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

[Return of the Rev]

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.

my 16th birthday that day what a pressie! what a game!

 

[Bish Bosh]

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

That game was on August 17 1974.

Goal from Mellor and a match-winning performance from Peter Grummitt in goal.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Great days indeed. Just how lucky were we growing up watching the albIon during the 'glory years'. My 2 favourite games in that era,the 2 1 defeat of ipswIch and the away win at wba. And yes the 7 0 was against wallsall all the goals in the south stand end in the second half. Who hot the goals? See my sIg !

 

[bhaexpress]

Great days indeed. Just how lucky were we growing up watching the albIon during the 'glory years'. My 2 favourite games in that era,the 2 1 defeat of ipswIch and the away win at wba. And yes the 7 0 was against wallsall all the goals in the south stand end in the second half. Who hot the goals? See my sIg !

I think that we are just about to see some more Glory Years, keep the faith.

 

[cyanide-sid]

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

We had a blow out on the coach on the way back and had to limp to Victoria coach station and passed the time with a 25 a-side football match during the early hours with most of he players pissed as rats.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

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.

Thanks for this & the earlier comment, I must admit that i was unsure if mellor came on for Binney.

Ward & mellor had been in the same team before but this was the their 1st pairing as a fron two and effectivly finished Binney, a big goldstone favourite, with Albion.

Mellor was a very talented youngster with Man City but couldn't break into one of the Countries top teams, so he went to Norwich. Soemhow he didn't settle so it was quite a coup when Peter Taylor 1 signed mellor, along with Rollings & Govier, from Norwich. I think mellor score 5 or 6 on his 1st game, a pre season friendly.

Mellor had undoubted talent yet he was lanky and not so good in the air. he was a luxuary player, hardly suited for Div 3. binney was our main striker but he was a goal poacher, very hot on anything loose in the box. nearly all his goals came at home, where Albion would dominate teams.

Mellor could spot a pass, could spot space and so could Ward. Mellor rarely had to look for Ward, he knew where to play the ball and Wardy knew where to go. As a pair they were almost inpossible to mark. the conventional way of 2 big centre backs found they had no one to mark, no target man, yet Wardy would be leaving them for dead, played through by Mellor. Apart from the York & Walsall games, i particulaly remember wins at WBA and Sunderland where the 2-0 scores could quite easily have been 6 or 7's.

Great days!

 

[Jambo Seagull]

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.

I remember that game well. I had it in my mind until quite recently that the 7-0 v Walsall was the following Tuesday but it turns out there was about 2-3 weeks between them. I also thought Binney was out of the picture by then. Hadn't appreciated he was still around.

 

[CAPTAIN GREALISH]

6ft 2 eyes are blue ian mellors after you GREAT TIMES

 

[BLOCK F]

Was on holiday in Cornwall for the thrashing of Walsall...heard the score on the radio and well.....downed a few in celebration.Great memories of my younger days and the Seagulls!

 

[Gwylan]

Mellor was a very talented youngster with Man City but couldn't break into one of the Countries top teams, so he went to Norwich. Soemhow he didn't settle so it was quite a coup when Peter Taylor 1 signed mellor, along with Rollings & Govier, from Norwich. I think mellor score 5 or 6 on his 1st game, a pre season friendly.

Mellor had undoubted talent yet he was lanky and not so good in the air. he was a luxuary player, hardly suited for Div 3. binney was our main striker but he was a goal poacher, very hot on anything loose in the box. nearly all his goals came at home, where Albion would dominate teams.

Mellor could spot a pass, could spot space and so could Ward. Mellor rarely had to look for Ward, he knew where to play the ball and Wardy knew where to go. As a pair they were almost inpossible to mark. the conventional way of 2 big centre backs found they had no one to mark, no target man, yet Wardy would be leaving them for dead, played through by Mellor. Apart from the York & Walsall games, i particulaly remember wins at WBA and Sunderland where the 2-0 scores could quite easily have been 6 or 7's.

Great days!

Mellor was much under-rated IMO. I don't think Wardy was quite the same after Spider had moved on. He had an acute football brain, far too good for the 3rd division - and no little skill. He didn't have the pace of Wardy nor the ability to leave a marker for dead, but he was a fair dribbler and surprisingly nimble for a big man.

Incidentally, that season we saw players of the quality of Ward, Mellor, Reading's Robin Friday and Palace's Vince Hilaire - we were a bit spoiled watching 3rd division football in those days.