Neil Mellor
Preston North End draw Liverpool for the third round of FA Cup and this will be the first meeting of Lillywhites’ striker Neil Mellor with his former club. This is certainly the chance for Reds’ fans to applaud him for his days at Anfield in 2004/2005 season when Liverpool became European Champions. How did it all go?
Firstly, Mellor bagged a dying-moments winner in Liverpool’s league game with Arsenal at Anfield, thumping an excellent 30-meter shot in the corner. Winning goal in the last moments of the game with the fierce rivals and one of the most beautiful goals Liverpool scored in the last couple of seasons.
And then, Champions League group stage, December, only ten days later. Liverpool need to beat Olympiacos at Anfield with two goals margin in order to make it to the knockout faze. Greeks are holding on, it is 1-1 with time slipping on. Rafa is bringing on Mellor for Milan Baros, and moments after that Neil bags a beautiful goal. An adrenalin booster for Reds and for Steve G who bags in a thumper and a needed 3-1 for the move to the next stage. The rest is history, but unlucky Mellor didn’t take much part in creating it since he had to undergo a double knee surgery in the March of 2005, just before the Champions League knock out stage which brought the beautiful trophy to the Anfield Road.
Those were the days, and Preston is now long way from that kind of glory. Neil Mellor had his hot and not days. Still the fans remembers and though the game is being played on Deepdale, they will know how to greet this excellent striker who didn’t have the best of luck with injuries and that is the only reason why he didn’t stay longer with Steve G and the crew.
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Rafael Benitez just can’t stop buying and selling players in every season. I think this is main reason they can’t be consistent like Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea.