Biography
Left half and occasional left back John Allan Mellor grew up in Audenshaw, East Manchester, where he represented Lancashire Boys and became an apprentice butcher in the late 1930s. The development of Mellor’s footballing career was hampered by World War Two, during which he served in the Royal Marines and visited several African and Asian countries – he also made occasional wartime appearances for Manchester United’s A team. When he returned to his Audenshaw home after the war he played for the local team, then in February 1947 he joined Lancashire League side Ashton United as a professional. Four months later he moved to Hull City.
City manager Frank Buckley used Mellor as utility defender in his first season and even gave him four starts at inside left during March. A run of six starts over the festive period culminated in Allan scoring his first City goal in a 5-3 win over Rotherham United. When Buckley resigned and was replaced by Raich Carter in April 1948 Mellor was absent from the first team and must have wondered about his future at Boothferry Park. However in October 1948, with City having just won the first nine League games of the season, Mellor came into the team to replace Denis Durham and kept his left half shirt for a run of 31 consecutive League and Cup games. With City elevated to the Second Division in 1949/50, Mellor was restored as first choice left half and started every game until early April, combining tough tackling with long, sweet left footed passes that started many City attacks.
In September 1950 Mellor chipped a bone in his elbow and the resulting spell out of the first team gave an opportunity for stalwart Durham and new signing Ted Tarrant to stake a claim in the first XI. From this point forward Mellor was unable to maintain a regular start for City, instead filling in for absences and spending much of his time playing for the reserves. When the Directors took over from manager Raich Carter in September 1951 Mellor was struggling with a long term injury and after two starts at the end of the month he dropped out of the first team scene for the last time, retiring from the game a year later in October 1952.
After football Mellor eventually ended up in Southampton where he died in August 1997.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 16 October 1921, Droylsden
Hull City First Game: 13 September 1947, Stockport County A (Division Three North), 25 years, 332 days old
Hull City Final Game: 29 September 1951, Luton Town H (Division Two), 29 years, 348 days old
Clubs
Audenshaw United, Ashton United (1947), Hull City (1947-1952)
Hull City Record
Career: 117 apps, 4 goals
Allan Mellor| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947/48 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1948/49 | 27 | 1 | 7 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1949/50 | 35 | 1 | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1950/51 | 20 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1951/52 | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |