Micky Mellon getting Oldham 'monster' back on it's feet as ninth promotion still owes thanks to Joe Jordan lessons
The former Dundee Utd boss made it a family affair at Wembley nearly three decades on from wide eye train journey to Bristol
It's a little square of north London normally reserved for aristocracy, global heads of state and worldwide celebrities to enjoy the fruits of their labour.
For a few hours last Sunday the Royal Box at Wembley was packed with Mellons. Of the Scottish variety. Micky Mellon did that.
The VIPs in his life - mum Margaret, wife Jane, sister Lisa, his kids Jordan, Jacob, Evie and Michael, even his Uncle Martin and cousin Junior - were all down from Scotland and in the posh seats at the home of English football.
There to get the best view in the house of Mellon securing a NINTH promotion in a career spent for all but one year south of the border.
The 53-year-old has guided Oldham Athletic back into the EFL thanks to that dramatic 3-2 play-off final victory over Southend United.
He'd have loved for his late dad Michael to have joined the celebrations. But he knows he'd have been watching down as another season ended on a high.
This is nothing new to Mellon. Far from it. He's now steered every club he's managed to promotion at least once, other than Dundee United who were already in the top flight for his one year at Tannadice.
He cut his managerial teeth guiding Fleetwood Town into the big time off the back of two promotions from the Conference North and Conference Premier in 2010 and 2012. Three years later he took Shrewsbury Town into League One via automatic promotion. He led Tranmere from the Conference Premier to League One following back-to-back promotions in 2018 and 2019- both via Wembley play off finals.
It's becoming a bit of a habit. And a good one at that. As a player he won three promotions too, with Bristol City, West Brom and Burnley. And yes, the second of those was secured thanks to the play-offs.
There's been a couple of blows, relegation with Tranmere and the sack from Prenton Park two years ago before he took over Oldham. But the highs have far outweighed the lows.
No wonder the 'wee boy from Glasgow', as he puts it, felt like he was on cloud nine as he took time out from partying at Boundary Park and a civic reception with the mayor to reflect on it all with Mail Sport this week.
He said: 'Nine promotions. I'm blessed. To come to England and achieve that, nobody can take it away from me. I'm really proud.
'The effort required, they're all tough, they're all really special. But the play-off final is the best way to go up. There were 53,000 at Wembley.
'My mum and my sister were down from Scotland and in the Royal Box.
'For a wee boy from Glasgow to put his mum and his sister, his wife and his kids, into the Royal Box at Wembley and win.. surely is what we all dream of?
'Mum went back to Elderslie happy and proud. That's the best feeling of all.
"But I'm not done yet. I still have a real love for football. I want to help young players improve and get the moments like they got at the weekend.
'To see young people put that effort in and get moments in their life that they'll never forget - it's an unbelievable satisfaction.
'As my old dad used to say, 'Michael, football was good to you. You've got to put what you've learned back in'. I try and stick to that approach. Dad was a huge influence on me. A good man, good west of Scotland standards.
'I still have a lot of those morals and values that I use now. Things that I instil in my own kids.'
It's been some journey for Mellon since Michael snr put him on a train from Glasgow to Bristol as a wide-eyed 16-year-old back in 1989.
Thankfully he had a legend off the Scottish game waiting for him at the other end. Nine hours later. Joe Jordan was his first boss at Bristol City. And the best role model any young Scot could wish for.
Within 12 months the first of those nine promotions was already in the bag at just 17 years old. Mellon said: 'I got put on a train at Glasgow Central at 16.
'I remember asking dad, 'when do I get off?' He said 'when it can't go any further, it's Bristol, it's the last stop'.
'It was the Sunday service, it went across to Newcastle, it took about nine hours. But I'll never forget waiting for me on the platform at Bristol Temple Meads was Joe Jordan and his assistant Jimmy Lumsden.
'He drove me and another Scottish boy that went down, Ronnie McQuilter, to the digs. What a real human touch. He knew two Glaswegian boys were coming to Bristol so he met us at the station.
'I would probably have never gone if it wasn't for him, he's a legend. I don't know if I would allow my 16-year-old boy to go on the train on his own now!
'But mum and dad knew that I was going down into good hands. I had a great time. I got into the team at 17 and we won the old Division 3 and got to what is now called the Championship.
'Joe was amazing, the way he ran the football club was way ahead, very disciplined, organised and professional.
'He led by example and actually still played in a few games despite being 38.
'I'm always proud to tell people I played for Joe Jordan. An unbelievable mentality, I learnt so much from him, he was a brilliant manager. An absolute gentleman too. I learned a lot about how you should treat young players and people.'
Not just young players, either. Cameras caught Mellon giving his winner's medal away to an older gentleman as Oldham celebrated with 23,000 fans at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.
He said: 'Frank Rothwell, the owner. He's a football manager's dream. He does so much for the club, for the local community and charity and things.
'Oldham is a monster of a club with brilliant owners and is climbing back to its feet again.
'I just felt that Frank deserved a medal, so I gave him mine. Hopefully it's not going to be my last.'
Meanwhile, Mellon insists he'd never shut the door on another chance to manage in Scotland - despite his stint at Dundee United finishing abruptly. One season at Tannadice in 2020-21 remains the Glaswegian's only spell in Scottish football.
He secured United's Premiership status in their first year back in the top flight - finishing ninth and just a point behind fifth. It came to an end after his relationship with sporting director Tony Asghar became strained.
A mutual parting of the ways followed. But the Oldham boss said: 'I'd love to have the opportunity to go back to Scottish football again if it was all right.
'I love Scotland and I love Scottish football. So I would never shut that door. But I'm at a big monster of a football club at the minute and enjoying it.
'But I've no regrets about Dundee United, I loved it.
'We didn't have a lot of Premiership experience, we had a lot of talented players.
'But the boys did terrifically well. We just missed out on being in the top six, got to the semi-final of the Scottish Cup against Hibs and we managed to get a whole raft of young players into the team and sell a couple for big money.
'It just came to a natural end. We sat down after the season and it would be fair to say that the relationships weren't great.
'Two guys with respect for each other made a man's decision that they weren't going to be able to move forward together.
'It was the right decision to mutually accept it was better that we parted ways.'
Critics had taken aim a lack of opportunities for young players despite Kerr Smith, Archie Meekison and Darren Watson all making their top level debuts under Mellon that season.
Mellon said: 'I'm not going to get too much into it, it was just relationships weren't in the right place in order to keep Dundee United moving forward.
'We'll probably both have regrets about the way our relationship went. We had a lot of respect for each other and accepted it probably wasn't going to go any further.
'Maybe if things had been different and I got that second year then things would have been very good. I'd have enjoyed it. But I was delighted with what we managed to achieve.
'The only thing I was disappointed about at Dundee United was I never got to do it in front of the fans.
'It was the covid season. I'm the only manager in Dundee United's history who never met the fans!
'But we're currently trying to organise a friendly at Tannadice this summer - that would be nice to take Oldham there.'
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