Neil Mellor
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| Neil Mellor | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neil Andrew Mellor | |
| Date of birth | 4 November 1982 | |
| Place of birth | Sheffield, England | |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Preston North End | |
| Number | 33 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1999–2002 | Liverpool | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2002–2006 2003–2004 2006 2006– |
Liverpool → West Ham United (loan) → Wigan Athletic (loan) Preston North End |
12 (2) 16 (2) 3 (1) 41 (10) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Neil Andrew Mellor (born 4 November 1982 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire) is an English professional football player with Preston North End. He made his name in 2004 by scoring a stunning last-minute goal from long range to give Liverpool a 2-1 victory over Arsenal at Anfield. Mellor also scored a vital goal and set up another during Liverpool's match with Olympiacos at Anfield during the group stage of the 2004-05 UEFA Champions League, which Liverpool went on to win.
[edit] Player profile
Mellor is the son of former Manchester City player Ian Mellor. A strong, physical, centre forward, Mellor was top scorer in Liverpool's run to the FA Youth Cup semi-final during the 2000-2001 season scoring eight goals in four games.
He was also the top scorer for the under-19 team and Joe Corrigan's reserves during the 2001-2002 season and in total scored 46 goals (56 including friendlies).
Mellor progressed through the ranks at Liverpool and in the 2002-03 season he scored 20 goals for the reserve team. He made his first team debut in the same season and played a total of three games and scored in a Worthington Cup semi-final match against Sheffield United. Although the Reds lost the match 2-1, Mellor had shown promise and was rewarded with a new three-year contract, running to 2006.
Boasting a solid all-round game he initially broke into the first-team in the 2003-04 season. But after scoring two goals for the first team in a pre-season match, manager Gérard Houllier sent him on loan to West Ham United. He was also linked with moves to Scottish club Hearts and Sheffield United.
An injury hit spell at Upton Park plus playing under three different managers and being forced to play out of position proved unsettling. His build and gait saw him nicknamed "the Mellorphant" by the decidedly unimpressed West Ham fans.[citation needed] Mellor was soon back at Anfield and hit 10 goals in just four games for the reserves.
Before the start of the 2004-05 season, Mellor suffered a knee injury but regained fitness and a return to the first team in the 3-0 League Cup victory at Millwall In the next round he scored two goals to knock out holders Middlesbrough and in late November he started a UEFA Champions League game at AS Monaco.
After becoming a fixture in first team squads Mellor was about to burst into the starting team with some style. With Liverpool and Arsenal level at 1-1 with 90 minutes gone at Anfield on 28 November 2004 he cracked in a sensational 30 yard volley to send the Kop wild and clinch the game for Liverpool. Things got better still for Mellor 10 days later, Liverpool were being held 1-1 by Olympiacos in a game they had to win by 2 clear goals to progress to the Champions League knock out stages. Mellor was brought into the game to replace Milan Baros, within 2 minutes he had repaid the managers faith with a typical poachers finish. Mellor's strike reinvigorated Liverpool. A deft cushioned header set up Steven Gerrard to rifle in the third Liverpool goal and seal Liverpool's place in the last 16. Mellor's contribution from the bench was sensational and without his input Liverpool would likely have crashed out.
Unfortunately Mellor was ruled out for the remainder of the 2004-05 season after undergoing surgery on both knees in March 2005. This robbed the young striker of his chance of European glory as his team mates succeeded in bringing a fifth European cup back to Anfield. Although Mellor played no part in the Knock out stages his contribution to that year’s success was massive.
Mellor returned to action for the Liverpool reserve side in the 2005-06 season coming on as a substitute in their 2-0 victory at Manchester United. He was back on the scoresheet in his start in a year as Liverpool cruised into the quarter-finals of the Liverpool Senior Cup after a 3-0 win over Runcorn.
In January 2006, Mellor joined Wigan Athletic on loan for the remainder of the season. In his first match against Middlesbrough, he scored the winner during injury time in a 3-2 victory. However, he suffered injury problems, causing him to miss the League Cup final, and he returned to Liverpool early.
In 2006, despite a relative lack of first-team football at Liverpool, Mellor was voted into 90th position in a poll to find 100 Players Who Shook The Kop, ahead of such players as Mohamed Sissoko and Nigel Clough.
On August 30, 2006, Mellor signed a 3-year contract with the Football League Championship club Preston North End, a deal worth about £500,000. A knee injury delayed Mellor's debut and indeed his first season at the club has been plagued with injuries. Mellor finally got his first Preston goal in the 3-1 victory over Southampton on March 5, 2007. Out of favour under the Paul Simpson managerial era, Mellor now has to prove himself over again to new P.N.E boss Alan Irvine. The fact that Irvine has arrived at Deepdale from Liverpool rival's Everton could prove interesting.
Mellor was held in high regard at Anfield as his nickname proves. His goal scoring record for Liverpool Reserves was so good he was called Gerd after legendary German striker Gerd Müller.
[edit] External links
- Neil Mellor career stats at Soccerbase
- Neil Mellor Audio Interview:
- Mellor on Football Focus (Blindfolded Penalties)
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