Melvyn Douglas Scott (26 September 1939 – August 1997) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

centre half In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

for

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

and Chelsea. He was capped by England at

youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...

and U23 level.

Club career

Chelsea

, Scott began his career in the

youth system In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show en ...

at Chelsea and signed his first professional contract in November 1956. He broke into the first team squad late in the 1957–58 season and was a regular during 1958–59, making 38 appearances. Over the course of the 1959–60 and 1960–61 seasons,

National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...

reduced Scott's involvement to just 20 appearances and he came back into the team in 1961–62, making 37 appearances during a disastrous season in which Chelsea were relegated to the Second Division. He departed Stamford Bridge in March 1963, having made 104 appearances during six and a half years as a professional with Chelsea.

Brentford

Scott dropped down to the Fourth Division to join high-flying

for a £12,500 fee in March 1963. During the remainder of the 1962–63 season he made 17 appearances, scored his first senior goal and won the first silverware of his career when the Bees were crowned Fourth Division champions in May 1963. Over the course of the following three Third Division seasons, Scott would prove to be an indispensable member of the team, making 146 appearances across the half back line, as full back cover and on one occasion as

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

cover, late in a 5–1 victory over

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...

in February 1966. He was voted the club's 1963–64 Supporters' Player of the Year. Brentford were relegated back to the Fourth Division in May 1966 and Scott lost the

captaincy A captaincy ( , , ) is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish colonies, Spanish and Portuguese colonies, Portuguese colonial empires. It was instituted as a method of organization, directly associated with the home-rule admin ...

, which he had held since 1964. Despite being transfer-listed by the financially stricken club during 1966–67 season, Scott still experienced some success, with victory in the

London Senior Cup The London Senior Cup is the County Senior Cup of the London FA. The London Senior Cup was first won by Upton Park in 1882. Although the leading professional sides in London no longer compete, the Cup has been won in the past by the likes of ...

. Scott was eventually released mid-season. During his time at

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a association football, football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground was in a predominantly resi ...

, Scott made 177 appearances and scored two goals.

Oakland Clippers

In 1967, Scott moved to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to join National Professional Soccer League club

Oakland Clippers The Oakland Clippers (active 1967–1968, also named the California Clippers) were an American association football, soccer team based in Oakland, California. They played in the non-FIFA sanctioned National Professional Soccer League (1967), N ...

. He had a successful first season with the club, winning the Western Division and the league outright after a 4–2 aggregate victory over

Baltimore Bays The Baltimore Bays were a professional soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland founded in 1967 as one of the ten charter members of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). When the NPSL and the rival United Soccer Association (USA) m ...

in the 1967 Final. Scott was also voted onto the National Professional Soccer League All-Star Team. The team experienced less joy in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

during its inaugural 1968 season, but Scott's performances were again recognised, with his inclusion in the league's All-Star Team. He departed the club at the end of the 1968 season and finished his two-season spell with 39 appearances and one goal.

International career

Scott was capped by England at

and U23 level.

Career statistics

Honours

Brentford *

Football League Fourth Division The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Following the creation of the Premier ...

: 1962–63 *

London Challenge Cup The London Challenge Cup was a association football, football tournament formerly organised by the London Football Association, London FA. It was first contested in 1908, and other than during the World Wars, was contested every season until 1974 ...

: 1966–67 Oakland Clippers * National Professional Soccer League:

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

* National Professional Soccer League Western Division:

Individual * Brentford Supporters' Player of the Year: 1963–64 * National Professional Soccer League All-Star Team: 1967 *

All-Star Team:

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Mel 1939 births English men's footballers England men's under-23 international footballers English expatriate men's footballers Chelsea F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Oakland Clippers players English Football League players National Professional Soccer League (1967) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players 1997 deaths English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Men's association football central defenders People from Claygate Footballers from Surrey 20th-century English sportsmen