Carlisle’s Mellish was almost released before incredible switch led to him scoring more than Grealish and Pogba COMBINED
IT’S BEEN a Mell of ride for one Carlisle star ever since he was asked to fill in as a makeshift midfielder for the reserves.
Jon Mellish, who turns 24 on Sunday, had struggled to make the grade as a defender and was set to be released before a remarkable transformation.
But football has always been a funny old game, and one reserve outing against Kendal Town in February 2020 changed the former centre-half’s career.
And since the start of last season, the former Gateshead ace has outscored some of the game’s biggest names, including the likes of Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani and City’s £100m man Jack Grealish.
And even more incredibly his 18 strikes have all come from open play.
League Two star Mellish told SunSport: “We had a reserve friendly on a Wednesday night and when I turned up one of the lads was laughing because I was playing in centre midfield and I thought it was a joke.
“But the gaffer came to see me and just told me to go out there and have a bit of fun and I went and scored a hat-trick.
“Then that Saturday I started against Crawley in the league and I’ve never looked back.
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“It was quite mad. Once I found my feet in the position, the gaffer told me to keep driving into the box.
“Then once I scored my first one I believed I could get a few – but I never thought I’d get as many as I did.”
Mellish was told his days at Brunton Park were numbered and was about to tell his representatives at Black Diamond Sports to start looking for a new club until boss Chris Beech spotted the youngster’s potential to become a buccaneering midfielder.
He said: “I hadn’t really played much that season at centre-half. We had a couple of disagreements about it and he told me straight that as a centre-half he would be releasing me.
“Luckily he saw something else in me and gave me a chance in another position and it’s working out for the best and I’m a better player for it.”
After a late collapse led to them missing out on the play-offs last term, Mellish insists promotion is Carlisle’s target this time around now he is up and running in the scoring stakes after a strike a fortnight ago against Salford.
He followed that up with another against Crawley last week, and with Scunthorpe up next, he would love to be celebrating his birthday with a matchball on the mantlepiece.
He added: “Last time I got two against them so if I can continue that or get my first hat-trick that would be nice.
“The main thing is just playing well and if I can chip in with a goal then that’s even better.
“Last season I knew I’d score and it was just a case of waiting for it, then it was a weight off my shoulders and I just flew from there.
“This season it has been kind of the same thing but all of them last year were in front of no supporters – so I’ve just been waiting to get one in front of them.
“So against Salford it was a big weight off again and hopefully it’s something I can continue to do.
“100 per cent promotion is the top target. It was gutting last season to get into the position we did then chuck it away.
“We have to go one better this year and get into the play-offs if not better.”
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