Mel Blyth

Norwich City and Scunthorpe United

Blyth began his football career with non-league Great Yarmouth Town. He then joined Norwich City, although he never made an appearance in the first team. In October 1967, former Norwich manager Ron Ashman took up the reins at Scunthorpe United, at the time struggling at the foot of the Third Division. He returned to his old club to sign several players, including Blyth, Steve Deere and Geoff Barnard, to shore up the inadequate defence, but Scunthorpe was relegated at the end of the 1967–68 season.

Crystal Palace

Blyth joined Crystal Palace in the summer of 1968 as an old-style wing-half, but he developed into a centre-back and immediately became a regular member of Palace's 1968–69 Second Division promotion-winning side. In their first ever match in the top-flight First Division, he scored Palace's first goal with a looping header against Manchester United. He scored another goal the following Saturday, against Everton. As Palace struggled in the First Division, regularly finishing just above the relegation zone, Blyth became a permanent fixture in the defence alongside John McCormick. He was replaced as centre-back for a while by Roger Hynd, but after playing in midfield for much of the 1969–70 season he won his place back when Hynd was temporarily switched to the forward line – the contrasting styles of Blyth and McCormick made for a good mix, and the two of them stayed together until McCormick moved to Wealdstone in…

Southampton

FA Cup: 1975–76