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 ...

who played as a

centre half In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either ...

in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

and

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

. 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), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

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 in the future if t ...

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 the system of 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 1939. The ...

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 In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

. 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 which involve scoring 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 intercepting o ...

cover, late in a 5–1 victory over

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and t ...

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, 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. Scott was eventually released mid-season. During his time at Griffin Park, Scott made 177 appearances and scored two goals.

Oakland Clippers

In 1967, Scott moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to join National Professional Soccer League club

Oakland Clippers The Oakland Clippers, also named the California Clippers, were an American soccer team based out of Oakland, California. They played in the non- FIFA sanctioned National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer ...

. 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) me ...

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 may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

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. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

: 1962–63 *

London Challenge Cup The London Challenge Cup was a football tournament formerly organised by the London FA. It was first contested in 1908, and other than during the World Wars, was contested every season until 1974, when the tournament was disbanded. After a 16- ...

: 1966–67 Oakland Clippers * National Professional Soccer League: 1967 * National Professional Soccer League Western Division: 1967 Individual * Brentford Supporters' Player of the Year: 1963–64 * National Professional Soccer League All-Star Team: 1967 *

All-Star Team: 1968

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Mel 1939 births English footballers England under-23 international footballers English expatriate 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 soccer players in the United States Association football central defenders