On this day, 18/09/76, Birth of the Ward/Mellor partnership.

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Albion had started the season well and the MoTD cameras paid a visit to the Goldstone to catch us in action against struggling York City.

In those days, only 2 games featured on MoTD and they had a quota of lower league games, so it was quite an honour to be given national coverage.

On a sunny day, Albion were expected to win but York gave as good as they got and, at half time, they had come back twice in a very entertaining 2-2 draw.

Fred Binney was Albion's main striker, a goal poacher of some repute. Alongside him was the new sensation, Peter Ward. But Albion manager, Alan mullery, was not satisfied with the half time score so substituted Binney for the lanky Ian Mellor, thus linking Mellor and Ward for the 1st time and they ran riot in the 2nd half, Albion scoring another 5 to run out 7-2 winners.

The Ward/Mellor partnership had been forged and proved to be just about the most potent strike partnership we've ever had.

 

[Paxton Dazo]

It's the 17th !

 

[highway61]

Albion had started the season well and the MoTD cameras paid a visit to the Goldstone to catch us in action against struggling York City.

In those days, only 2 games featured on MoTD and they had a quota of lower league games, so it was quite an honour to be given national coverage.

On a sunny day, Albion were expected to win but York gave as good as they got and, at half time, they had come back twice in a very entertaining 2-2 draw.

Fred Binney was Albion's main striker, a goal poacher of some repute. Alongside him was the new sensation, Peter Ward. But Albion manager, Alan mullery, was not satisfied with the half time score so substituted Binney for the lanky Ian Mellor, thus linking Mellor and Ward for the 1st time and they ran riot in the 2nd half, Albion scoring another 5 to run out 7-2 winners.

The Ward/Mellor partnership had been forged and proved to be just about the most potent strike partnership we've ever had.

That day I was at my sisters wedding in Haywards Heath, was well pissed off missing it but was well happy watching MoD later. I wonder if the goals are available to watch anywhere?

 

[Seagulls4life]

Could Murray and Sandaza or Barnes do the same?

 

[wigman]

FG what year was the season we beat Palace 1-0 at the death (Ian Spider Mellor)at the Goldstone ,was it about 75?

 

[albionalbino]

I look back on the York game with great fondness as it was my first Albion match. I thought it was going to be like that every week!
I never knew that was Ward and Mellors first match together.
I remember we scored seven against Bury a few weeks later, sadly not that many seven goal thrashings since though.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

That day I was at my sisters wedding in Haywards Heath, was well pissed off missing it but was well happy watching MoD later. I wonder if the goals are available to watch anywhere?

Two of the goals are on Seagulls TV - 1976-77

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Yes PD but it's actually for tomorrow, being match day, but if I left it then i'd probably forget!

it was 76/77 promotion season. The 1-0 v Palace was the previous year and Mellor never really settled until paired with Wardy. That goal from Wardy looked magical from my place in the North. One second he collected the ball with his back to goal and 2 defenders behind him then, in a blink, he was goalside of the defenders and scoring.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

I look back on the York game with great fondness as it was my first Albion match. I thought it was going to be like that every week!
I never knew that was Ward and Mellors first match together.
I remember we scored seven against Bury a few weeks later, sadly not that many seven goal thrashings since though.

I thought we scored 7 against Walsall , not Bury. 0-0 at half time all the goals in the 2nd half. 4 for Magic , 3 for Spider

 

[sams dad]

I look back on the York game with great fondness as it was my first Albion match. I thought it was going to be like that every week!
I never knew that was Ward and Mellors first match together.
I remember we scored seven against Bury a few weeks later, sadly not that many seven goal thrashings since though.

A PEDANT WRITES
We put 7 past Walsall, not Bury. It was 0-0 at Half-time

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Results from that day.

Saturday, 18th September 1976

English First Division
Arsenal 3 Everton 1
Aston Villa 1 Birmingham City 2
Bristol City 1 West Ham United 1
Leeds United 2 Newcastle United 2
Leicester City 2 Queens Park Rangers 2
Liverpool 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0
Manchester United 2 Middlesbrough 0
Norwich City 0 Derby County 0
Stoke City 2 Ipswich Town 1
Sunderland 0 Manchester City 2

English Second Division
Blackburn Rovers 0 Bristol Rovers 0
Carlisle United 2 Burnley 1
Chelsea 2 Bolton Wanderers 1
Hereford United 1 Charlton Athletic 2
Orient 3 Cardiff City 0
Luton Town 0 Fulham 2
Millwall 3 Plymouth Argyle 0
Notts. County 2 Blackpool 0
Southampton 1 Nottingham Forest 1
Wolverhampton Wanderers 5 Oldham Athletic 0

English Third Division
Brighton & Hove Albion 7 York City 2
Bury 2 Chester 0
Gillingham 2 Portsmouth 1
Lincoln City 0 Swindon Town 0
Mansfield Town 1 Tranmere Rovers 1
Oxford United 5 Grimsby Town 2
Peterborough United 0 Crystal Palace 0
Preston North End 0 Rotherham United 0
Reading 1 Port Vale 1
Sheffield Wednesday 4 Chesterfield 1
Shrewsbury Town 3 Northampton Town 0
Wrexham 1 Walsall 0

English Fourth Division
Brentford 3 Southport 0
Cambridge United 2 Bournemouth 0
Colchester United 3 Crewe Alexandra 2
Darlington 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Halifax Town 1 Exeter City 2
Hartlepool 1 Southend United 1
Newport County 2 Aldershot 1
Rochdale 3 Watford 1
Scunthorpe United 3 Workington 1
Swansea City 1 Doncaster Rovers 1
Torquay United 0 Bradford City 3

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

And the table makes nice reading too!

