Gateshead have announced their retained list, and there is another twist in the story of former Lincoln City man, Max Melbourne.
Max was one of a new breed of player in the late Cowley era, signed with progression in mind. After coming through the West Brom youth setup, he joined City on loan, seven days before Danny and Nicky Cowley left the club.
He played five times, but new boss Michael Appleton handed him a two-and-a-half-year deal in January 2020, just a couple of months before Covid kicked in. It seemed he would be our starting left back the following season, but he was kept out of the team early by a young Sean Roughan. When Roughan got dropped, Tayo Edun stepped up, limiting Melbourne to substitute appearances and starts in the cup against the likes of European champions Liverpool and League Two Forest Green.
I do wonder if he suffered a little from ‘scene-of-the-crime’ syndrome, as he was fairly regular for us up to the embarrassing 2-1 defeat against Southend United. He has started three in a row going into that debacle, but only started the next game (0-1 against Rotherham) before Edun came back.
He joined Walsall on loan in February after we signed Cohen Bramall, but returned for the following season, starting on the opening day against Gillingham. He was a regular starter in August, but was dropped after we lost 1-0 at Wycombe, with him being partially blamed for their goal. Jamie Robson arrived, and off went Melbourne again, on loan to Stevenage.
His Imps’ career still hadn’t finished. He was recalled in January, made a couple of appearances and scored with his last touch in a City shirt as we won 2-1 at Plymouth. He was released by the club at the end of the 2021/22 season, joining Morecambe. They were relegated, and ironically, his final League One outing was against the Imps at Morecambe.
He’s had a rough time with injuries since, and after leaving the Shrimps, he moved into the Baller League. He played for MVPs United (managed by Maya Jama and Alisha Lehmann), featured in the 6-a-side competition while recovering from injury. Once he was fully fit again, he signed for Gateshead, penning a one-year deal last summer with a one-year option.
The Heed finished 18th in the National League this season, a hugely disappointing campaign given their finishes of 4th and 8th in the preceding two years. That’s led to a handful of changes: manager Rob Elliot has moved on, and Max is now looking for another club.
I always felt a bit for Max. He never seemed to get a break: he was signed by a manager who left a week later, then got a contract and a change just as Covid kicked in. If I recall correctly, Tayo Edun was sent off against Gillingham, and Max started the final game of the 2019/20 season against Burton, only to find Roughan and Edun standing in his way when play resumed later in the year.
Both of his loan spells were a success, Walsall and Stevenage, and he seemed comfortable and able in League Two, only to join a Morecambe side in freefall, dropping out of League One and then struggling in League Two. Injuries certainly didn’t help, and he didn’t kick a ball in the 2024/25 season; he would surely have bagged another League Two deal.
He’s now likely to resurface in the National League, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it was with a step three sides, in the North or South divisions.
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