career to become a firm fan favourite at the Goldstone Ground – even if his achievements have been overshadowed in Albion history with the passing of time by those of Ward.

Brighton fans of the modern era all revere Ward and sing his name. Mellor remains a lesser known quality. Back in the 1970s though, everyone acknowledged Mellor’s part in helping Ward become arguably the greatest Brighton goal-getter of all time.

You only had to read the comments which greeted Mellor’s passing aged 74 with the rare disease amyloidosis to realise just what an impression he made on those supporting the Albion back then.

Mellor was working as a postman and playing non-league football with his hometown team Wythenshawe Amateurs in Cheshire when Manchester City offered him a professional contract aged 19 in 1969.

He joined Norwich City in March 1973 for £65,000. Playing as a left winger at Carrow Road, Mellor scored nine times in 43 appearances to attract the attention of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor.

Ian Mellor subsequently became of the first players Brighton signed as Clough and Taylor began their 1974 summer overhaul. The Albion paid a club-record fee of £40,000 to bring him to the Goldstone.

Mellor made his first appearance in a Seagulls shirt in a friendly in Majorca, scoring five times. He then enjoyed a perfect competitive debut, hitting the only goal of the game as Brighton beat Crystal Palace 1-0 on the opening day of the 1974-75 season.

Things soon went downhill, however. Mellor was suspended at one point and made available for transfer by Taylor as he failed to settle in Sussex.

But then came a burst of six goals in 11 league games midway through the 1975-76 season. Mellor was now one of the first names on the team sheet.

A few months later and Ward made his Albion debut, famously scoring with his first touch after less than 60 seconds away at Hereford United. Ward plundered six goals from the final eight games of the campaign.

Taylor resigned at the end of it, citing his failure to win promotion out of the old Division Three. Alan Mullery came in and it did not take long for the new manager to decide Mellor would be better suited playing up front alongside Ward rather than on the wing.

This change in position was a stroke of genius on the part of Mullery. Ward finished the 1976-77 campaign with 36 goals; a club record unlikely to ever be beaten. Ian Mellor contributed 15 and Brighton ended the season promoted into the second tier.

On paper, Mellor and Ward looked like a classic big man-little man partnership. Mellor stood over six foot tall, his long legs earning him that nickname of Spider.

Mellor was much more than a target man though. His movement was fantastic, both on and off the ball. He used those legs to glide around opponents. He could pick a pass. And it was rare to see his trusty left foot let him down when he had a sight of goal.

Mullery would go onto say of the decision to reinvent Mellor as a centre forward: “Ian Mellor had the ability: he was a big tall lad and he had super pace and a great left foot. I thought that they would form a terrific partnership.”

“In my opinion, Mellor was wasted in midfield. He could hold on to the ball and he’d learnt his skills from Malcolm Allison and Joe Mercer at Manchester City, who were both great coaches.”

“He shouldn’t really have been playing at the level we were at – he was too good – but he was and that was great for us.”

“Spider would get the ball to him and Peter would go on these mazy runs and, nine times out of 10, would knock the ball into the back of the net. They were absolutely fantastic together.”

The crowning glory of the Mellor-Ward partnership came on October 5th 1976. Walsall were the visitors to the Goldstone, a bogey team for Brighton at the time.

Just two years earlier and they had embarrassed the Seagulls, winning 6-0 at Fellows Park. The previous campaign had seen a Walsall double over Taylor’s Seagulls.

Going into half time and it looked like the Saddlers were going to maintain their hold over the Albion with the scores locked at 0-0.

But not even Walsall could resist Ward and Mellor. In the space of 28 second half minutes, Ward scored four times and Mellor three as Brighton racked up a 7-0 win.

“I have never seen finishing quite like that,” Mullery said afterwards. “Both lads were tremendous. It was the most magnificent second half of football I’ve ever seen.”

It was the second time in the space of three weeks the Albion had scored seven in a game. York City were also thrashed 7-2 at the Goldstone. Just the two apiece that afternoon for Ward and Mellor, along with goals from Steve Piper, Peter O’Sullivan and Gerry Fell.

Mellor began the 1977-78 Division Two season in the starting XI but lost his place in November to another club-record signing, £238,000 capture Teddy Maybank.

Brighton had never paid a fee close to that for a player previously and Maybank went straight into the team, even though the Ward-Mellor partnership had 15 goals between them to leave the Albion well in the hunt for a second successive promotion.

Mellor subsequently felt he was dropped not because Maybank was better, but because Mullery had to justify the eye-watering amount paid.

Despite both Mullery and chairman Mike Bamber urging Mellor to stay at the Goldstone, he handed in a transfer request. With no shortage of suitors thanks to his form the previous season, Mellor moved to Chester City for £30,000.

Two years at Sealand Road were followed by three years with Sheffield Wednesday. His time with the Owls was remarkably similar to Brighton; 11 goals in 70 appearances but more importantly, he was the perfect partner for Terry Curran as the duo fired Wednesday to promotion out of Division Three in the 1978-79 season.

A Wednesday goal in a 4-0 Boxing Day win over Sheffield United guaranteed Mellor his place in the Hillsborough history books.

He will always be remembered at Brighton too by those who watched him, summed up brilliantly by the headline on the excellent In Parallel Lines website: Ian Mellor – the postman who delivered for Peter Ward.