English
Third Division
1976/1977 Historical league standings at 18th Sep 1976
Pld Home Away Overall Pts GD
W D L F A W D L F A W D L F A
1 Brighton & Hove Albion 6 3 0 0 13 5 1 1 1 2 3 4 1 1 15 8 9 7
2 Mansfield Town 6 2 1 0 7 2 2 0 1 4 3 4 1 1 11 5 9 6
3 Swindon Town 6 3 0 0 9 4 1 1 1 2 2 4 1 1 11 6 9 5
4 Wrexham 6 3 0 0 4 0 1 0 2 8 5 4 0 2 12 5 8 7
5 Shrewsbury Town 6 3 0 0 9 2 0 2 1 4 5 3 2 1 13 7 8 6
6 Rotherham United 6 2 1 0 7 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 2 1 10 4 8 6
7 Gillingham 6 1 2 0 5 4 2 0 1 6 6 3 2 1 11 10 8 1
8 Reading 7 2 1 0 5 2 1 1 2 5 7 3 2 2 10 9 8 1
9 Lincoln City 6 1 2 0 3 1 1 1 1 4 3 2 3 1 7 4 7 3
10 Bury 6 3 0 0 6 1 0 1 2 3 7 3 1 2 9 8 7 1
11 Crystal Palace 6 2 0 1 4 3 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 5 4 7 1
12 Preston North End 6 1 2 0 5 1 0 2 1 3 5 1 4 1 8 6 6 2
13 Oxford United 6 1 1 1 7 7 1 1 1 6 5 2 2 2 13 12 6 1
14 Peterborough United 6 2 1 1 5 3 0 1 1 2 4 2 2 2 7 7 6 0
15 Sheffield Wednesday 6 2 2 0 7 3 0 0 2 2 7 2 2 2 9 10 6 -1
16 Tranmere Rovers 6 2 0 1 3 1 0 1 2 2 4 2 1 3 5 5 5 0
17 Chester 6 0 1 2 1 4 2 0 1 3 3 2 1 3 4 7 5 -3
18 Portsmouth 6 1 1 1 3 3 0 1 2 2 5 1 2 3 5 8 4 -3
19 Northampton Town 6 1 0 1 2 2 0 2 2 2 6 1 2 3 4 8 4 -4
20 Port Vale 7 1 1 1 4 3 0 1 3 1 8 1 2 4 5 11 4 -6
21 Chesterfield 6 0 1 2 0 7 1 1 1 3 5 1 2 3 3 12 4 -9
22 Grimsby Town 6 1 1 1 4 3 0 0 3 2 10 1 1 4 6 13 3 -7
23 York City 6 1 1 1 3 3 0 0 3 2 11 1 1 4 5 14 3 -9
24 Walsall 6 0 1 2 5 8 0 1 2 1 3 0 2 4 6 11 2 -5

 

[Lethargic]

I look back on the York game with great fondness as it was my first Albion match. I thought it was going to be like that every week!
I never knew that was Ward and Mellors first match together.
I remember we scored seven against Bury a few weeks later, sadly not that many seven goal thrashings since though.

Snap my first Albion game and what a way to start, from what I remember that season was littered with games where we scored 4 goals and an average crowd of 28000.

 

[albionalbino]

A PEDANT WRITES
We put 7 past Walsall, not Bury. It was 0-0 at Half-time

Quite right. I wonder what Alan Mullery said at half time.

 

[Everest]

Quite right. I wonder what Alan Mullery said at half time.

He probably threw a load of coins on the floor and yelled "The way you're playing, you're not worth that!"

 

[Gwylan]

FG's not 100% accurate. The York game was the first time that Mellor and Ward started together; Binney was substituted but replaced by Gerry Fell. Mellor and Ward first played together against Ipswich in the FL Cup when Spider came on as a sub (again, for Binney). I remember drinking in the Bevendean in Moulsecoomb that night so I didn't want to be far away from a TV to watch the game. It was a magical season that one, not only getting promoted but getting promoted in style. We had a healthy average attendance that season too - not 28,000 but 20,183, pretty good for the 3rd division.

A few days after the York match, we played West Brom in the FL Cup and murdered them 2-0, an absolute magical night (even if we did get lost in the Birmingham road system).

BTW, I don't carry all this info in my head, I looked it up in Tim Carder's book

 

[jevs]

It was a magical season that one, not only getting promoted but getting promoted in style. We had a healthy average attendance that season too - not 28,000 but 20,183, pretty good for the 3rd division.

All ending in the magical home game against Sheffield wednesday...an evening KO in early may and a 3-2 nervous win in front of 32,000 is still by far my most amaizing footballing experience ever.

if anyone has any memories of that game, i'd love to hear them as i was only 10.

 

[Cheeky Chappie]

7-2 v York was my first game too and I wondered if it was going to be like that every week! My next game was a 1-0 win v Peterborough.
I remember being allowed to stay up late to watch the York highlights on Match of the Day. Great goal from Ward and Alan Mullery was wearing a fantastic blue and white polyester tie when he was interviewed.
34 years ago. I feel old.

 

[bhaexpress]

I look back on the York game with great fondness as it was my first Albion match. I thought it was going to be like that every week!
I never knew that was Ward and Mellors first match together.
I remember we scored seven against Bury a few weeks later, sadly not that many seven goal thrashings since though.

Walsall actually.

 

[Gwylan]

Just gone back to Tim's book and checked again. Mellor and Ward had played together in the previous season, against Rotherham was the first team and scored in the same game against Port Vale.