Year of agony spurred Mellor to Blackpool glory

The defender was the Plymouth Argyle fans’ scapegoat after their 2-0 defeat at the hands of AFC Wimbledon in the 2016 showpiece.

But on Sunday, almost exactly a year to the day after that gut-wrenching defeat, Mellor played a leading role in Blackpool’s 2-1 win against Exeter City to seal promotion back to League One.

It also meant Mellor helped to create history with the club as Pool became the most successful side ever in the play-offs, with five victories and seven final appearances from their eight attempts.

On a personal level, Mellor added a second promotion to his CV, having won at Wembley with his hometown club Crewe Alexandra back in 2012.

The 26-year-old took to Twitter to post the following message: “What a day it was. Another amazing experience that will be with me for the rest of my life.

“So this message is to thank every single one of you who wished me luck and messaged me – family, friends, fans.

“The team has been outstanding all year. There have been lots of ups and downs but we stuck together and did the business when it mattered.

“This year has been a massive plus for me and I’m very thankful for the opportunity.

“This time last season was one of the worst experiences of my life and I’ve got to thank all the fans who were sympathetic.

“To the fans who gave me a lot of stick – you drove me to succeed even more this time round. This one’s for you.”

Mellor received a barrage of online abuse after making what was deemed to be an error in last season’s play-off final.

Plymouth’s loss was Blackpool’s gain when Mellor signed on the dotted line at Bloomfield Road last July, having decided against renewing his contract with the Devon club.

The right-back, who has made 55 appearances for the Seasiders, won a host of end-of-season accolades, including The Gazette’s Player of the Season award. He was also named in the PFA’s League Two Team of the Year.

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