Former Lincoln City defender Max Melbourne has found himself a new club, and it is one that comes with the added bonus of European football.
The 27-year-old has joined Cymru Premier side Penybont following his departure from Gateshead, where he spent last season in the National League. It is another interesting move in a career that has taken in the EFL, Scotland, non-league football and even the Baller League, and it gives Melbourne the chance to be part of a club preparing for a UEFA Conference League campaign.
Penybont are due to face Andorran side FC Santa Coloma in the first qualifying round, with the first leg being staged at the Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday, July 9. It is the Bridgend club’s second successive European campaign and their third in four seasons, which shows the sort of progress they have made in recent years. For Melbourne, it means a fresh start with a side clearly trying to build something.
Max Melbourne at Lincoln City
City supporters will remember Melbourne as a player whose Imps career never quite seemed to settle, often for reasons outside his control. He first arrived on loan from West Bromwich Albion in September 2019, just days before Danny and Nicky Cowley left for Huddersfield Town. Michael Appleton then made the move permanent in January 2020, handing him a two-and-a-half-year deal, but the timing could hardly have been more awkward. Within weeks, football was suspended because of Covid, and by the time the next season began, the picture at left back had changed again.
Sean Roughan started the 2020/21 season in the side, then Tayo Edun became one of the success stories of that campaign. Melbourne had moments, and he was often involved around cup games and squad rotation, but he never quite got the clear run he might have hoped for. His loan move to Walsall in February 2021 worked well enough, and he later spent time at Stevenage too, again looking comfortable enough in League Two surroundings.
There was still one notable final act in a City shirt. Recalled from Stevenage in January 2022, Melbourne scored his only Lincoln goal away at Plymouth Argyle, helping the Imps to a 2-1 win at Home Park. As last touches go, it was not a bad one. He was released at the end of that season and moved on to Morecambe, where his final League One appearance came against Lincoln during a difficult campaign that ended in relegation for the Shrimps.
Since then, injuries have not helped his momentum. He left Morecambe, had a spell in the Baller League while working his way back to fitness, and then joined Gateshead last summer on an initial one-year deal with an option. He made 16 appearances in all competitions last season, though his involvement tailed off after January.
Now, he has headed to Wales, and there is a sense that this could be a good fit. Penybont are not a club drifting around without a plan. They have European football, new backing, and a manager who appears to be recruiting with purpose. Melbourne, still only 27, brings Football League experience, a left-sided profile and a career that has already required a fair bit of resilience.
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